TipSplit

15% tip calculator

A 15% tip is the older United States sit-down floor: fifteen cents on every dollar of the pre-tax subtotal. Plenty of people still use it for weekday lunch, counter-adjacent service, or a bill that already includes a service charge they want to top up lightly. Enter the bill below. The percent is locked to 15 so you can see the math without hunting for a slider.

Casual lunch, coffee-shop table service, or topping a bill that already has an auto-gratuity you only want to nudge. For decades US guides listed 15% as the standard sit-down tip and 20% as “excellent.” Card terminals and wage debates pushed the everyday default toward 18–20%. 15% did not vanish; it just stopped being the expected full-service number in most cities.

$

Pre-tax subtotal if you have it.

$

Leave blank if you are only tipping on the bill.

%

Pre-filled at 15%.

Equal split only.

Tip
$0.00
Total
$0.00
Per person
$0.00

Enter an amount to copy a summary.

Tipping customs and tax rates vary by place and by type of service. TipSplit is a calculator — not financial, tax, or etiquette advice.

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FAQ

How much is a 15% tip?
Multiply the pre-tax subtotal by 0.15. $20 bill → $3.00 tip → $23.00 total; $50 bill → $7.50 tip → $57.50 total; $100 bill → $15.00 tip → $115.00 total. TipSplit rounds to the nearest cent.
Is 15% still an acceptable restaurant tip?
In much of the US, 15% now reads as the low end of sit-down service — fine for casual lunch or uneven service, thin for a full-service dinner where 18–20% is the usual ask. Customs vary by city and by whether the server is tipped-wage. If a printed suggested tip starts at 18% or 20%, that is the house telling you their norm, not a law.
When did 15% stop being the default?
There is no single year. Credit-card receipts in the 1990s often printed 15 / 18 / 20. By the mid-2010s many terminals started at 18 or 20. The math never changed; the social default did. This page exists because people still search “15 percent tip” when they want the older number, not a lecture.
Should I tip 15% before or after tax?
US restaurant habit is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal. A 15% tip on an $80 subtotal is $12 whether sales tax is 0% or 10%. Tipping after tax quietly raises the rate. Use the pre-tax / post-tax toggle if your receipt only shows a total.
Does 15% work for haircuts or delivery?
Sometimes. Hairdressers and delivery drivers often see 15% as a floor rather than a compliment. Short rides and small delivery orders are often easier as a dollar minimum ($3–$5) than as a percentage. Open the matching how-much-to-tip page if you want the range for that job.
How do I split a 15% tip evenly?
Compute tip and total first, then divide the total by the number of people. Leftover cents (when the total does not divide cleanly) stay on the last share so the table still adds up. This MVP splits equally only — itemized “I only had the salad” is a later tool.