Split bill calculator
One bill, several people, no mental maths. Type the total, say how many of you there are, add a tip if you want, and see exactly what each person pays.
Short answer
Divide the total by the number of people, then add each person's share of any tip and tax before rounding to the nearest cent or penny. This calculator does that automatically so nobody's maths is disputed at the table.
Number of people
Each person pays
$0.00
- Total
- $0.00
More than one bill, or different people paid different things?
Open full group expense calculatorHow it works
- 1Enter the total on the bill, including anything already added by the venue.
- 2Set how many people are splitting it — tap the plus and minus buttons.
- 3Add a tip percentage and tax if they are not already in the total.
- 4The per-person amount updates instantly as you type.
Splitting a single bill evenly only works cleanly when everyone shared the same meal, cab or ticket. Once tip and tax are added the per-person figure is rarely a round number, and manual division tends to leave a few cents unaccounted for.
The calculator adds tip and tax to the total first, then divides by the headcount, so the rounding happens once at the end rather than compounding across separate mental sums.
For bills where people had genuinely different orders — someone skipped the wine, someone else had two courses — an even split isn't fair. Move to the full group calculator and log items separately instead of forcing this page to do something it isn't built for.
Worked examples with real numbers
Five people, dinner and drinks
A bill for 212.40 with a 12% tip, split evenly between five diners.
| Bill breakdown | Amount |
|---|---|
| Food and drink total | 212.40 |
| Tip (12%) | 25.49 |
| Total to pay | 237.89 |
| Total | 475.78 |
237.89 divided by five is 47.58 each, with a one-cent rounding adjustment on one person so the total matches exactly.
Three people, taxi plus toll
A shared taxi comes to 34 including a 6 road toll, split three ways with no tip.
| Fare breakdown | Amount |
|---|---|
| Metered fare | 28.00 |
| Toll | 6.00 |
| Total | 34.00 |
| Total | 68.00 |
34 divided by three is 11.33 each, with the extra cent absorbed by whoever pays the driver directly.
How the even split is calculated
1. Add tax
subtotal + tax = pre-tip total
2. Add tip
pre-tip total × (1 + tip%) = grand total
3. Divide
grand total ÷ number of people = each person's share
4. Round
round each share to 2 decimals, adjust one share by the leftover cent
Rounding every share independently can under- or over-collect by a cent or two; the calculator fixes this by adjusting a single share.
Mistakes that cause arguments
Applying tip before tax, or the other way round, inconsistently
Decide once whether tip is calculated on the subtotal or the subtotal-plus-tax and apply it the same way every time — the difference is usually small but it's the source of most 'why doesn't this add up' arguments.
Splitting evenly when orders were very unequal
If one person had a starter, main and two cocktails and another had tap water, an even split overcharges the second person. Use the full calculator with itemised expenses instead.
Forgetting a service charge already on the bill
Many restaurants add a service charge automatically. Adding a tip on top double-counts it — check the printed total before entering a tip percentage.
Practical tips
- Round the final total up to the nearest convenient note or coin if you're paying cash — nobody minds overpaying by a few pence to avoid change.
- If someone has to leave before the bill arrives, agree their share while they're still there rather than guessing later.
- For recurring dinners with the same group, note down who paid last time so you can alternate instead of splitting every single bill.
- Use the tax toggle only if tax isn't already included in the menu prices — check which is standard where you are.
Questions
- Is this split bill calculator free?
- Yes. It is completely free, there is no signup, and nothing is downloaded. Everything runs in your browser.
- Can I split a bill unevenly?
- Yes — for uneven splits open the full group expense calculator, where you can set custom amounts or percentages per person.
- Does it handle tip and tax?
- Both. Enter them as percentages of the bill and they are added before the split, so the per-person figure is the amount actually owed.