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About this tool
Customary UK tipping ranges for restaurants, pubs, taxis, hotels and guides, with the discretionary service charge handled properly.
This calculator applies customary British tipping ranges — around 10% for table service, nothing at all for drinks bought at the pub bar, £1-2 a bag for porters — and works the percentage out before any discretionary service charge so the two are never stacked. It is written for visitors and for anyone unsure whether an automatically added 12.5% means they are done. UK tipping is modest because hospitality staff are paid at least the statutory minimum wage, and since the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 took effect on 1 October 2024 employers must pass 100% of tips and service charges on to workers.
Open Tipping Guide Calculator for UK on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Recognises the discretionary service charge and tells you when nothing further is expected.
Marks pub bar service and counter cafés as genuinely no-tip, rather than inventing a rate.
Cabs, delivery, housekeeping, porters, hairdressers, guides and coach drivers each carry their own range.
Around 10% of the bill for good table service, and 12.5% if you want to be generous. First check whether a discretionary service charge — usually 12.5% — has already been added; if it has, no further tip is expected, and you are entitled to ask for it to be removed if the service was poor.
Not for drinks you order and collect at the bar — that is the one place where tipping genuinely is not done. The traditional gesture is to offer the bartender a drink, 'and one for yourself', which they add to your round. If food is brought to your table, it becomes table service and about 10% applies.
No. A service charge is discretionary unless the menu clearly states it is compulsory, and you can ask for it to be removed. Since 1 October 2024, under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, employers must pass on 100% of tips and service charges to workers and cannot make deductions, so leaving it on the bill now reaches the staff.
Round the fare up to the next pound, or to a convenient figure. On a longer journey such as an airport run, or if the driver loaded heavy bags, 10% is generous. There is no expectation of a percentage on a short city fare, and drivers will not react badly to exact change.
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