Tip Calculator

There is no single 'correct' tip rate, which is why this tool asks for the country first. In the United States, 18-20% on the pre-tax bill is now standard at sit-down restaurants, with 15% at the very low end. In the United Kingdom, 10-12.5% is normal and is often already added as a discretionary service charge. In Japan, tipping is not expected and can come across as rude or confusing - servers have been known to chase tourists out of the restaurant to return what they assumed was forgotten cash.

Pick a country, type the bill, choose how many of you are splitting it, and the tool returns the tip amount, total bill and per-person figure. The quick-select buttons cover the typical low and high range for that country, so a Brit eating in Lisbon sees 5%, 10% and the typical 5% rather than a US-default 20% they would feel obliged to leave.

In the UK, many restaurants add a 'discretionary service charge' of 10-12.5% to bills, especially for groups. It is genuinely optional - you can ask for it removed if service was poor - but the calculator does not know it is there. Check the bottom of the bill before adding anything on top. In the US, parties of 6 or more often have an 'auto-grat' of 18% pre-applied. In France, 'service compris' has been the law since 1987, so any tip is genuinely a small extra rather than a top-up.

Use the result here as a starting point, then sense-check against the bill before paying. If you are converting from a foreign currency to budget mentally in pounds, the [Currency Converter](/currency-converter) gives a quick approximation against the same mid-market reference rates banks use.