To split a bill by what you ordered, give each person their own items, divide every shared dish among the people who ate it, then add tax and tip at the same percentage for everyone. That way a salad and a steak dinner are never priced the same. The full receipt for five people is worked out below, so you can check every cent.
The plates are nearly empty when the server sets the folded receipt down. Priya has had a burger and a sip of wine. Marcus has had a steak and a beer. Someone says "shall we just split it five ways?" and Ines, who had risotto and a dessert, goes quiet because she is not sure if she is the winner or the loser.
She can find out in about two minutes. Here is how.
Step 1: Put every line of the receipt next to a name
Start with the printed receipt, not the total. Write down each item and who had it, including drinks, because drinks are where most of the difference hides.
For anything shared, note exactly who took part. "The table shared it" is not enough, because someone usually skipped the calamari or does not drink wine.
Step 2: Divide shared starters among the people who ate them
Divide the price of a shared dish by the number of people who actually had some, not by the number of people at the table. A 15.00 starter eaten by four people is 3.75 each, and the fifth person pays nothing for it.
Add each share to that person's own items. The result is their subtotal, which is the food and drink they are responsible for before tax and tip.
A worked example: five people, shared starters, tax and tip
Five friends eat out in the US. The receipt has three shared items and five own orders. Tax is 8 percent, and they tip 20 percent on the pre-tax total.
| Item | Price | Who had it | Each pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calamari to share | 15.00 | Priya, Marcus, Joan, Theo | 3.75 |
| Hummus plate to share | 12.00 | Joan, Theo, Ines | 4.00 |
| Bottle of wine | 36.00 | Priya, Joan, Ines | 12.00 |
| Burger | 19.00 | Priya | 19.00 |
| Steak and a beer | 42.00 | Marcus | 42.00 |
| Pasta | 21.00 | Joan | 21.00 |
| Salmon | 28.00 | Theo | 28.00 |
| Risotto and a dessert | 29.00 | Ines | 29.00 |
| Food and drink total | 202.00 |
Notice that Ines skipped the calamari, and Marcus and Priya skipped the hummus. Each person's subtotal is their own items plus their share of each shared item they joined.
Step 3: Add tax and tip the same way for everyone
Tax is 8 percent of 202.00, which is 16.16. The tip is 20 percent of 202.00, which is 40.40, so the whole bill is 258.56. Rather than split that extra 56.56 evenly, share it in proportion to each subtotal, which means everyone pays 1.28 times their subtotal.
In the US, a tip of 15 to 20 percent is common at a sit-down restaurant, and it is usually worked out on the pre-tax amount. Check whether a service charge is already on the receipt, because then you may not need to add a tip at all.
| Person | Own items | Shared items | Subtotal | Tax | Tip | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priya | 19.00 | 15.75 | 34.75 | 2.78 | 6.95 | 44.48 |
| Marcus | 42.00 | 3.75 | 45.75 | 3.66 | 9.15 | 58.56 |
| Joan | 21.00 | 19.75 | 40.75 | 3.26 | 8.15 | 52.16 |
| Theo | 28.00 | 7.75 | 35.75 | 2.86 | 7.15 | 45.76 |
| Ines | 29.00 | 16.00 | 45.00 | 3.60 | 9.00 | 57.60 |
| Total | 139.00 | 63.00 | 202.00 | 16.16 | 40.40 | 258.56 |
The five amounts add up to exactly 258.56. A five-way even split would be 51.71 each, so Theo would overpay by 5.95 and Marcus would underpay by 6.85. Ines, who worried she was overpaying, would actually have paid 5.89 less with an even split, so the careful method cost her a little.
Try the itemised bill splitter
What if the tip is on the total after tax?
Some groups tip on the after-tax total, which is fine as long as it is one rule for the whole table. Because everyone pays the same percentage on top of their subtotal, the shares still add up to the bill. The only thing that changes is the multiplier.
What about sharing the cost of a bottle, a pitcher or a dessert?
Treat them like the starters. Divide by the number of people who had some, and add that to their subtotal. If one person only had a single glass from the bottle, agree upfront whether to split by glass or by head, and then stick to it.
Handling rounding and cents
Sometimes a total does not divide cleanly. For example, 10.00 shared three ways is 3.33 each, with one cent left over. Give that cent to one person so the shares match the bill exactly.
A line you can send to the group
Quick one for the dinner: I split it by what each of us ordered, with the starters shared between whoever ate them, and tax and tip added at the same percentage for everyone. Your total is below. If I got an item wrong, tell me which line and I will fix it.
When an even split is the better choice
If everyone ordered mains in the same price range and the starters were for the whole table, an even split is quick and fair enough. Groups that eat together often prefer this, because it evens out over time. The by-item method pays off when orders differ a lot, or when someone does not drink.
Doing this without the calculator at the table
With Evens, you can scan the receipt, and each person taps the items they had, with tax and tip shared in proportion to each subtotal. Or you can type it in plain words, such as "I paid 258 for dinner, split by what we ordered". Evens is still coming soon, and the free calculator above works in the meantime.
The related guide on how to split tip and tax goes deeper on percentages. For a walkthrough of longer receipts, see how to split a receipt by item.
Try the itemised bill splitter
Frequently asked questions
How do you split a bill by what each person ordered?
Give each person their own items, divide shared dishes among the people who ate them, then add tax and tip as one percentage on every subtotal. The shares will add up to the exact bill.
How do you split shared appetizers fairly?
Divide the price by the number of people who actually ate it, not by everyone at the table. Add that share to each of those people's subtotals.
Should tip be split evenly or by what each person ordered?
Splitting it in proportion to each subtotal is fairer when orders differ, because the tip then follows the food. An even split of the tip works only if the orders were similar.
Is the tip calculated before or after tax?
Many people in the US work it out on the pre-tax subtotal, though some tip on the total. Pick one rule for the whole table, and check local customs and any service charge on the receipt.
What if one person had only water and a salad?
Splitting by what each person ordered handles this easily, since they only pay for their own items and any share they joined. It is the case where an even split is least fair.