Two ways to split
- Split a check: one bill, several people, an optional tip and optional rounding. Perfect at the restaurant table.
- Who owes whom: after a trip or a shared house, log what everyone paid and get the payments that settle it all.
Splitting a check with tip
The math is simple, but it’s easy to fumble at the table: each person = total × (1 + tip ÷ 100) ÷ people.
A $87.40 dinner for four with an 18% tip:
- Tip: $15.73
- Total with tip: $103.13
- Each person pays $25.78
Nobody wants to pay $25.78, so round up to the dollar: $26 each, with $0.87 left over for the server or whoever put down the card.
A quick guide to tipping in the US
At sit-down restaurants, 15% to 20% of the bill is the norm, and 18% is a common default, which is why the calculator starts there. Many people calculate the tip on the pre-tax subtotal; if that’s you, enter the subtotal. Check the receipt first, though: some restaurants add an automatic gratuity for larger groups.
Settling up after a trip
On a trip, different people pay for different things, and at the end nobody knows who owes what. Enter each person and what they paid, and the calculator:
- adds it all up and works out each person’s fair share;
- works out each balance, who’s owed and who owes;
- suggests the payments that settle everything with as few transfers as possible.
For example: Alex paid $300 for the rental, Sam $60 for groceries and Jordan nothing. The total is $360, $120 each. Jordan pays Alex $120, Sam pays Alex $60, and it’s done in two payments instead of a chain of small ones. Share the result with the group and send the money with whatever app you use.
Tips, discounts and tax
For anything else involving percentages, like working out a tip on its own or taking sales tax off a receipt, use the percentage calculator.