Dr. Vilma is a Harvard educated doctor specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, and infertility and reproductive endrocrinology. When not in active practice, she creates patient educational materials, academic works, and editorials on health advocacy and wellness.
You've gone out to dinner with friends and maybe had a few drinks. Now it's time to split the check, but no one wants to figure this out in their head or go through the steps with a calculator. Instead, go easy on yourselves and use this handy widget. You will have your results in no time at all.
Split the Check Using the Widget
To figure out how much each person owes, the calculator widget factors in your desired percentage tip for the check and the number of people involved. To use the widget to split a check amount, do the following:
In the first field, enter the dollar amount of the check.
Fill in the tip percentage you want to add to your check. Note the default 15% tip but you can overwrite this with your desired percentage.
Enter the number of people between whom the check should be divided. The default number of people is two but you can overwrite this with the number of people in your group.
Decide whether you would like the widget to round up the amount owed by each person to the next whole dollar. This is enabled by default. Uncheck the box if you do not wish to round up.
Click the "Calculate" button to display the following results:
To delete the results and start over, click the "Clear all fields" button at the bottom of the widget.
Manual Calculation
When you are motivated, you can take a few steps to do the check splitting calculation by hand. As an example, let's say your dinner bill is $100, to be split between you and one friend, and you want to add a 15% tip.
To calculate the total tip amount to add to thecheck: Divide the desired tip percentage by 100% and multiply that result by the check amount.
15%/100% = 0.15
0.15 x $100 = $15
To calculate the tip per person: Divide the total tip amount by the number of people in the group.
$15/2 = $7.50
To calculate the check total: Add the total tip amount to the original check amount to get the total amount to be paid.
$15 + $100 = $115
To calculate the amount to be paid by each person: Divide the check total (including tip) by the number of people in the group.
$115/2 = $57.50
To round up the amount per person to the next whole dollar:
Each person would pay $58, instead of $57.50.
The total amount to be paid would be $58 x 2 = $116, instead of $115.
The effective tip per person would be: $116 - $100 = $16; $16/2 = $8, instead of $7.50.
Standard Tipping Practice
According to a 2015 CNN article, although this can vary by state, in the United States, the customary tipping of your restaurant waiter is 15% to 20%. This rate is also usual for other situations where you might split a bill such as a bar, food home delivery, or a taxi or a limo service. Note that tipping customs vary from country to country when you travel abroad.
Convenient Calculation
In any situation where you need to split a check, our widget is convenient and accessible on any electronic device. Just enter the required numbers and will be on your way.
