How to Calculate a Restaurant Tip
A tip percentage is the amount you choose to tip on multiplied by the percentage written as a decimal. Once you know a few shortcuts, most common restaurant tips are easy to estimate without a calculator.
The basic tip formula
Tip = Amount × Tip Percentage
Convert the percentage to a decimal before multiplying. For example, 20% becomes 0.20 and 18% becomes 0.18.
Common tip percentages
| Tip rate | Calculation | $50 bill | $100 bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | Bill × 0.10 | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| 15% | Bill × 0.15 | $7.50 | $15.00 |
| 18% | Bill × 0.18 | $9.00 | $18.00 |
| 20% | Bill × 0.20 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| 25% | Bill × 0.25 | $12.50 | $25.00 |
How to calculate a 10% tip
Move the decimal point one place to the left. On an $86 bill, 10% is $8.60. On a $125 bill, 10% is $12.50.
How to calculate a 20% tip
Find 10%, then double it. For an $86 bill, 10% is $8.60, so 20% is $17.20.
20% example
$80 × 0.20 = $16.00
The total including tip is $96.00.
How to calculate a 15% tip
Find 10%, then add half of that amount. On an $80 bill, 10% is $8.00. Half of $8.00 is $4.00. Together, that gives a 15% tip of $12.00.
How to calculate an 18% tip
One quick method is to calculate 20% and subtract 2%. For an $80 bill, 20% is $16.00. Two percent is $1.60, so 18% is $14.40.
You can also calculate 10% plus 5% plus 3%. Choose whichever method is easiest for the number in front of you.
How to calculate a 25% tip
A 25% tip is one quarter of the amount. Divide the bill by four. On an $80 bill, $80 ÷ 4 = $20.
A 15% tip when the bill has cents
Illustrative $47.80 tip base
10% is $4.78. Half of that is $2.39. Add them to get $7.17, which is 15% of $47.80. The amount plus tip is $54.97.
To check this in equal mode, enter $47.80 with tax already included, choose 15%, and set one person. The tool calculates 15% of the amount entered; it does not extract a pre-tax subtotal from an inclusive amount.
Keep the intermediate values until the end. Rounding 10% to $5 before taking half gives $7.50, an estimate rather than the exact $7.17 tip. Both can be deliberate choices, but label an estimate as an estimate.
More worked examples
| Bill | 15% | 18% | 20% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25 | $3.75 | $4.50 | $5.00 | $6.25 |
| $50 | $7.50 | $9.00 | $10.00 | $12.50 |
| $75 | $11.25 | $13.50 | $15.00 | $18.75 |
| $100 | $15.00 | $18.00 | $20.00 | $25.00 |
| $150 | $22.50 | $27.00 | $30.00 | $37.50 |
Choose the amount before multiplying
Decide whether you are tipping on the pre-tax subtotal or a total that includes tax. For a receipt-by-receipt comparison, use the before-tax and after-tax guide. The percentage calculation is the same once that base is chosen.
Check included charges first
Read the guide to automatic gratuity and service charges before adding an extra tip to a receipt that already includes a charge.
Rounding a tip
There is no requirement to create awkward cent amounts when you are estimating a voluntary tip. Some people round the tip or final total to a convenient amount. If you do round, check the resulting percentage if that matters to you.
For example, an 18% tip on $47.80 is $8.604. Rounded to the nearest cent, that is $8.60. Rounding the tip to $9.00 would be about 18.8%.
Find the percentage when you know the dollar tip
Divide the tip by the amount it is based on, then multiply by 100. A $9 tip on $47.80 is about 18.83%. A $9 tip on an after-tax total would represent a different percentage if that total is higher. Compare like with like when checking a suggested amount.
Using the person calculator
A 20% setting in person mode calculates one tip on the combined order subtotal. It then divides that tip equally among positive-order rows. It does not calculate 20% separately for each diner. See the unequal-order example before using that mode.
Splitting the bill after tipping
If several people are sharing the meal equally, first settle the bill, tax, and tip, then divide the final amount. Quick Dine Split handles the full sequence and correctly distributes any leftover cents.
Calculate a tip and split the bill
All dollar amounts on this page are illustrative arithmetic examples. Percentages demonstrate calculations, not a universal recommendation for how much to tip. For cent allocation after splitting, see who pays the extra cent.