Splitting a bill without the awkward maths
Enter the bill, the tax and tip percentages, and how many people are paying: this calculator builds the true grand total first, then divides it — evenly, or by shares if you enter them. Shares solve the two cases an even split handles badly: one person covering a partner (give them 2 shares) and one person whose share of the meal was clearly bigger (weight it). Each person's exact amount is listed in the table, so the organiser can read the numbers out instead of doing mental arithmetic at the table.
Why tax and tip come first
Splitting only the menu prices and forgetting tax and tip is how groups end up short at the till. The fair default is proportional: everyone pays the same fraction of every component, which is exactly what dividing the grand total achieves. Note the tip here is calculated on the pre-tax bill, the common convention; if your group tips on the after-tax amount, raise the tip percentage slightly (a 20% tip on the taxed total of an 8%-tax bill equals about 21.6% entered here).
When even splits are unfair
If one person had a salad and water while another had steak and cocktails, an even split quietly transfers money. Options that keep the peace: split by shares approximating what each ordered (2, 1, 1), have the big orderer cover the tip, or itemise properly and use this tool per sub-group. What matters is agreeing the method before the bill lands. For a simple restaurant tip without a group, the Tip Calculator is the lighter tool.
Worked example
A $120 bill with 20% tip and no tax totals $144 — $36 each for four people. With shares of 2, 1, 1, the payments are $72 / $36 / $36.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the bill before tax and tip.
- Add the tax and tip percentages for your area and service.
- For an even split, enter the number of people. For weighted shares, type them instead (e.g. 2, 1, 1).
- Read each person's amount from the table.
Rounding without resentment
Per-person figures rarely land on whole dollars. The painless convention: everyone rounds their share up to the next dollar and the extra becomes part of the tip. On a four-way split that adds at most a dollar per person, the server benefits, and nobody is Venmo-ing 37 cents.