TipnookTipnook / Tip and bill-splitting guides
How to split a restaurant bill with tip
Calculate and round the tip, add it to the restaurant bill, then divide the final total by the number of people. A US$86 bill with an 18% tip totals US$101.48. For three people, two pay US$33.83 and one pays US$33.82. The table shows the same total shared by different group sizes.
Use the free tip and bill split calculator ↗| People | Payments |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2 × USD 50.74 |
| 3 | 2 × USD 33.83 + 1 × USD 33.82 |
| 4 | 4 × USD 25.37 |
| 5 | 3 × USD 20.30 + 2 × USD 20.29 |
This total includes an 18% tip on a US$86 bill, with no further charges to add. When shares differ, your group chooses who pays the extra cents.
Include each charge once in the final total
For a US$86 bill and an 18% tip, the tip is US$15.48 and the total is US$101.48. This assumes US$86 is the full amount before adding the tip. If you use a subtotal that excludes tax, add the receipt’s tax before splitting. For example, a US$80 subtotal, US$6.40 tax and US$14.40 tip total US$100.80, or US$33.60 each for three people. Check any existing gratuity before adding another tip.
Divide among three people
US$101.48 ÷ 3 = US$33.8266… per person. Rounding everyone up to US$33.83 would collect US$101.49, one cent too much. Rounding everyone down to US$33.82 would collect US$101.46, two cents too little.
Distribute the remaining cents
Start with US$33.82 each. That leaves US$0.02, so two people each pay one cent more. The final split is two payments of US$33.83 and one of US$33.82: US$101.48 exactly. Tipnook shows both amounts; your group chooses who pays which amount.
Know when an equal split fits
An equal split works when everyone agrees to share the whole bill. If each person needs to pay for their own dishes, work out those subtotals separately; Tipnook does not allocate items. Its iPhone app supports 1–20 people and lets you copy or save the breakdown to share with the group.
Share the amounts everyone needs to pay
Keep the bill amount, tip, final total and payment groups together so your friends can check the split. For the three-person example, share “US$86 bill + US$15.48 tip = US$101.48; two people pay US$33.83, one pays US$33.82.” In the iPhone app, open Share Bill to copy the breakdown as text or an image, or save the image to Photos. The group chooses who pays each amount; Tipnook does not send payment requests or collect money.
Continue reading
- How to calculate a tip and tip percentage
Calculate 15%, 18% or 20% tips, find the percentage from a tip amount, and work through restaurant bills with tax and shared payments.