SplitPal
Split Bill Calculator
Add what each person ordered, include tax and tip, and see exactly who owes what. Shared dishes, proportional tax and tip, and no signup. Everything stays in your browser.
How the split is calculated
The calculator does what you would do on paper, without the arithmetic. Using the example filled in above (Alex, Sam and Jo, a pizza shared by all three, 8.5% tax and an 18% tip):
1. Food first
Each item goes to whoever had it, and shared items are divided equally between the people who shared them. Alex has 34.00, Sam 30.50 and Jo 26.00, which makes 90.50 in total.
2. Tax and tip follow the food
Tax is 8.5% of 90.50, or 7.69. The tip is 18% of 90.50, or 16.29. Each person pays the same share of both as their share of the food. Alex, who ate 37.6% of it, pays 37.6% of the tax and tip.
That gives Alex 43.01, Sam 38.58 and Jo 32.89, which adds up to 114.48, the bill. Splitting the tax and tip evenly instead would have charged Jo about 1.10 more than Jo's own share, and the person who ate the most would have been undercharged by the same kind of amount.
A shared dish with an odd cent, such as 10.00 split three ways, can't be divided exactly. The extra cent goes to one person, so the shares always add up to the bill to the last cent.
When an even split is the better call
If everyone ordered about the same, or the bill is small, tick "Everyone shares everything" and skip the assigning. The same maths still splits tax and tip, so you get the even share to the cent.
Receipts with a service charge, VAT or a discount
Enter the service charge as part of the tax or the tip, whichever is closer, or add it as a separate item shared by everyone. For a discount, lower the price of the discounted items.
Skip the typing next time
The itemizing is the slow part. With the SplitPal mobile app you photograph the receipt, and it reads the items, tax and tip for you. You tap who had what, then share a link. Nobody else needs to install anything, they just open it in a browser. For a running tab among the same people, there is a group expense tracker that needs no login, and a guide to splitting a restaurant bill fairly.
Split bill calculator FAQ
How do you split a bill by what each person ordered?
Give each item to the people who had it. A shared dish is split equally between exactly the people who shared it. Each person's food subtotal is then the sum of their items and their share of shared ones.
Should tax and tip be split evenly?
No, not when you itemize. Tax and tip are split in proportion to each person's food subtotal, so someone who ordered less pays less of both. That is how the calculator above does it.
Is tip calculated before or after tax?
Most people tip on the pre-tax subtotal, which is the default here. If you tip on the total including tax, tick "Calculate tip on the total including tax".
Why do the shares always add up to the bill?
Money is split in whole cents (or whole units for currencies without cents, like the rupiah and the yen), and any cent left over after dividing goes to the people with the largest remainders. The shares always sum to the bill total exactly.
Is anything I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored, and it is gone when you close the tab.
Can I split a bill without typing the items in?
Yes. SplitPal's mobile app reads a photo of the receipt, finds the items, tax and tip, and you tap who had what. Everyone else can open the tab in a browser without installing anything.
More guides: splitting a restaurant bill · splitting bills with roommates · splitting travel expenses on a group trip · group expense tracker without login