Calculate how much to tip at restaurants, for delivery, Uber, hairdressers and more. Split bills per person instantly. Free, no signup required.
Not sure how much to tip? Here are the current standard tipping amounts for every common service in 2026, based on US etiquette guidelines and industry standards.
| Service | Standard Tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🍽️Restaurant (sit-down) | 20–25% | 20% is the new baseline for good service. 15% for average, 25% for exceptional. |
| 🍕Food delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats) | 15–20% (min $4–5) | Always tip at least $4–5 regardless of order size. Delivery fees go to the app, not the driver. |
| 🚗Uber / Lyft driver | 15–20% | Minimum $2–3 for short trips. 100% of tip goes to the driver. |
| ✂️Hairdresser / Hair stylist | 20% | 25% for complex colour or exceptional work. $5–10 extra for assistants who wash your hair. |
| 💆Massage therapist | 20% | Same standard as restaurants. Tip in cash when possible. |
| 💅Nail salon | 20% | Tip each technician separately if multiple people worked on you. |
| 🏨Hotel housekeeping | $2–5 per night | Leave cash daily since different staff may clean your room each day. |
| 🅿️Valet parking | $2–5 | Tip when your car is returned, not when you drop it off. |
| 🛎️Hotel bellhop | $1–2 per bag | Minimum $5 for the first bag plus $1–2 per additional bag. |
| 🚚Movers | $20–50 per mover | For a full day (8hrs+). $10–20 for a half day. More for difficult moves with stairs. |
| 🍸Bartender | $1–2 per drink | Or 15–20% of tab at end of night. Tip each round if paying as you go. |
| 🎨Tattoo artist | 15–20% | 20% is standard. More for complex, multi-session pieces. Artists appreciate cash tips. |
| 🧹House cleaner | 10–20% per visit | Or a lump sum at end of year. Tip more for one-off deep cleans. |
| 🍔Takeout / Pickup orders | 10–15% | Optional but increasingly appreciated, especially for large or complex orders. |
Calculating a tip is straightforward once you know the formula. The most common method is to multiply the bill by your tip percentage.
To calculate a tip, multiply the bill amount by the tip percentage as a decimal:
Example: 20% tip on an $85 bill → $85 × 0.20 = $17 tip. Total bill = $102.
For fast mental calculations, use this shortcut: find 10% of the bill by moving the decimal one place left. Then double it for 20%, or add half for 15%.
Example on a $60 bill: 10% = $6. Double for 20% = $12. Add half for 15% = $9. This works for any bill amount and is faster than using a calculator in a restaurant setting.
This is one of the most commonly asked tipping questions. The traditional etiquette answer is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal — you're tipping for the service, not for government tax. However, in practice, the difference is very small.
💡 Real example: On a $100 meal with 8% tax — tipping 20% pre-tax = $20. Tipping 20% post-tax ($108) = $21.60. Difference: $1.60. Either is acceptable. Use the calculator above and enter your tax amount to see both options side by side.
When splitting a restaurant bill, add the tip to the total first, then divide by the number of people. This ensures the tip is shared proportionally rather than each person calculating their own tip separately — which often results in the server being under-tipped.
Example: $120 bill, 20% tip, 4 people → $120 + $24 tip = $144 total ÷ 4 = $36 per person. Use the calculator above — enter the bill, tip %, and number of people for an instant per-person split.
Automatic gratuity (also called auto-gratuity or a mandatory service charge) is a tip added directly to your bill by the restaurant. It is typically applied for groups of 6 or more people and is usually set at 18–20%. If you see "service charge" or "gratuity" on your receipt, that amount IS the tip — you do not need to add another one on top unless you want to reward exceptional service.
Always check your receipt carefully before writing in an additional tip on the card terminal. Accidentally double-tipping is a common and expensive mistake.
Even for poor service, the minimum recommended tip is 10% — and only if the issue was with the server's attitude or attentiveness. If the problem was with the food, kitchen delays, or something outside the server's control, tipping less than standard punishes the wrong person. A better approach for genuinely poor service is to leave 10-15% and speak to a manager about the experience.
Never tip zero unless the service was outrageously, deliberately bad. Servers in the US are often paid a base wage as low as $2-3 per hour and depend on tips to earn a living wage.