Split bill calculator with tax, tip and discount
Quick answer
Enter the subtotal, any discount, the tax, the tip and the number of people. The calculator takes the discount off first, adds tax, adds the tip on the amount before or after tax, and divides the total. A $240 check with 10% off, 8.5% tax, a 20% tip and five people is $277.56, or $55.51 each with one person paying $55.52.
Key points
- The discount comes off first, tax is figured on what is left, and the tip is figured on the amount you choose.
- Tipping after tax instead of before adds the tip rate times the tax. On the example bill that is $3.67 for the table.
- When the receipt prints a tax line, type that amount instead of a rate and the calculator uses it as printed.
- Leftover cents go to the first people, one cent each, so the shares add up to the total exactly.
On this page
Each person pays (the first few may pay a cent more) $55.52
Bill total with tax and tip $277.56
Subtotal after the discount $216.00
Tax $18.36
Tip on the amount before tax $43.20
People who pay one cent more than the others 1
Total if the tip were on the amount after tax $281.23
Each person pays on that total $56.25
Show the formula
- Subtotal after discount = subtotal minus (subtotal × discount ÷ 100)
- Tax = the tax amount from the receipt if you typed one, otherwise subtotal after discount × tax rate ÷ 100
- Tip = tip base × tip ÷ 100, where the tip base is the subtotal after discount (1) or the subtotal after discount + tax (2)
- Total = subtotal after discount + tax + tip
- Each person pays = total ÷ people, rounded to the cent, with the leftover cents added one at a time to the first people so the shares add up to the total
When to use this calculator
Use it when one person pays the check and everyone chips in the same amount. It covers the three things that change a bill’s total: a discount, tax and a tip. Each is optional, so leave a box at 0 to skip it.
If people ordered very different amounts, the unequal split calculator fits better, because there the tax and tip follow what each person ordered.
How the calculator works
It builds the bill in four steps.
- Discount. The discount percent comes off the subtotal first.
- Tax. Tax is figured on the discounted subtotal using the rate you type. If the receipt prints a tax line, copy that amount into the receipt box and the calculator uses it as printed.
- Tip. Type 1 to tip on the amount before tax, or 2 to tip on the amount after tax.
- Split. The total is divided by the number of people, including you.
Worked example: a $240 check for five
Say five friends have a $240.00 subtotal, 10% off, 8.5% tax and a 20% tip. These are the numbers the calculator opens with.
- Discount: $240.00 × 10% = $24.00, so the subtotal drops to $216.00.
- Tax: $216.00 × 8.5% = $18.36.
- Tip on the amount before tax: $216.00 × 20% = $43.20.
- Total: $216.00 + $18.36 + $43.20 = $277.56.
- Each person: $277.56 ÷ 5 = $55.512, which rounds to $55.51 with 1 cent left over.
So one person pays $55.52 and four pay $55.51. The same check with the tip on the amount after tax comes to $281.23 instead of $277.56, and the calculator shows both side by side.
| Line | Tip before tax | Tip after tax |
|---|---|---|
| Amount the tip is figured on | $216.00 | $234.36 |
| Tip at 20% | $43.20 | $46.87 |
| Bill total | $277.56 | $281.23 |
| Each person pays | $55.51 or $55.52 | $56.24 or $56.25 |
| People who pay the higher amount | 1 | 3 |
The gap between the two totals is the tip rate times the tax: 20% × $18.36 is $3.672, and $3.67 once the tip is rounded to the cent. A higher tax rate or a higher tip rate makes the gap wider. Pick one basis before the check arrives so nobody recalculates at the table.
Why a few people pay one cent more
A total rarely divides evenly. In the example, 27,756 cents ÷ 5 is 5,551 cents each with 1 cent left, and that cent has to land on someone. The calculator hands leftover cents out one at a time starting with the first person, so no share is off by more than a cent and the shares add up to the total exactly. In the after-tax case 3 cents are left, so three people pay $56.25 and two pay $56.24.
Rounding every share the same way breaks the total. Five payments of $55.51 add up to $277.55, one cent short of the bill. The same thing happens with $100 split three ways, which is covered in how to split $100 three ways.
Mistakes that change the total
- Typing a total as the subtotal. If the number already includes tax and tip, both get added again. Use the subtotal line from the receipt.
- Leaving yourself out of the headcount. The number of people includes the person typing.
- Entering a tax rate and a receipt amount that disagree. The receipt amount wins, so check that the rate box is not the one you meant.
- Tipping on a different base than the table agreed on. The 1 or 2 switch decides it. Change it and the total moves.
Recording the split
Once everyone agrees on the number, it is useful to have it written down. In EvenOut you can add the check’s total as one expense, choose “Equally” as the split and tap anyone who was not at the table to leave them out. Equal splits there are cent-accurate too: remainder cents are shared out, not lost. For the method behind these numbers, see how to split a bill with tax and tip, and when you have an itemized receipt, how to split a receipt by item.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enter a dollar coupon instead of a percent discount?
Divide the dollars off by the subtotal and type the result as a percent. A $30 coupon on a $240 subtotal is 30 ÷ 240 = 12.5%, so type 12.5 in the Discount box. You can also subtract the coupon from the subtotal yourself and leave the discount at 0.
What do I enter when the menu prices already include tax?
Set the tax rate to 0 and leave the receipt tax box at 0. The subtotal you type is then treated as the full price, and the calculator only adds the tip. Without those zeros the tax would be added a second time.
What if people did not order the same amount?
This calculator gives every person the same share. When orders differ, use the unequal split calculator, which spreads the tax and tip in proportion to what each person ordered instead of by headcount. On its example check of $181.76, the lightest order pays $14.72 less than an equal split and the heaviest pays $16.00 more.
Keep reading
- Guide How to split a bill with tax and tip, step by step Split a $120 bill with 8% tax and an 18% tip two ways: equal shares of $37.80, or by items at $88.20 and $63.00. Includes tip before or after tax.
- Calculator Unequal split calculator: split a bill by item or amount Enter what each person ordered, the shared dishes, tax and tip. Tax and tip follow each order, and the shares add up to the receipt to the cent.
- Guide How to split $100 three ways (and the extra cent) $100 split three ways is $33.33, $33.33 and $33.34. How the extra cent works, the same method for $200, $50 and other totals, and a quick check.
- Guide How to split a receipt by item, with tax and tip A hand-worked $108.44 receipt: four diners, shared nachos, tax split in proportion and the one-cent fix. Then how to enter it in EvenOut's By item split.