How to Split a Restaurant Bill With Tax and Tip

Splitting only the food subtotal is easy. The awkward part is deciding how tax, tip and shared fees should be divided after everyone ordered different amounts.

A cleaner method

1. Record each person's individual food and drink subtotal.
2. Separate any truly shared items, such as an appetizer everyone agreed to split.
3. Add the bill's tax and tip.
4. Choose whether shared costs should be divided equally or proportionally.
5. Check that everyone's amounts add back up to the final bill total.

Equal vs. proportional splitting

If everyone spent roughly the same amount, an equal split may be fine. When one person ordered $15 and another ordered $50, proportional allocation can better reflect the actual spending.

Do a final total check

Rounding can create small differences. Before anyone pays, confirm that the individual amounts add up to the restaurant's final total.