Tip Calculator

Sit-down restaurants: 15% is baseline, 18–20% standard for good service, more for exceptional. Bartenders: $1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab. Delivery: 15–20% with a reasonable minimum. Counter service and takeout are genuinely discretionary despite what the tablet suggests.

Convention says pre-tax, you're tipping on the service, not the government's cut. In practice the difference is small (a 20% tip on tax adds ~1.6% in a typical state), and many people tip on the total for simplicity. Either is defensible.

It raises the total to the nearest amount that divides evenly into whole dollars per person, then shows the effective tip percentage that produced. Four people owing $23.47 each becomes four people owing $24, worth the extra cents every time.

Many restaurants add 18–20% automatically for groups of 6–8+. Check the bill before tipping, the line is usually labeled 'gratuity' or 'service charge', so you don't double-tip unless the service earned it.