Bill split calculator
Enter the bill, tax, tip, and how many people are splitting — get the exact amount each person pays. For an itemized split where everyone pays for what they actually ordered, do it in Tab Tender.
Not an even split?
If everyone ordered different things, an even split overcharges the people who had less. Scan the receipt and tap who had what — tax and tip split proportionally, and everyone gets a pay link.
Split by item instead →How to split a bill with tax and tip
To split a bill evenly, add the tax and tip to the subtotal, then divide the total by the number of people. The only judgement call is the tip: tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the usual etiquette, since you're tipping on the food and service rather than the sales tax. Rounding each share up to the nearest dollar avoids messy change and leaves the person collecting a small buffer.
Even split vs. splitting by item
An even split is quick and fine when everyone ordered roughly the same. But when one person had a steak and a cocktail and another had a salad and water, an even split quietly overcharges the lighter orders. The fairer method is to assign each item to whoever had it and split tax and tip in proportion to each person's subtotal — so everyone pays their real share.
Doing that by hand is fiddly, which is why Tab Tender automates it: snap a photo of the receipt, tap who had what, and it spreads tax, tip, and service proportionally — then gives everyone a tap-to-pay link for Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle.
Split a receipt by item →Frequently asked questions
- How do you split a bill with tax and tip?
- Add the tax and tip to the subtotal to get the bill total, then divide by the number of people for an even split. To be fair when people ordered different amounts, split each person's items and spread tax and tip in proportion to what they ordered.
- Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
- Tipping on the pre-tax subtotal is the common etiquette — you're tipping on the food and service, not the sales tax. Tipping on the total is also fine and slightly more generous. The calculator lets you choose.
- How do you split a bill evenly?
- Add the subtotal, tax, and tip to get the total, then divide by the number of people. Rounding each share up to the nearest dollar gives the person collecting a small buffer and avoids odd change.
- What's the fairest way to split a bill when everyone ordered different things?
- An even split overcharges whoever ordered less. The fairest method is to assign each item to whoever had it and split tax and tip in proportion to each person's subtotal. Tab Tender does this automatically when you scan the receipt and tap who had what.
Related: how to calculate who owes what, splitting tax and tip fairly, and splitting an itemized restaurant bill.