Split the bill fairly when everyone ordered different amounts — each person pays for what they had, plus their share of tax and tip.
Dividing a restaurant bill equally is easy but not always fair. When one person had a three-course meal with drinks and another had a bowl of soup, splitting down the middle quietly subsidises the big spender. An itemised split fixes that: everyone pays for what they actually ordered, and the shared extras — tax and tip — are divided in proportion to each person's order.
The logic is simple once you see it. Tax and tip are charged as a percentage of the subtotal, so the fairest way to share them is by the same percentage for everyone. A diner whose food came to $40 pays 40/total of the tax and tip; a diner whose food came to $10 pays a quarter as much. Multiplying each person's subtotal by one plus the combined rate does this automatically, and the individual totals always add up to the grand total.
Splitting tax and tip equally seems tidy, but it overcharges light eaters. On a table of four where one person spent $80 and three spent $20 each, an equal tip split makes the small spenders pay the same gratuity as the person who ordered four times as much. Proportional splitting keeps everyone's contribution matched to what they enjoyed, which tends to keep the group happy.
Enter each person's food and drink subtotal before tax and tip — that is usually printed on the itemised receipt. Set the tax rate to match the receipt and choose a tip everyone agrees on. Shared items like a bottle of wine or a starter for the table can be divided among the people who had them by adding a small amount to each of their subtotals. The grand total confirms nothing has been missed.
Add up what each person ordered, then share the tax and tip in proportion to each person's subtotal. Someone who ordered more pays a bigger slice of the tax and tip — which is fairer than dividing the whole bill equally.
Splitting them in proportion to what each person ordered is the fair default, and it is what this calculator does. Splitting tax and tip equally is simpler but overcharges the person who only had a salad and a water.
Each person's total is their own subtotal multiplied by one plus the combined tax and tip percentage. So at 8% tax and 18% tip, a person who ordered $40 pays $40 × 1.26 = $50.40.
Yes. Use the add button to include as many diners as you need, and remove anyone with the × button. The totals and the grand total update instantly as you type.
Give everyone the same subtotal, or use the tip calculator's split feature, which divides the whole bill evenly by the number of people.