Split Bill Calculator
Split a bill between friends either equally or according to what each person ordered. Shared dishes are divided equally, tax and tip are added in proportion, and the cents are shared out so that what everyone pays adds up to the exact total.
Worked out on the amount before tax.
Result
Enter the bill and the number of people.
The calculation runs in this browser tab. Nothing you enter is uploaded, saved or logged.
What is the fairest way to split a bill?
Splitting equally is fastest and works when everyone ate and drank about the same. When orders differ a lot, splitting by what each person ordered is fairer: each person pays for their own items, plus an equal share of anything the table shared, plus their proportional part of the tax and the tip.
There is a problem hiding in the arithmetic. Divide 100.00 between three people and each owes 33.333…, which rounds to 33.33. Three people paying 33.33 hand over 99.99, and one cent is missing. The calculator avoids this by giving out the leftover cents one at a time (the largest remainder method), so one person pays 33.34 and the shares add up to exactly 100.00.
How to use the Split Bill Calculator
- Choose how to split: equally, or by what each person ordered.
- For an equal split, enter the bill and the number of people. For a split by orders, enter each person’s own total as a list, then any shared items, the tax or service charge, and the tip.
- Enter the tip percentage if you are leaving one. It is worked out on the amount before tax.
- Read what each person pays. Use Copy result to copy the amounts, one line per person.
Formula
- Equal split
- share = (bill + tip) ÷ people, with the leftover cents given out one by one
- Subtotal of a person
- own items + shared items ÷ number of people
- Tax and tip of a person
- tax = subtotal × tax rate; tip = subtotal × tip rate
- A person pays
- subtotal + tax + tip, allocated to the cent
Tax and tip are shared in proportion to each person’s subtotal, so someone who ordered twice as much pays twice the tax and tip.
The tip is applied to the amount before tax, which is the usual convention. If you prefer to tip on the total with tax, add the tax percentage to the tip percentage.
Worked example
Three friends order 24.50, 31.00 and 18.75, share a 20.00 starter, and add 8% tax and a 15% tip. These are the results the calculator gives:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Input: How to split | By what each person ordered |
| Input: What each person ordered | 24.50, 31, 18.75 |
| Input: Shared items (optional) | 20 |
| Input: Tax or service charge (optional) | 8 % |
| Input: Tip (optional) | 15 % |
| Total bill | 115.93 |
| Items | 94.25 |
| Tax or service | 7.54 |
| Tip | 14.14 |
| People | 3 |
Assumptions and limits
- Amounts are allocated in hundredths of the currency, so it suits currencies with cents. For currencies without a minor unit, round the results yourself.
- A split by orders supports up to 30 people, and an equal split up to 1,000.
- Extra cents go to the first people in the list, or the first people who pay. Swap the order of the amounts if you want to change who pays the extra cent.
- The calculator does not settle debts across several bills; it splits one bill at a time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I split a bill when people ordered different amounts?
Choose “By what each person ordered” and enter each person’s own total. Shared dishes are divided equally, and tax and tip are shared in proportion to each person’s subtotal, so everyone pays their fair part.
How do I split a bill evenly when it does not divide exactly?
The leftover cents go to some of the people so that the shares add up to the total exactly. 100.00 between three people is 33.34, 33.33 and 33.33, not 33.33 three times, which would be a cent short.
How should the tax be split?
In proportion to what each person ordered. Someone with a subtotal of 40 pays twice the tax of someone with 20. That is what the calculator does for a split by orders.
How are shared dishes handled?
Enter the total of the shared items in the “Shared items” field. It is divided equally between everyone, then added to each person’s own items before tax and tip.
Is the tip worked out before or after tax?
Before tax: the percentage applies to each person’s subtotal. If you would rather tip on the total with tax, increase the tip percentage by the tax rate.
Why do the tax and tip columns not always add up to the totals?
They are rounded for display. The “Pays” column is allocated to the cent and always adds up to the exact total of the bill.