A Practical Guide to Tipping and Splitting Bills

A 15 to 20 percent tip covers most restaurant service in many regions, with 20 percent the common default for good service in the US. For takeaway counters or buffets, 10 percent is typical — and there is no obligation where service staff earn full wages.

The fair order of operations is: start from the pre-tax subtotal, compute the tip, add it to get the total, then split evenly. Splitting after tip means everyone shares the gratuity fairly instead of penalising whoever does the math.

Discounts and coupons need care: tip on the pre-discount subtotal, because the kitchen and server did the full work. The Discount Calculator shows the sale price while you keep the original amount for the tip base.

For uneven orders — one person had steak, another salad — split shared items (tax, tip, appetisers) evenly, assign individual mains, then sum each share. Rounding each share up to the nearest dollar usually covers the tip gap.

The RovoTools Tip Calculator does this transparently: enter the bill, the percentage and the headcount, and it shows tip, total and per-person amounts instantly, all computed on your device.