How to calculate a tip: percentages and examples

Choose the amount to calculate from

Check the receipt before entering a number. This calculator applies the percentage to the single amount you enter. It has no separate tax or service-charge field. If you calculate a tip from a subtotal that excludes tax, add any tax separately when working out the final payment. Check whether the receipt already includes a gratuity.

Multiply by the percentage

For an 18% tip on US$86: 86 × 18 ÷ 100 = 15.48. Add the tip to the entered amount: 86 + 15.48 = 101.48. For a 20% tip, the tip is US$17.20 and the total is US$103.20.

Calculate common percentages mentally

Find 10% by dividing the amount by ten. For US$86, that is US$8.60. Double it for 20%: US$17.20. For 15%, add 10% and half of 10%: US$8.60 + US$4.30 = US$12.90. For 25%, divide the bill by four: US$21.50.

Round the tip, then split the total

Round the tip once to the nearest cent, then add it to the bill. For example, 15% of US$23.50 is US$3.525, rounded to US$3.53, giving a total of US$27.03. When sharing, divide this final total and distribute any remaining cents so nothing is lost. Tipnook does this automatically.

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• How to split a bill with tip, including leftover cents ↗

  Work out each person’s share after adding a tip. Follow a three-person example and distribute leftover cents without changing the total.