🧮 Bill Split Calculator: Split a Bill With Tax and Tip (US)

What this bill splitter does

The restaurant bill splitter handles the arithmetic that makes people argue: rounding, tax, tip and shared items. It works entirely in your browser, so nothing you type leaves the page. Participants are labeled Person 1, Person 2 and so on, and no names or personal details are needed.

• Equal, itemized and custom-percentage modes
• Tip on the pre-tax subtotal or on the post-tax amount, with both totals shown
• Exact cent allocation with a visible "shares add up to the total" check
• Round-up option that shows the extra amount as additional tip

Infographic: where the money goes

How to split a bill in five steps

1. Take the subtotal. Use the food and drink line before tax, not the amount due at the bottom.
2. Enter the tax. Paste the tax amount from the receipt, or switch the field to percent if you only have a rate.
3. Choose your tip percentage. Pick a preset or type any number. If a service charge is already on the bill, enter 0.
4. Pick the split style. Equal for an even division, itemized for different orders, custom when shares should be uneven.
5. Check the sum. The result panel confirms the shares add up to the exact grand total.

Worked examples (hypothetical numbers)

All four examples are hypothetical test values, not tax or legal advice. They test arithmetic only.

Common mistakes when you split the bill

• Tipping twice. If a gratuity or service charge is printed on the receipt, set the tip to 0.
• Wrong tip base. Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal and on the post-tax amount give different totals; the panel above shows both so you can see the gap.
• Rounding each share separately. Rounding $38.475 up four times gives $153.92 and someone overpays. This tool allocates whole cents so the sum matches.
• Splitting shared items unevenly. Add a shared item in itemized mode so the bottle everyone drank is divided fairly.
• Forgetting someone. Check the number of people field before you confirm the split; the sum check proves every seat is counted.

Comparison: which split mode to pick

Comparison: pre-tax tip versus post-tax tip

Neither base is required by any rule. The choice is yours; the calculator simply shows both so the difference is visible.

FAQ

Glossary

Subtotal

The amount for food and drinks before tax and tip are added.

Tip base

The number the tip percentage is applied to: the pre-tax subtotal, or the subtotal plus tax.

Grand total

Subtotal + tax + tip — the full amount the table pays.

Itemized split

A split where each person pays for their own items, with tax and tip shared in proportion.

Largest remainder

The allocation rule that hands leftover cents to the shares with the biggest fractional part so the sum stays exact.

Round-up share

A share rounded up to the next whole dollar; the extra amount is shown as additional tip.

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Limitations, exclusions and assumptions

• Tax and tip are inputs you provide; no rate is fetched or assumed.
• No payment requests, IOUs, debt tracking, currency conversion, tip pooling or tip-tax guidance.
• Service charges already on the receipt must be entered by you (tip 0 to avoid double tipping).
• Number of people must be a whole number from 1 to 50; negative tax, tip or amounts are rejected.
• Examples use clearly labeled hypothetical numbers and test arithmetic, not law.