In the US, tip 15-20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, $1-2 per coffee or drink at a counter, 15-20% (or a $5 minimum) for delivery, 15-20% for hairdressers, and $2-5 per bag or night for hotel staff. Those are the everyday percentages and flat amounts most Americans use, but the exact number depends on the service, the bill size, and whether a service charge is already added. This guide is a single cheat sheet you can bookmark: who to tip, how much, and the dollar math behind each one. Run any bill through our tip calculator to get the exact amount in seconds.
The quick answer: a tipping chart for 2026
Here is the at-a-glance version most people are searching for. Percentages apply to the pre-tax bill; flat dollar amounts apply per item, bag, or night.
| Who you are tipping | Customary tip | Quick example |
|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant server | 15-20% (20% for good service) | $80 bill → $16 at 20% |
| Bartender | $1-2 per drink, or 15-20% of the tab | 4 drinks → $4-8 |
| Barista / coffee counter | $0-1 per drink (optional) | $5.50 latte → round up or $1 |
| Food delivery driver | 15-20%, $5 minimum | $42 order → $8.40 at 20% |
| Hairdresser / barber | 15-20% | $40 cut → $8 at 20% |
| Nail / spa technician | 15-20% | $50 service → $10 at 20% |
| Taxi / rideshare driver | 10-20%, $1-2 minimum | $18 ride → $2-3 |
| Hotel housekeeping | $2-5 per night | 3 nights → $6-15 |
| Hotel bellhop / porter | $1-2 per bag | 3 bags → $3-6 |
| Movers | $20-40 per mover (or 5-10% of the bill) | 3 movers → $60-120 |
The rest of this guide explains the reasoning behind each line, so you can adjust with confidence instead of guessing.
Food and drink: where tipping is most expected
Restaurants, bars, and delivery are the categories where leaving a tip is genuinely expected, not optional. Many tipped workers in these roles are paid a lower base wage, and tips make up a large share of their take-home pay.
Restaurant servers
The standard range is 15-20% of the pre-tax bill, with 20% being the common default for satisfactory service and more for exceptional service. On an $80 dinner, that is $12 at 15%, $14.40 at 18%, and $16 at 20%.
Bartenders
Two methods both work: about $1-2 per drink, or 15-20% of the total tab if you are running one. For a $45 bar tab, 18% is $8.10 and 20% is $9. For a single $7 beer, $1-2 is the norm.
Baristas and counter service
Counter tipping is optional and lower. For a plain coffee, many people tip nothing or round up; for a hand-made drink, $0.50-$1 is a kind gesture. Those tablet screens that suggest 18-25% at a counter are using restaurant-style percentages where they do not really apply, so you can decline without guilt.
Delivery drivers
Tip 15-20% with a practical floor of about $5, because a 15% tip on a small order can be just a dollar or two for a driver using their own car and gas. On a $42 order, 15% is $6.30 and 20% is $8.40. A delivery fee is not a tip; it usually goes to the platform or restaurant, not the driver.
Personal care: haircuts, nails, and spa
Tip 15-20% on personal-care services, calculated on the service price before any product purchases. If a stylist, colorist, and shampoo assistant all worked on you, it is common to split the tip among them or leave a slightly larger total.
- Haircut or barber: 15-20%. A $40 cut means $6 at 15% and $8 at 20%.
- Color or longer service: 15-20% on the full service. A $150 color is $30 at 20%.
- Nails, waxing, facials: 15-20%, same as a cut.
- Salon owner who does your service: tipping is still appreciated; the old rule that you never tip the owner has largely faded.
If you want to see how those service prices add up over a year, the percentage calculator makes the per-visit math easy.
Travel and hotels: small bills, frequent tips
Hotel tipping is mostly flat dollar amounts, not percentages, and it adds up because several people may help you in one stay. Keep a few singles handy.
| Hotel role | Customary tip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Housekeeping | $2-5 per night | Leave it daily, since staff can rotate |
| Bellhop / porter | $1-2 per bag | $5 minimum if they help a lot |
| Valet | $2-5 when the car is returned | Tip on pickup, not drop-off |
| Concierge | $5-20 for a real favor | Nothing needed for basic questions |
| Room service | 15-20% if not already added | Check the bill for an auto service charge first |
For taxis and rideshares, 10-20% with a $1-2 minimum is normal. On an $18 ride, $2-3 covers it. If you are traveling outside the US, the rules change completely; see our guide on whether you tip abroad before you assume 20% applies.
Services around the home and other tips
Many home and seasonal services have their own tipping customs, often a flat amount rather than a percentage.
- Movers: $20-40 per mover for a standard day, or 5-10% of the bill, paid per person rather than to the company.
- Furniture or appliance delivery: $5-20 per person, more for stairs or heavy items.
- Grocery delivery: 15-20%, similar to food delivery.
- Handypersons and contractors: usually no tip; a strong review or referral is the better thank-you.
- Tattoo artists: 15-20% of the session price is customary.
When you can tip less, or nothing at all
There are legitimate times to skip or reduce a tip, but bad food or a slow kitchen is usually not the server's fault. Reserve a reduced tip for genuinely poor service from the person you are tipping.
- A service charge is already on the bill. Large parties and many room-service tickets add an automatic gratuity. If 18-20% is already there, you do not need to add more on top.
- Counter or self-service. Grabbing a pastry from a case or pouring your own coffee does not require a tip, even when a screen suggests one.
- Truly poor service. If you tip less, it is reasonable to tip closer to 10% and, if you feel comfortable, mention the issue to a manager so it can be fixed.
A fast way to do tip math in your head
The easiest trick is to find 10% by moving the decimal one place left, then build from there. On a $68.40 bill, 10% is $6.84. Double it for 20% ($13.68), or add half of the 10% for 15% ($10.26). For 18%, add 10% + 5% + 3%, which comes to about $12.31.
If you would rather skip the mental math, our tip calculator handles the percentage, the total, and the split among friends in one screen. For other everyday money math, the discount calculator and sales tax calculator use the same percentage logic. The US Department of Labor explains the rules around tipped wages and tip credits in its fact sheet on tipped employees, which is useful context for why tipping matters so much to workers in food and personal-care jobs.
Bottom line: when in doubt, 15-20% covers most US services, flat dollar amounts cover hotels and movers, and counter tips are optional. Bookmark this chart, keep a few singles on hand, and let the tip calculator do the arithmetic so you can tip fairly without overthinking it. To put any saved or spent dollars to work, pair it with our savings goal calculator and the business and money math hub.
Try it yourself
Run your own numbers in the free Tip Calculator — instant, private, no sign-up.
Open the Tip Calculator →Frequently asked questions
- How much should I tip a barista?
- Tipping a barista is optional, and $0-1 per drink is typical. For a plain drip coffee, many people round up or tip nothing; for a hand-made latte that takes effort, $0.50-$1 is a kind gesture. The 18-25% counter-screen prompts use restaurant percentages that do not really apply to counter service, so you can decline them.
- How much do you tip for food delivery?
- Tip 15-20% for food delivery, with a practical minimum of about $5. On a $42 order, 15% is $6.30 and 20% is $8.40. A delivery fee is not a tip; it usually goes to the platform or restaurant, so the driver still relies on a separate tip, especially when they use their own car and gas.
- How much do you tip a hairdresser?
- Tip a hairdresser 15-20% of the service price. A $40 haircut is $6 at 15% and $8 at 20%; a $150 color is about $30 at 20%. If several people worked on you, such as a stylist plus a shampoo assistant, you can split the tip among them or leave a slightly larger total.
- How much do you tip hotel housekeeping?
- Tip hotel housekeeping $2-5 per night, left daily rather than all at the end. Over a 3-night stay, that is $6-15 total. Leaving it each day matters because different staff may clean your room on different days, so a single end-of-stay tip can miss the people who did the work earlier.
- Do I have to tip on the tablet screens that suggest 18-25%?
- No, you do not have to tip the suggested amount on a tablet, especially for counter or self-service. Those prompts often default to restaurant-style percentages even when you simply grabbed an item or poured your own coffee. You can choose a custom amount, a flat dollar, or no tip without any obligation.
- Should I tip if a service charge is already on the bill?
- If an automatic gratuity or service charge of 18-20% is already on the bill, you generally do not need to add more. Large parties and some room-service tickets include it automatically, so read the receipt first. If you want to reward exceptional service, a small extra amount on top is optional, not expected.
- How much do you tip movers?
- Tip movers $20-40 per mover for a standard moving day, or roughly 5-10% of the total bill, paid to each person rather than to the company. For a 3-person crew, that is about $60-120 total. Tip more for stairs, heavy items, long carries, or a long day, and consider offering water or lunch.
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