Tip you left
—
Reverse Tip Calculator
The meal is over and the receipt is signed — but what did you actually tip? Enter the pre-tax bill, the tax rate if there was one, and the total you paid, and this works backwards to the tip and its percentage.
Quick answer: a $50.00 bill with no tax, paid as $60.00, means a $10.00 tip — exactly 20%. The defaults below are this example.
—
Tax included
—
Rate on pre-tax bill
—
Rate on after-tax total
—
Why two rates are shown
The same tip produces two different percentages depending on the base. Measured against the pre-tax subtotal — the conventional base — a tip will read a little higher than measured against the after-tax total, because the second denominator is bigger. When someone says "I always tip 20%", they almost always mean 20% of the pre-tax bill. This page shows both so a number from a friend, a guide or your own memory is compared against the right base.
When the reverse calculation is useful
Expense reports sometimes ask for the gratuity separated from the meal. Couples splitting later want to know whether the person who paid actually tipped. And if a restaurant adds an automatic gratuity for a large party, this is the quickest way to check what rate was applied before you decide whether to add anything on top.
Frequently asked questions
- The tip came out negative. What went wrong?
- Usually the amount paid was one person's share rather than the whole check, the tax rate was entered twice (some receipts show the tax already inside the total you typed as the bill), or part of the meal was comped. Check that the bill figure is the pre-tax subtotal for the entire table.
- Does this work for a split check?
- Yes — work with your share of the bill and the amount you personally paid, and the same maths gives your personal tip rate.
- What if a service charge was already included?
- Enter the total you paid including everything. The "tip" the calculator finds will then include that service charge, which is exactly what you want when checking what the house already added.
Going the other direction? The tip calculator starts from the bill and a rate; the split bill calculator divides the result between people.