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Bill Splitter

“Splitting the bill” means two different things, and this tool does both. Sometimes everyone shares equally and you just need to add tax and tip to the check and divide — that's the Split evenly mode: enter the subtotal, your local sales-tax rate, and a tip percentage, and it returns the grand total and the per-person amount, with tax and tip broken out so nothing is hidden. Other times people ordered different things, or one person fronted the whole check, and you need to work out who owes whom — that's the Itemized mode: give each person their share and what they paid, and it divides tax and tip in proportion to each share, shows what each person truly owes, and lists the fewest payments that settle the group. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded or saved.

Enter the bill subtotal to split it with tax and tip.

How to use the bill splitter

  1. Split evenly: pick the 'Split evenly' tab, enter the bill subtotal, sales-tax %, and tip %, then set how many people are splitting.
  2. Choose whether the tip is figured on the pre-tax subtotal (the etiquette default) or the after-tax total, and optionally round each person up to a whole dollar.
  3. Itemized / uneven: switch to the 'Itemized' tab and add a row per person with their share of the bill and what they've paid so far.
  4. Read each person's fair total and the 'Settle up' list — each line is one payment that squares the group. Leave shares blank to split equally by what was paid.

Example: an uneven dinner

Three friends eat out. Ana orders $40 of food, Ben $20, and Cy $20 — an $80 subtotal. With 9% tax ($7.20) and a 20% pre-tax tip ($16), the grand total is $103.20. Because tax and tip split in proportion to each order, Ana owes 40/80 of the extras and Ben and Cy owe 20/80 each: Ana $51.60, Ben $25.80, Cy $25.80. Ben grabbed the check and paid all $103.20, so in the itemized tab his “paid” is $103.20 and the others' is blank. The settlement: Ana pays Ben $51.60 and Cy pays Ben $25.80. Two transfers, everyone square, and the person who ordered more pays more of the tip — which is the point.

When to use each mode

SituationMode
Everyone shares equally, add tax and tipSplit evenly
People ordered different amountsItemized (fill in shares)
One person paid the whole checkItemized (shares + payer's paid)
Trip costs paid piecemeal, split equallyItemized (leave shares blank)

The itemized tab quietly covers the old “who owes whom” trip-cost case too: leave every share blank, enter what each person paid toward the shared pot, and it splits the total equally and tells you the transfers to settle up.

Related tools

Just need a fast gratuity on one check? The tip calculator gives the tip, total, and even split in one step. Splitting a road trip? Add the fuel to the pot with the road trip gas cost calculator, then settle everything here.

Frequently asked questions

How does the even split handle tax and tip?

Enter the pre-tax subtotal from the check, your local sales-tax percentage, and a tip percentage. The tool computes the tax, computes the tip (on the pre-tax subtotal by default, or on the after-tax total if you flip the toggle), adds them to get the grand total, and divides by the number of people. Because tax and tip are shown as separate lines, you can see exactly what each is adding before you split.

Should the tip be calculated before or after tax?

Etiquette guides say pre-tax — the tax isn't a service, so tipping on it slightly overpays. In practice many people tip on the post-tax total because it's the bigger number staring back at them. The difference is small: on a $100 subtotal with 8% tax, a 20% tip is $20.00 pre-tax versus $21.60 post-tax. This tool defaults to pre-tax and lets you switch, so you can match your own habit.

How does the itemized mode divide tax and tip on an uneven split?

It allocates them proportionally. If your share of the subtotal is 40% of the table's order, you pay 40% of the tax and 40% of the tip — which is the fair way to handle shared tax and gratuity when people ordered different amounts. The tool sums everyone's shares to get the subtotal, applies your tax and tip percentages to that, then splits both back out by each person's proportion.

What if one person paid the whole check?

Use the itemized tab: enter each person's share (what they ordered), and put the full amount in the payer's 'paid' box while everyone else's paid is blank. The tool shows the payer getting reimbursed and each other person owing their share, then lists the individual payments to send. This is the classic 'I'll get it, just Venmo me' situation, resolved exactly.

How is this different from the tip calculator?

The tip calculator is built for the quick, even case — a tip percentage and a split. This bill splitter adds an explicit sales-tax line to the even split, and adds a whole second mode for uneven bills: per-person shares, proportional tax and tip, and a who-owes-whom settlement across a group. Use the tip calculator for a fast gratuity; use this when the split isn't equal or when several people paid different amounts.

How does the 'who owes whom' settlement keep payments low?

It matches the person owed the most against the person owing the most, records a payment between them, and repeats until everyone is square. This greedy matching produces the minimum or near-minimum number of transfers — usually no more than the number of people minus one — instead of everyone paying everyone else back individually. All math runs in whole cents, so the balances reconcile exactly with no stray penny.

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