Split Bill Calculator

Equal mode is the default and works for most restaurant trips: total bill plus tip, divided by the number of people. Five people, £125 bill, 15% tip = £143.75 total, £28.75 each. This is the right approach when everyone ate similar amounts or the group has agreed to split evenly even if one person had the steak and another had the salad. The tool defaults to 15% tip with one-tap presets for 10%, 12.5%, 15%, 18%, 20%, and a custom field if you want anything else.

Itemised mode handles the case where someone had the lobster and someone else just had a coffee. Add each item with its price and tick the people who shared it. The tool divides each item among its consumers, applies tip proportionally to what each person ate, and gives you a per-person total that reflects actual consumption. This is the right approach for work lunches where the company is paying back specific employees, for groups where one person doesn't drink alcohol, or for any situation where 'equal split' would feel unfair.

UK restaurants: 10-12.5% is standard for table service, often added automatically as a 'service charge'. Higher-end restaurants in London might add 15%. Tipping isn't expected in pubs unless the staff bring food to the table. UK cafes and counter-service places don't expect tips. US restaurants: 18-20% is the floor; under 15% is read as a complaint. Service workers in the US are often paid a sub-minimum wage that assumes tips will make up the difference. European norms vary: 5-10% in France, 'rounding up' in Germany, often included in the bill in Italy and Spain.

Watch for service charges already on the bill. If a UK restaurant has added 12.5% service, you don't need to tip again on top - you can if the service was exceptional, but it's not expected. Check the bill before calculating, and if a service charge is included, set the tip to 0% in the calculator (you're already paying it). Some venues distinguish between 'optional service charge' and 'mandatory service charge'; both can be removed if the service was poor, but you have to ask.

Birthday person not paying: subtract their meal cost from the bill, split the remainder among everyone else, then the rest of the group covers the birthday meal pro-rata. The tool handles this if you uncheck the birthday person from any items they consumed and add a separate 'birthday meal' line that everyone shares. One person paying with a card and getting refunds from others: do the maths first, send a screenshot of the per-person amounts to the group chat, then settle up via bank transfer or splitting apps. Most banking apps now support 'request money' which makes this less awkward.

Drinks vs food: many groups split the food evenly but pay for their own drinks separately, especially when one person has a £45 wine and another has tap water. The itemised mode handles this cleanly: add the food items with everyone ticked, then add each drink with only the drinker ticked. The [tip calculator](/tip-calculator) is the right alternative if everyone is paying their own bill and just needs to work out their individual tip.