Tip Calculator
Split a bill, add a tip, and see what is actually customary where you are — including the countries where the correct tip is nothing at all.
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A service charge is not a tip, and the difference costs you money
Three things can appear on a restaurant bill and people routinely confuse all three.
- A cover charge. Italy's coperto, Argentina's cubierto. A fixed per-person fee for the table, the bread, the linen. It is not a tip, none of it is for the waiter, and paying it does not discharge any obligation to tip.
- A service charge. A percentage the restaurant adds — 10% in Brazil, 10% in Singapore, 10–12.5% in the UK, 10% plus a municipality fee in much of the UAE. In most of these places this is the tip and you add nothing further. Where it goes is a separate question: in some countries it is distributed to staff by law, in others it is simply revenue, which is why locals in Cairo or Dubai still hand over cash on top.
- A tip. The discretionary amount you choose. In the United States this is a substantial part of the server's income because tipped minimum wages sit below the standard one. Almost nowhere else is that true.
The three rounding options, and which to use
Round the tip up keeps the total ugly but makes the tip a clean number — useful when you are handing over cash for the tip separately from a card payment, which is still how it works in Israel, Argentina and much of eastern Europe.
Round the total up is the European habit: you are not calculating a percentage at all, you are telling the server a number. In Germany and Austria you say that number out loud as you hand over the money rather than leaving coins behind.
Round each share up is the one to use when six people are settling up and nobody wants to deal with change. It quietly adds the most, because the rounding is applied once per person.
Where tipping is genuinely unwelcome
Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan are not places where tipping is merely unnecessary — offering one can create an awkward moment for someone whose job is to make sure you do not have one. The reasoning is consistent across all four: good service is the standard rather than an extra, and pricing it separately implies it was optional. Leave the money in your pocket. If you want to express thanks, say so.
Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland are a softer version of the same thing. Nobody will be offended, but nobody is waiting for it either, because the wage does not depend on it.
What is customary, country by country
Compiled September 2026 from published travel and hospitality guidance. Treat every line as a general norm and nothing more: customs vary between a capital city and a village, between a tasting menu and a bar, and between this year and next. Where the answer matters — a large group, a business dinner, a country you are about to move to — ask a local rather than a web page.
| Country | Typical tip | Service charge on the bill | What is customary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 10% | No | Around 10% in cash. The cubierto is a cover charge, not a tip, and card terminals frequently cannot add a gratuity at all. |
| Australia | None | No | Not expected. Staff are on a full minimum wage; rounding up or 10% for something memorable reads as a compliment rather than a duty. |
| Austria | 5–10% | No | Round up and say the total you want to pay as you hand the money over. Leaving coins on the table afterwards is not the local habit. |
| Belgium | None | Included in the price | Service and tax are already in the printed price. Rounding up is as far as most people go. |
| Brazil | 10% | Usually | Bills carry a 10% taxa de serviço. It is legally optional but nearly everyone pays it, and that is the tip. |
| Bulgaria | 10% | Sometimes | Around 10% in a restaurant. Check the bill first — service charges have become more common in Sofia. |
| Canada | 15–20% | No | Expected at broadly American levels, and card terminals prompt hard for it. The suggested percentages on the screen are often calculated on the after-tax total. |
| Chile | 10% | Suggested | The server asks whether to add the 10% propina sugerida. Saying yes is the norm. |
| China (mainland) | None | No | Not part of the culture and sometimes refused outright. Hotels and guides working with foreign visitors are the narrow exception. |
| Colombia | 10% | Usually, by request | The server must ask before adding the 10% propina voluntaria. Saying yes is normal and declining is allowed. |
| Costa Rica | None extra | Yes, by law | A 10% service charge and 13% tax are added by law. Anything on top is genuinely optional. |
| Croatia | 10% | Rarely | Around 10% in a restaurant, less for a coffee. Cash is still preferred by staff. |
| Czechia | 10% | Rarely | Round up or add about 10%, and state the total you want to pay when you hand over the money. |
| Denmark | None | Included in the price | Service is included and wages are high. Rounding up is a bonus, not an expectation. |
| Dominican Republic | None extra | Yes, by law | A 10% service charge plus 18% tax is added by law. A small extra for good service is common but never required. |
| Egypt | 5–10% on top | Usually | A service charge is normally printed on the bill and rarely reaches the staff, so cash on top is the real tip. |
| Estonia | 5–10% | Rarely | Not obligatory. Rounding up, or 10% for a proper meal, covers it. |
| Finland | None | Included in the price | Not expected anywhere. Service is priced in and nobody is counting on it. |
| France | None | Included by law | Service compris is the law: service is already in the price. A euro or two, or rounding up, is a thank-you and nothing more is expected. |
| Germany | 5–10% | Rarely | Say the rounded-up total as you pay rather than leaving money on the table. Cash tips are still the norm even when the bill is paid by card. |
| Greece | 5–10% | Sometimes | Round up in a taverna, 10% in a smarter restaurant. Cash left on the table is the usual method. |
| Guatemala | 10% | Sometimes | Around 10%, in cash where you can. Check whether a service charge has already been added. |
| Hong Kong | None extra | Usually 10% | Restaurants add 10% service. Leaving the loose change is as far as most people go, and that service charge does not always reach staff. |
| Hungary | 10% | Increasingly | 10% is standard, but more Budapest restaurants now print a service charge. If it is there, it is the tip. |
| Iceland | None | Included in the price | Not expected. Prices are high precisely because everything is included. |
| India | 5–10% | Often | 5–10% is normal. The service charge restaurants add is not mandatory — consumer guidance says you may ask for it to be removed, and the question is still being argued in court. |
| Indonesia | None extra | Usually in tourist areas | Mid-range and tourist restaurants add service plus tax. Small change for good service; nothing at a warung. |
| Ireland | 10–15% | Often for groups | 10–15% in a restaurant. Groups frequently have service added automatically; if it is on the bill, that is the tip. |
| Israel | 10–15% | Rarely | Expected, and service is almost never included. Card systems often cannot add it, so carry cash. |
| Italy | None | No — but see the coperto | Not expected. The coperto is a per-person cover charge, not a tip and not for the waiter. Round up if you enjoyed it. |
| Jamaica | 10–15% | Often | Commonly added at resorts and tourist restaurants. Where it is not, 10–15% is the expectation. |
| Japan | None | No | Do not tip. Good service is the standard rather than an extra, and offering money can create an awkward moment. Formal gratuities at a ryokan, in an envelope, are a separate custom. |
| Kenya | 5–10% | Sometimes | Around 10% where no service charge has been added. Safari guides are tipped separately and more generously. |
| Malaysia | None extra | Usually 10% | Service charge and tax are added in most restaurants. Nothing further is expected. |
| Mexico | 10–15% | Sometimes for groups | 10–15% in cash. Some places add propina for larger tables — read the bill before adding a second one. |
| Morocco | 10% | Sometimes | Around 10% in a restaurant, coins in a café. Small cash tips are widespread across services. |
| Netherlands | None | Included in the price | Service is in the price. Rounding up, or about 5% for a good meal, is generous. |
| New Zealand | None | No | Not expected and not built into wages. Tipping for exceptional service is a recent, optional import. |
| Nigeria | 5–10% | Often | Where no service charge is added, 5–10% in cash is appreciated. |
| Norway | None | Included in the price | Not required. Rounding up or 5–10% for a special meal is as far as it goes. |
| Panama | 10% | Sometimes | Around 10% in restaurants, more in places used to American visitors. |
| Peru | 10% | Often | 10% is standard; smarter restaurants add service and tax, in which case nothing more is needed. |
| Philippines | None extra | Usually 10% | Most sit-down restaurants add 10% service, which is pooled. A little extra in cash is common for that reason. |
| Poland | 10% | Rarely | 10% is standard. Do not say dziękuję as you hand over the money unless you mean "keep the change" — that is exactly what it is taken to mean. |
| Portugal | 5–10% | Rarely | Not expected. Rounding up, or 5–10% in a restaurant, is plenty. |
| Romania | 10% | Sometimes | Around 10%, in cash where possible. Service charges are becoming more common in Bucharest. |
| Russia | 10% | Increasingly | 10% is normal and city restaurants increasingly print a service charge. Card tipping is patchy, so cash is safer. |
| Saudi Arabia | 10–15% | Often | Increasingly expected in restaurants. Where a service charge is already added, extra is optional. |
| Serbia | 10% | Rarely | Around 10% in a restaurant; rounding up elsewhere. |
| Singapore | None extra | Usually 10% | A menu price marked "++" means 10% service and GST are added. Nothing further is expected. |
| Slovakia | 10% | Rarely | Around 10%, stated as a total when you pay. |
| Slovenia | 10% | Rarely | Not obligatory; 10% in a restaurant is a good meal well received. |
| South Africa | 10–15% | Sometimes for groups | Standard and factored into wages. Car guards and petrol attendants are tipped in coins as well. |
| South Korea | None | No | No tipping culture. Service is included in the price and money left behind may be politely returned to you. |
| Spain | None | Rarely | Not expected. Locals round up or leave a euro or two; tourist restaurants see more and do not need it. |
| Sri Lanka | None extra | Usually 10% | Most restaurants add 10% service. A small extra in cash is welcome but not required. |
| Sweden | None | Included in the price | Not expected. Card terminals sometimes prompt; declining is entirely normal. |
| Switzerland | None | Included by law | Service has been included since 1974. Rounding up to the nearest franc or five is the whole custom. |
| Taiwan | None | 10% at hotel restaurants | No tipping. Hotel restaurants add 10% service and that is the end of it. |
| Thailand | None required | 10% at smarter places | Round up or leave the coins. Upmarket restaurants add service and tax, in which case nothing more is needed. |
| Türkiye | 5–10% | Sometimes | 5–10% in a restaurant, cash preferred. Some places add a service charge, so check the bill. |
| United Arab Emirates | 10–15% on top | Usually | Many Dubai bills carry a 10% service charge and a municipality fee. Staff rarely see the service charge, so cash on top is the real tip. |
| United Kingdom | 10–12.5% | Often, discretionary | If a discretionary service charge is already on the bill, that is the tip and you do not add a second. You are entitled to ask for it to be removed. |
| United States | 18–22% | For groups of six or more | The working expectation in a sit-down restaurant, because tipped minimum wages sit below the standard one in most states. Counter service prompts for less and nobody minds. |
| Uruguay | 10% | Rarely | Around 10% in a restaurant, in cash. |
| Vietnam | None required | Sometimes at hotels | Not traditional, increasingly appreciated in tourist areas. Small amounts in cash, handed over directly. |
| Somewhere else | 10% | Check the bill | No specific guidance here. Around 10% is a safe default across much of the world, and reading the bill for a service charge is the first thing to do anywhere. |
Currency symbols follow the country you pick, using your browser's own formatting. They are for legibility only — the tool does not convert between currencies and has no exchange rates in it.
Questions people ask
Do I tip on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?
On the pre-tax amount, if you want the conventional answer. In practice card terminals in the United States and Canada usually calculate their suggested percentages on the post-tax total, which quietly adds a point or two. Type the figure you actually want to tip on into the bill box and the arithmetic will do what you meant.
What if a service charge is already on the bill?
In most of the world that is the tip and you add nothing. The exceptions are places where the service charge is known not to reach the staff — Egypt and the UAE are the ones people mention most — where a cash tip on top is the real one. Tick the box on the form and the tool will remind you that whatever it calculates is a second payment on top of the first.
Is it rude to tip in Japan?
It is not treated as an insult so much as a confusion. Good service is the standard rather than an extra, so pricing it separately does not fit, and a server may well chase you down the street to return the money. The same logic applies in South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan. Say thank you instead.
How accurate is the country table?
It is general guidance compiled in September 2026 from published travel and hospitality sources, and it is a summary of a norm rather than a rule with an authority behind it. Customs vary by city, by venue and by year. For anything with consequences — a business dinner, a large group, somewhere you are moving to — ask a local.
Why does rounding up add different amounts?
Because of where the rounding happens. Rounding the tip touches one number. Rounding the total absorbs whatever fraction was in the bill as well. Rounding each share applies the rounding once per person, so with six people it can add several units. The tool shows exactly how much each option added.
Does this send my bill anywhere?
No. There is no backend. The numbers stay in your browser and nothing is uploaded or stored.
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