What to tip, by situation
| Situation | United States | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, table service | 18–20% | 10% (added as serviço) |
| Counter service / takeaway | 0–10% | 0% |
| Bar, per drink | $1–2 | 10% on the tab |
| Food delivery | 15–20%, minimum $3–5 | R$5–10 |
| Taxi / rideshare | 10–15% | Round up the fare |
| Hairdresser | 15–20% | 10% |
Splitting without the awkward cent
The reason bill splitting turns into a table-wide negotiation is almost always the same: the total does not divide evenly, so one person ends up owing a cent more than everyone else, and the group either argues about it or quietly underpays the restaurant.
Round each share up solves it properly. Instead of dividing and then arguing over the remainder, it rounds every individual share up to a whole unit, then works backwards: the group total becomes share × people, and the extra few cents land on the tip rather than on one unlucky person. Everyone pays the same clean number, the restaurant is never short, and the server gets slightly more.
The other modes exist for different priorities. Round total up keeps the group total a round figure, which helps when one person pays the whole bill by card and collects cash from the rest. Round tip up keeps the tip itself a clean number, useful when leaving cash on the table.
Why the percentage keeps rising in the US
If 15% feels like it should still be standard, you are remembering correctly — it was, until roughly the 2000s. Two forces moved it. Tipped minimum wage in many US states sits at $2.13 an hour, with tips expected to make up the difference to the regular minimum, so the tip is not a bonus but the bulk of the wage. And card terminals now default to 18/20/25% suggestions, which anchors the choice upward. Both are structural, not etiquette, which is why the number keeps drifting.
Where tipping is not expected
Tipping is a local convention, not a universal courtesy, and in some places it lands badly. In Japan and South Korea it can be read as implying the staff are underpaid, and money left on a table is often returned. Across much of continental Europe, service is included by law and rounding up the bill is sufficient. In Australia and New Zealand, where minimum wages are high, tipping is genuinely optional. Set the calculator to 0% and it works as a plain bill splitter.
Tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?
Etiquette guides say pre-tax. Almost nobody does it, and the gap is smaller than the argument suggests.
On a $100 meal with 8% sales tax, tipping 20% pre-tax gives $20; tipping on the $108 total gives $21.60. The difference is $1.60 — about 1.6% of the bill. On a $40 lunch it is 64 cents. It is worth knowing the distinction exists, and it is not worth an argument at the table.
Where it does matter is on large bills and in high-tax jurisdictions. On a $600 dinner in a city with 10% tax, the choice is $120 versus $132. This calculator lets you tip on either base, so the answer is whichever one you decided on rather than whichever one the receipt happened to print.
Service charge is not a tip
A line reading service charge, gratuity or couvert is a mandatory fee set by the restaurant. Legally it belongs to the business, which may distribute it, keep it, or use it to meet wage obligations. A tip is voluntary and, in most jurisdictions, belongs to the staff.
The practical consequences are worth knowing:
- Large parties. Many restaurants add 18–20% automatically for six or more people. If you tip again on top without noticing, you have paid roughly 40%. Check the itemised lines before adding anything.
- Delivery apps. A "delivery fee" goes to the platform, not the courier. The tip field is the part the courier receives, which is why removing the tip to offset a high delivery fee takes money from the wrong person.
- Resort and event fees. A "resort fee" or "banquet service charge" is revenue, not gratuity, and staff may see none of it.
When a service charge is already on the bill, enter the pre-charge subtotal here. Tipping on a total that already contains 20% compounds it.
Card or cash
Card tips are traceable, taxed correctly, and usually reach staff on the next payroll run — sometimes minus the card processing fee, which some jurisdictions allow the employer to deduct. Cash reaches the person immediately and in full.
In restaurants with tip pooling, both end up in the same pool regardless. The choice matters most in small independent places and for delivery, where cash goes directly to the individual.
Rounding, and why the tool suggests it
An exact 18% of $47.30 is $8.514. Nobody writes that. The rounding options here exist because the practical question is not "what is 18%" but "what round number is closest to fair".
Rounding the total is usually the better habit: it makes the final amount easy to remember, easy to split, and easy to check against your statement later. Rounding the tip keeps the percentage honest but leaves an awkward total. Both are shown so you can pick without doing the second calculation in your head.
One case deserves care: when you round the total down and then split it, the per-person amount can land below what an exact split of the original would have been. On a bill of $203.40 rounded to $200 across four people, each pays $50 instead of $50.85 — a difference of $3.40 that comes straight out of the tip. Round up when splitting, or round after dividing rather than before.
Privacy
The whole calculation is arithmetic done in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, logged or stored, there is no account, and there is no usage limit.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I tip in the United States?
At a sit-down restaurant with table service, 18–20% of the pre-tax bill is the current normal, and 15% now reads as mild dissatisfaction. Counter service and takeaway carry no obligation, though a 10% tip on a large order is appreciated. Bartenders are usually tipped $1–2 per drink or 20% on a tab.
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
Etiquette says pre-tax; convenience says whatever is printed on the bill. The difference on a $100 meal is roughly $2, so nobody will object either way. Enter the pre-tax subtotal if you want to be precise about it.
Do I tip in Brazil?
Usually not separately. Brazilian restaurants add a 10% serviço to the bill, which is customary but legally optional — you can decline it. Tipping beyond that is unusual and reserved for genuinely exceptional service, so a 0% or 5% setting is often the realistic answer.
How does the rounding work when splitting?
Round each share up gives everyone the same clean number and lets the small remainder land on the tip, which is the fairest way to avoid one person owing an odd cent. Round total up keeps the group total tidy. Without rounding, every share is rounded up to the nearest cent so the collected amount always covers the bill.
Is anything saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation is arithmetic done in your browser. No amounts are transmitted or stored, and there is no account.