15%
15% tip calculator
The old standard, and still the common one in plenty of places.
$0.00
$0.00 tip
| Tip | Amount | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 15% | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 18% | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 20% | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 22% | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 25% | $0.00 | $0.00 |
The trick
10% plus half of it again. Move the decimal one place left, halve that number, add the two together. On a $84.20 check: $8.42 plus $4.21 is $12.63.
It is the easiest of the awkward percentages, which is part of why it held the standard spot for so long — it is genuinely doable on the back of a receipt.
15% on common checks
| Check | Tip | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.50 | $11.50 |
| $15 | $2.25 | $17.25 |
| $20 | $3.00 | $23.00 |
| $25 | $3.75 | $28.75 |
| $30 | $4.50 | $34.50 |
| $40 | $6.00 | $46.00 |
| $50 | $7.50 | $57.50 |
| $60 | $9.00 | $69.00 |
| $75 | $11.25 | $86.25 |
| $100 | $15.00 | $115.00 |
| $125 | $18.75 | $143.75 |
| $150 | $22.50 | $172.50 |
| $200 | $30.00 | $230.00 |
| $250 | $37.50 | $287.50 |
Where 15% sits now
For most of the twentieth century 15% was the American restaurant standard. Since then the common default in sit-down restaurants has drifted up, and the buttons on most card readers now start at 18% or 20%. That drift is real, but it has not made 15% wrong — it is still common for delivery, taxis and rideshare, counter and casual service, and in plenty of situations where the service was fine and nothing more.
Norms also stop at the border. In much of Europe service is included and a small round-up is the whole custom; in Japan tipping can be actively unwelcome. 15% is generous in some places and unusual in others.
On small checks
Percentages break down at the bottom end. 15% of an $8 coffee and pastry is $1.20, which is arithmetically correct and feels thin to most people. A flat dollar or two is the common answer — tap Any and type it, and the calculator will tell you what percentage that came to.
Common questions
- How do you calculate a 15% tip?
- Take 10% by moving the decimal point one place left, then add half of that again. On $84.20: $8.42 plus $4.21 is $12.63.
- Is 15% still a normal tip?
- It is common in plenty of situations — delivery, taxis, casual service — and it was the standard sit-down restaurant tip for decades. In US sit-down restaurants the common default has drifted upward since, but there is no rule and nobody is scoring you.
- Where is 15% typical?
- Delivery and rideshare are the most common, often with people setting a floor of a few dollars on small orders. Norms outside the US differ substantially and 15% can be generous or unheard of depending on the country.