Tip & Split Bill Calculator
Split restaurant bills fairly and quickly. Select standard gratuity percentages or add individual dishes to compute mathematically precise individual shares including tax.
💸 Simple Split Sliders
Preset Splits📊 Split Breakdown
Live RatesHow to Split Restaurant Bills Fairly
Standard Splits vs. Unequal Itemization
Splitting the bill **evenly** (Simple Split) is perfect for quick drinks or when everyone orders similar meals. However, when someone orders a light salad while another orders an expensive steak, an even split creates resentment. The **Advanced Itemized Split** distributes the base costs exactly as ordered and scales tax and tips proportionally, ensuring absolute mathematical fairness.
Proportional Tip & Tax Allocations
Rather than splitting tax and tip evenly, our engine calculates each guest's **proportional subtotal weight**. If Guest A ordered 60% of the food cost, they are automatically allocated 60% of the total tax and tip. This represents the gold standard of bill-splitting math.
How to Handle Shared Appetizers
If a table shares an appetizer or bottle of wine, select the **Shared (Split-All)** assignee dropdown. Our system divides the item cost equally among all participants first, then compiles the personal shares and overlays the correct proportional tip/tax.
A Worked Example
Imagine a $120 pre-tax dinner for four. A 20% tip adds $24 and 8% tax adds about $10, for a $154 total. Split evenly, that's $38.50 a head.
But if one person's steak was $45 while another's salad was $20, the itemized split is fairer: the steak orderer covers about 37% of the food and so pays roughly $57, while the salad orderer pays about $26 — with tax and tip allocated in the same proportion as what each person actually ordered.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I tip at a restaurant?
In the US, 18–20% of the pre-tax bill is standard for sit-down service and around 15% for adequate service, with more for exceptional service. Counter service and takeout are typically optional or lower.
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Etiquette is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal, though many people tip on the total for simplicity. Tipping on the pre-tax amount more closely reflects the cost of the actual service.
How do I split a bill with different orders fairly?
Use itemized splitting: assign each dish to whoever ordered it, share communal items equally, then allocate tax and tip in proportion to each person's subtotal — exactly what this calculator does.