Calculation guide

Split the bill. Keep every cent.

An equal split is straightforward until the total cannot be divided evenly into cents. PocketMath gives a complete allocation: some people pay one extra cent, and every share adds back to the bill plus shared extras.

Use the final amount to be shared

Enter the final total in “Bill amount” with “Shared extras” set to 0, or enter the bill plus extras that are not already included. Do not add a tip, tax, or fee twice. Enter a whole number of people from 1 to 10,000. Each amount field accepts nonnegative values up to 1,000,000,000.00 with at most two decimal places; their combined total can exceed that per-field limit.

Use a decimal point without currency symbols or thousands separators. If you calculate a tip first, enter the tip tool’s final total as the bill and leave extras at 0. The split tool adds only the extras you enter, then divides the combined total. Keep all amounts in the same currency; the tool does not convert currencies or handle cash denominations.

Divide whole cents, then assign the remainder

The calculator converts the amount to whole cents, divides those cents by the group size, and keeps the remainder. Everyone pays the base share. The first people in the allocation pay one additional cent until the remainder is used up. Any two shares therefore differ by at most one cent.

Those shares total 100.00 exactly. Asking all three people for 33.33 would leave 0.01 unpaid. Asking all three for 33.34 would collect 0.02 too much. Showing a single rounded “per person” amount would hide that difference.

Follow a complete dinner example

Suppose the agreed bill is 84.70 and the group adds a 15% tip. The exact tip is 12.705, so the tip tool rounds it to 12.71. The final amount is 97.41. Split among four people, this becomes one share of 24.36 and three shares of 24.35: 24.36 + 24.35 + 24.35 + 24.35 = 97.41.

The ordering is an allocation convention, not a judgment about who should pay more. The group can choose which person takes the extra cent, or rotate that responsibility over repeated meals. PocketMath does not assign names or collect payments.

Handle small totals and unequal orders

A 0.02 total split among five people produces two shares of 0.01 and three shares of 0.00. A zero total produces zero shares throughout. If people ordered different amounts or agreed different percentages, an equal split is not the correct model: work out those obligations separately. Return to the calculators for an equal split, or read the rounding guide to see how the tip was obtained.