Updated for 2026

How much to tip, by situation

Tipping expectations have shifted, and the prompts now show up in places they never used to. Here's what's actually customary in the United States in 2026 — including the situations where you can reasonably skip it.

The short version

For most full-service situations, 18–20% of the pre-tax bill is the current baseline in the US. That's a genuine shift: 15% was the standard default for years, and it's now generally treated as the low end rather than the norm. Personal services (hair, nails, spa) cluster around the same 18–20%, while hotel and valet staff are usually tipped in flat dollars rather than percentages.

Two habits save you most of the stress: check the bill before you add anything, since large parties often have gratuity applied automatically, and when you genuinely don't know, it's fine to ask what's customary.

Restaurants and bars

Sit-down restaurants: 18–20% of the pre-tax subtotal for good service, with 15% for service that fell short and 25% or more for something exceptional. In most US states servers are paid a tipped minimum wage well below the standard minimum, which is why the expectation is as firm as it is.

Buffets and partial service: around 10% is generally considered appropriate where staff are clearing plates and refilling drinks rather than taking orders and running food.

Bartenders: either $1–2 per straightforward drink (a beer, a pour of wine) or 18–20% of the tab. For involved cocktails, tip on the percentage rather than per drink. If you're running a tab, percentage is the simpler approach.

Counter service and coffee shops: discretionary. Rounding up or leaving a dollar on a custom or complicated order is a common practice; the tablet prompt on a drip coffee you poured yourself is generally treated as optional.

Takeout: typically a smaller tip than dine-in, if any — though packing a large or complicated order is real work, and a few dollars is a reasonable acknowledgment of it.

Delivery and rides

Food delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart): 15–20% with a floor of roughly $3–5, whichever is larger. The floor matters because drivers are covering their own fuel and vehicle wear, and a small order can take just as long to deliver as a large one. Bad weather, long distances, and multi-bag grocery runs all warrant more.

Rideshare and taxi: roughly 10–20%. Help with luggage or an unusually difficult pickup is worth adding for.

Hotels and travel

Housekeeping: commonly $2–5 per night. Leave it daily rather than in one lump at checkout — staff rotate, and the person who cleaned your room on Tuesday may not be the one working Friday.

Bellhops and porters: roughly $1–2 per bag, more if they've gone out of their way.

Valet: generally $2–5 when your car is returned, and more in bad weather.

Personal services

Hair, barber, nails, spa and massage: 18–20% is the common range, with some etiquette guidance suggesting up to 25% for a stylist you want to keep a good relationship with. If someone other than your stylist washes your hair, a separate few dollars for them is customary.

Movers: usually tipped as a flat amount per mover rather than a percentage, scaled to the length and difficulty of the job.

When tipping is genuinely optional

Tip prompts have spread to self-service kiosks, retail counters, and transactions with no service component at all. There's no established expectation in those situations, and declining is not a breach of etiquette. Prompts also frequently default to higher percentages than the norms above — the suggested buttons are set by the merchant or the payment software, not by any standard.

Also worth checking: whether a service charge or automatic gratuity is already on the bill. These are common for large parties and increasingly appear as standard line items at some restaurants. If one is there, you've already tipped.

Pre-tax or post-tax?

Conventional etiquette is to tip on the pre-tax subtotal, since sales tax is collected for the government rather than earned by the restaurant or the server. Tipping on the post-tax total is a personal choice that simply leaves a bit more.

The gap is small per meal and meaningful over a year. On an $86.50 subtotal with 8.5% tax, a 20% tip is $17.30 pre-tax versus $18.77 post-tax — about $1.47. Eating out twice a week, that's roughly $150 a year. The calculator handles either method with a toggle.

Common questions

Is 15% still an acceptable restaurant tip?

It's below the current norm but not an insult. In 2026 the baseline for good sit-down service sits at 18–20%, so 15% now reads as a signal that something fell short rather than as a standard tip.

Do I tip on takeout orders?

There's no firm expectation, though a few dollars is a reasonable gesture on large or complicated orders that took real work to assemble. It's one of the clearer optional cases.

What if a service charge is already on the bill?

Then you've effectively already tipped. Automatic gratuity is common for large parties, and some restaurants apply a service charge as standard policy. Always read the itemized bill before adding more — double-tipping by accident is easy.

Why do payment terminals suggest such high percentages?

Those buttons are configured by the merchant or the payment provider, not set by any etiquette standard. They frequently start above the customary range and sometimes calculate on the post-tax total. You can always choose a custom amount.

Should I tip in cash or on the card?

Either works. Cash reaches the worker immediately and avoids processing delays, which is why many service workers prefer it. Card tips are perfectly normal and, in many workplaces, are pooled and distributed on payroll.