How to use the itemized bill splitter
- List the people at the table, separated by commas.
- Add each item with its price. Leave Shared by empty if everyone shared it, or list the names of the people who did.
- Enter the tax percent from your receipt and a tip percent. Tax and tip are split in proportion to each person's items.
- Read what each person owes. The person totals add up to the bill total, to the cent.
Formula
Item share = item price / number of sharers, in whole cents
Person items = sum of their item shares
Tax = items subtotal x tax rate, rounded to the cent
Tip = items subtotal x tip rate, rounded to the cent
Tax and tip are split by each person's items using the largest remainder method
The tip here is on the items before tax. Spare cents in an uneven split of an item go to the earlier names in its sharing list.
Three people, four items
Ana, Ben and Cy order a $24.00 pizza for all, a $18.50 pasta for Ana, a $12.00 salad for Ben and Cy, and $15.75 of drinks for Ben. The items come to Ana $26.50, Ben $29.75 and Cy $14.00, a subtotal of $70.25.
An 18% tip is $12.645, which rounds to $12.65 and is split as $4.77, $5.36 and $2.52. With no tax the totals are Ana $31.27, Ben $35.11 and Cy $16.52, which add up to $82.90. If the receipt shows 8.5% tax, that is $5.97 on the subtotal, split as $2.25, $2.53 and $1.19, and the totals become $33.52, $37.64 and $17.71, which add to $88.87.
Why split by items
Splitting a bill evenly is fair when everyone ordered much the same. When one person had a starter and a drink and another had only a main dish, an even split makes the lighter eaters pay for others. Assigning items to the people who shared them is closer to what each person owes, and tax and tip follow in proportion.
For an even split with tip, the Tip Calculator is faster. When you need to split a total by arbitrary weights down to the cent, use the Cent-Exact Split Calculator. For shared costs across a whole trip, the Group Expense Settlement Calculator tracks who paid for what.
Matching your receipt
Enter the tax rate printed on your receipt. The tool starts at 0 so it never assumes a rate for you. Some places add a service charge or tax on only some items, and some receipts apply the tip to the total with tax. If yours does, add the extra to the tip percent so the totals match what you will pay.
If the totals differ from the receipt by a few cents, check that every item is entered and that item names in Shared by match the names in the list. The bill total on this page should equal the receipt total once tax and tip are right.
Assumptions and limits
- Each item is split evenly among its sharers, or among everyone if Shared by is empty.
- The tip is a percent of the items subtotal and not of the tax. Tax is a percent of the items subtotal.
- Prices have at most two decimals. The tax and tip examples are values you can change.
- Up to 12 people and 40 items are supported, and names are not stored.
Frequently asked questions
How is tax split?
Tax is split in proportion to each person's items subtotal. Someone who ordered 40% of the food pays 40% of the tax, using whole cents that add up to the exact tax amount.
Can an item be shared by only two of us?
Yes. Type the two names in Shared by, separated by a comma. The item is split evenly between them.
What if the tip should include the tax?
Increase the tip percent so that it matches the dollar amount you plan to leave. For example, an 18% tip on items plus tax of 8.5% is about 19.5% of the items.
Why is the tip example 18%?
It is only an example you can change. Tipping customs vary, so enter the percent you plan to leave.