Group dinners are great until someone says "so how do we split this?" and half the table reaches for their phone at the same time. This guide gives you the method that actually works, a concrete example with real numbers, and a reference table you can screenshot before the check arrives. If you just want the answer fast, our tip calculator handles the whole thing in about three taps.
The Four-Step Method
These steps work regardless of party size or tip percentage.
- Find the pre-tax subtotal on the check. This is the number you tip on. Sales tax is already the government's cut.
- Multiply the subtotal by your chosen tip rate: 0.15 for 15%, 0.18 for 18%, 0.20 for 20%.
- Divide that tip amount by the number of people. That is each person's tip share.
- Add each person's food total to their tip share. Or skip the itemizing and just divide the full check (subtotal plus tip) by the number of people for a straight equal split.
Step 4 has two versions because groups sometimes want to split the tip separately from the food, especially when people ordered very different amounts. Both approaches are fine. The equal-split version is faster and avoids the mental gymnastics.
A Worked Example: Six People, $240 Bill
Say your party of six runs up a $240 pre-tax subtotal. The table agrees on 20 percent.
- Tip: $240 x 0.20 = $48
- Total bill with tip: $240 + $48 = $288
- Per person (equal split): $288 / 6 = $48 each
That is $48 per person for both food and tip combined. Not $48 for the tip alone, though in this particular example those numbers happen to match. Worth saying out loud so nobody pays double.
The math also tells you something useful at scale: a 20% tip on any bill is exactly one-fifth of the subtotal. So if you can divide by five, you can find any 20% tip without a calculator. $240 / 5 = $48. Works every time.
How to Calculate a 15 Percent Tip
This comes up constantly, so it deserves its own explanation. There are two paths, depending on how your brain works.
Path one: multiply by 0.15. On a $240 bill, that is $240 x 0.15 = $36. Done.
Path two, which is faster in your head: find 10% of the bill by moving the decimal left one place. Ten percent of $240 is $24. Then add half of that, which is $12. Total tip: $36. Same answer, no calculator needed.
On a six-person split, a 15% tip of $36 works out to $6 per person in tip, or $46 per person total ($240 + $36 = $276, divided by 6).
Split Reference Table: $240 Bill
This table shows the tip and per-person totals for a $240 pre-tax bill at the four most common tip percentages, for parties of 2, 3, 4, and 6 people. All numbers are rounded to the nearest dollar.
| Tip % | Tip Amount | Grand Total | Per Person (2) | Per Person (3) | Per Person (4) | Per Person (6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15% | $36 | $276 | $138 | $92 | $69 | $46 |
| 18% | $43 | $283 | $142 | $94 | $71 | $47 |
| 20% | $48 | $288 | $144 | $96 | $72 | $48 |
| 25% | $60 | $300 | $150 | $100 | $75 | $50 |
Notice that 25% on $240 produces a grand total of $300, which divides cleanly by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10. If the table cannot settle between 20% and 25%, the round numbers at 25% sometimes break the tie.
When the Split Is Not Equal
Equal splits are easy but not always fair. If one person had the steak and two glasses of wine while another had a salad and water, it is reasonable to track individual tabs. Most restaurant point-of-sale systems can split a check by seat. Ask your server before you run cards; it takes about thirty seconds and saves a lot of table math.
If you do itemize, apply the tip proportionally. Someone who spent $60 of a $180 tab pays one-third of the tip. Same percentage, different base.
Automatic Gratuity: Read the Menu First
Many restaurants add a mandatory gratuity of 18 to 20 percent for parties of 6 or more. It appears as a line item on the check, and is usually noted at the bottom of the menu. Check before adding anything on top, or you will tip twice. Our guide to tipping on a large party bill covers this in more detail, including what to do when the auto-gratuity is non-negotiable and the service was not what you expected.
What Tip Percentage Is Standard?
The short answer: 18 to 20 percent is the current baseline for sit-down restaurant service in the United States, according to National Restaurant Association surveys. Fifteen percent, which was the standard for decades, is now considered low for full table service but remains common for counter service and takeout. Twenty percent became the default largely because it is easy to calculate and easy to remember. For more guidance on choosing a percentage by service type, see our article on how much you should tip.
None of this applies equally everywhere. In Japan, tipping is unusual. In the UK, a service charge is often already included. It matters where you are eating.
Mobile Apps and Splitting
Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle have made the logistics of group payment easier, but they do not do the arithmetic. Someone still has to calculate the per-person total before people start sending money. The cleanest approach for larger groups: one person pays the entire check and tip on a single card, then everyone else sends that person their share via app. No table-side confusion, no split-card errors, and the person who paid earns any rewards points on the full amount.
The math stays the same regardless of how you pay. Bill plus tip, divided by number of people. That is the whole job.
Quick Mental Math Shortcuts
Not everyone wants to open an app mid-dinner. These hold up without a calculator.
For 20%: divide the bill by 5. For 15%: find 10% (move the decimal left one place), then add half. For 18%: find 10%, double it to get 20%, then subtract one-tenth of the original 10% figure. That last one takes a moment, which is why most people just round to 20 and call it close enough.
Once you have the tip, add it to the subtotal and divide by the number of people. If the per-person total is not a whole dollar, round to the nearest dollar. Someone will be off by a dollar in each direction; across a table of six, it averages out.