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- Tip Calculator
tip calculator
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How to use Credit Karma’s tip calculator
Figuring out how much to tip can be tricky — especially if you’re aiming to calculate an exact percentage or want to split the tip among a group. Our tip calculator can help take the guesswork out of tipping by doing the math for you.
Keep in mind that the results you’ll get from the tip calculator are only an estimate based on the information you provide. Additionally, the results assume that you’ll be paying the entire tip yourself or splitting it equally among a certain number of people.
You’ll also need to include the tip percentage, which can vary depending on your personal preferences along with what’s customary for the type of service you’re tipping on, such as eating out versus getting a haircut.
Here’s the information you’ll need to calculate a tip using the tip calculator.
- What was the price?
- Tip
- How many people are there?
What was the price?
Enter the amount you spent on the service. For example, if you ate a meal at a restaurant and the total bill was $60, enter 60.
Tip
This is the size of the tip you’d like to leave as a percentage. So if you’re giving a 20% tip, then you’d enter 20.
How many people are there?
Enter the number of people who are splitting the cost of the bill. Just keep in mind that the calculator assumes you’re splitting the bill equally.
How to calculate a tip
When it comes to tipping, it’s ultimately up to you to decide how much you want to tip. But there are widely accepted social conventions that you can use as a guide.
For example, if you’re purchasing a service where it’s generally expected to leave a tip, like eating at a restaurant, getting a haircut or riding in a taxi, the tip amount is generally 15% to 20% of the bill.
Suppose you paid $90 for a meal, and you want to tip your server 20%. This means you’d leave an $18 tip. Here’s how the math breaks down.
$90 (cost of meal) x 0.20 = $18 (this is your total tip amount)
Your total bill amount, not including any sales taxes or other fees, would be $108.
$90 meal + $18 tip = $108 total
And if you’re splitting the bill equally with three friends, you’d simply divide the total by four.
$108 / 4 = $36 per person
When is it appropriate to tip?
Whether you should tip depends on where you’re paying for a service and the type of service. In the United States, tipping is a common practice. But leaving a tip is voluntary, so you can choose to forgo tipping if you wish.
Places to tip
Customers are generally expected to leave their server a tip when paying for food at a restaurant or bar. You also generally tip for service at a salon or a ride in a taxi or rideshare. So it’s a good idea to tip bartenders, barbers, hairstylists, taxi drivers and other service workers. In other situations, giving a few dollars per interaction may be more typical. That’s typically the case when thanking a valet parking attendant or hotel housekeeper, for example.
Places not to tip
On the other hand, it’s not always appropriate to offer a cash gratuity to professionals who are paid a salary such as medical and healthcare professionals, teachers or accountants. Instead, you can show your appreciation in other ways like leaving an online review or referring a friend. And this goes for medical spas, too.
Watch out for automatic gratuity
Gratuity may be automatically added to your bill in some cases. This amount is typically comparable to the standard percentage people might leave as a tip and can help ensure that workers’ earnings don’t depend on customers’ whims.
Technically, gratuities that are set by a business are considered service charges rather than tips because they aren’t left to the customers’ discretion. If a gratuity was automatically added to your bill, there’s no need to “double tip,” but you can always add more for exceptional service.
Tips may be part of someone’s salary
Many people rely on tips for at least part of their earnings. It’s estimated that more than 4 million people in the U.S. earn tips on the job. And some workers, such as servers, actually depend on tips as part of their wages. This is because certain states allow employers to pay their employees well below the usual minimum wage as long as workers make up the difference with customer tips. For these workers, tips can make up the main part of their earnings and are not just an added bonus.
Tipping when traveling internationally
There are some countries where tips aren’t expected. And in some parts of the world offering one could actually be seen as impolite. Before you travel internationally, it’s a good idea to make yourself familiar with the tipping customs of your destination, especially since they can vary across different countries.
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