In the US, restaurant tips run 18–25% (18–20% is the baseline); in much of Europe it is 5–10%, or nothing where service is already included.
In the United States, restaurant tipping now sits between 18% and 25%, with 18% to 20% treated as the baseline for adequate service. Cross the Atlantic and the same gesture becomes 5% to 10%, or nothing at all where service is already included. Fly to Japan and leaving money on the table can be read as an insult. Tipping is the rare calculation where the arithmetic is trivial and the answer depends almost entirely on where you are standing. This guide covers what to tip by situation and by country, how to work out any percentage in your head, and the questions that actually cause arguments at the table. The CalcRange Tip Calculator handles the split when the bill arrives.
The Calculation
Tip = bill x (percentage / 100)
Total = bill + tip
On a bill of 80 at 20%, the tip is 16 and the total is 96. Split four ways that is 24 each.
That is the entire mathematical content of tipping. Everything difficult about it is social.
Working It Out in Your Head
Every common tip percentage is built from 10%, which you get by moving the decimal point one place to the left.
- Bill of 84, so 10% is 8.40
- 20% is double that: 16.80
- 15% is 10% plus half of it: 8.40 + 4.20 = 12.60
- 18% is 20% minus 2%: 16.80 − 1.68 = 15.12, or just round to 15
- 25% is a quarter: divide by four to get 21
Nobody needs three decimal places on a tip. Round to something sensible and move on.
Tipping in the United States
The US is the outlier that most tipping advice is written about, and the expectations have climbed noticeably in recent years.
At a sit-down restaurant, 18% to 20% is now the standard for service that was fine, and 22% to 25% signals that it was genuinely good. Leaving 15%, which was the default a generation ago, increasingly reads as a comment on the service rather than a normal tip.
The reason this matters more than etiquette is structural. In many US states, tipped workers can be paid a base wage well below the standard minimum, with tips expected to make up the difference. A skipped tip is not a withheld bonus in that system; it is a hole in someone’s earnings. Whatever you think of the arrangement, the server did not design it.
Prompted tipping on payment terminals is a separate development, now appearing at counters where no table service occurred. Those default buttons are set by the merchant, not by convention, and declining at a counter-service coffee shop is entirely normal.
Tipping Around the World
Norms vary enough that applying American habits abroad can be as awkward as applying Japanese ones in Chicago.
| Region | Restaurant norm | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 18–25% | Expected; part of worker income |
| Canada | 15–20% | Similar structure to the US |
| United Kingdom | 10–12.5% | Often already added as a discretionary service charge |
| France, Italy, Spain, Germany | Round up, or 5–10% | Service usually included in the price |
| Japan | None | Not customary and can cause offence |
| Gulf states | 10–15% | Service charge common; check the bill |
| South Asia | 5–10% | Increasingly expected in urban restaurants |
Two habits travel well everywhere. Read the bill before adding anything, since a service charge already applied means a second tip is optional at most. And when genuinely unsure, ask a local or simply round up, which is rarely wrong anywhere.
Split the Bill
The CalcRange Tip Calculator works out the tip and divides the total between however many people are paying. For the underlying percentage method, our guide on calculating percentages covers the shortcuts in more depth.
How Much for What
Beyond restaurants, US-style norms roughly break down as follows, with the caveat that all of it shifts by country.
- Bar, per drink: 1 to 2, or 15% to 20% on a tab
- Food delivery: 15% to 20%, with a floor of a few units on small orders
- Taxi or ride-hailing: 10% to 15%, or round up
- Hairdresser or barber: 15% to 20%
- Hotel housekeeping: a small amount per night, left daily rather than at checkout
- Porter or bellhop: per bag
- Tour guide: 10% to 20% of the tour cost for a good one
The delivery floor is worth noting. A percentage on a very small order produces a trivial amount for a trip that took the same time as a large one, which is why a minimum makes more sense than a strict percentage.
The Questions That Cause Arguments
Before or after tax? Pre-tax is the defensible answer, since tax is not part of the service. On a bill of 80 with 8 of tax, 20% is 16 rather than 17.60. The difference is 1.60 and nobody will notice either way, so this is a hill worth not dying on.
Does a service charge replace the tip? Usually yes. If 12.5% has already been added, that is the tip. Adding another 15% on top is generous rather than expected, and in most places it is fine to ask for a service charge to be removed if service was poor.
How do you split unevenly? The fair method is percentage-based: each person tips the same percentage on what they ordered, rather than everyone dividing the total tip equally. Someone who had a salad and water should not be subsidising the table’s wine.
Do you tip on discounts? On the pre-discount amount. The server did the same work whether or not you had a voucher, and a 50%-off promotion that halves the tip passes the cost of the promotion to staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I tip at a restaurant?
In the US, 18% to 20% for adequate service and 22% to 25% for very good service. In the UK, 10% to 12.5% and often already added. Across much of continental Europe, rounding up or 5% to 10% is generous. In Japan, nothing at all.
Is 15% still an acceptable tip?
In the US it now reads as below standard and is often interpreted as dissatisfaction, since expectations have shifted upward to an 18% to 20% baseline. In most other countries 15% would be generous rather than minimal.
Should I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax total?
Pre-tax is the more logical basis, since sales tax is not a service the restaurant provided. The practical difference is small, so either approach is socially acceptable and not worth debating at the table.
Do I still tip if a service charge was added?
Generally no. A service charge of 10% to 12.5% is the tip. Anything beyond it is optional and reserved for genuinely exceptional service. Worth checking who receives the service charge, since practice varies between venues.
Why is tipping rude in Japan?
Because attentive service is treated as the standard rather than something requiring extra payment, and offering money for it can imply the staff member needs the inducement. Leaving change on a table may result in someone chasing you down the street to return it.
How do I split a bill and tip fairly?
Have each person apply the same percentage to what they actually ordered, then add those tips together. Splitting the total tip equally when one person ordered far more shifts cost onto lighter eaters, which is the usual source of friction.
Should I tip on takeaway orders?
It is optional and generally lower than for table service, since no serving occurred. A small amount for a complex order or particularly helpful staff is a reasonable middle ground. Delivery is different, because someone made a trip.
The Bottom Line
Move the decimal one place for 10%, then double, halve, or combine to reach whatever percentage the situation calls for. Then let the location decide the percentage rather than your habit: 18% to 20% in the US where tips form part of the wage, 10% or a rounded-up bill across much of Europe, and nothing in Japan. Read the bill before adding anything, since a service charge may already have done the job. When the arithmetic gets complicated by an uneven split, the tip calculator settles it faster than the table will.
Tipping norms shift over time and vary within countries as well as between them. Figures here reflect widely reported conventions as of August 2026. Recommended editorial review: every 12 months.