09 Aug

How to Split a Check: The Ultimate Guide to Dividing Up a Bill

We recently posted an article here with the top ten ways to avoid picking up the check when you go out for food or entertainment with others. Although some of the suggestions in that article were about how to avoid paying for yourself altogether, the majority of the suggestions involved learning about ways to make sure that you only pay for yourself and not for the other guests that have come out with you for the night. The article emphasized the variety of ways that there are to do this (ranging from adjusting your own attitude about it to making sure that you bring enough cash to cover your part of the bill). However, there was one key point missing from the original article. That key point was that you need to be capable of splitting a bill into the right amount that you owe if you’re going to be able to pay your part (and only your part) of the bill. There are a lot of people who don’t really know how to split a check, add the tax and calculate a fair tip with ease. So, let’s take a look at the options that you have for splitting a check fairly so that you don’t end up inadvertently picking up the tab for others.

Request Separate Checks

The Consumerist picked up our original story and posted the basics of it on their site. The readers there overwhelmingly responded with the obvious suggestion that you simply request separate checks when you go out with a group of people. It’s true; if the place that you’re going to allows you to request separate checks at the time of your order then this is truly the best method of fairly splitting a check. The only problem here is that a lot of places won’t allow you to split the check, especially if there are more than two or three parties at the table. And those restaurants that do split checks will sometimes split them only in equal parts rather than using a breakdown of what each individual actually purchased which can result in some people paying more than their fair share of the check.

That said, if you can get the server or cashier to split your check then this is the best option. Some tips and warnings about doing this:

• Ask about splitting the check before you have placed any order.
• Confirm that each person will receive separate checks with their specific purchases itemized on the check.
• When the check comes, make sure that the items on your check are correct.

It should be noted that sometimes an individual can request a separate check from the rest of the group even though the group is getting one check. This is best done by privately approaching the server or cashier in advance and requesting this option. Places that won’t split checks for large groups may still accommodate your single request.

Do the Math

If you can’t get separate checks for your order then you’re going to need to calculate the amount that each person owes on your own. The most obvious way of doing this is to go old-school and do the math in your head or on a piece of paper. The simplest way to do this is as follows:

• Assign one person to calculate what each person owes. Many people make the mistake of having each individual calculate what they owe on their own. Often, people calculate incorrectly and too much or too little money ends up on the table. When one person does the calculations for everyone, it tends to work out correctly. This person should be the one who is best at math. Ideally, this person will be you so that you can be certain that you’re paying only for your share.
• Use a separate piece of paper to write down what each person owes. Write their name. Under that, write down each thing that was ordered. Include the amount the item cost. Go through the check from top to bottom. List each item under the appropriate name. For example, if you went out with Bill and Sue then your paper would incude columns for You, Bill and Sue. If the first item on the bill is a salad that Sue ordered, place “salad” under Sue’s name and write what is owed for the salad. If the second item was a steak that you ordered, enter it into your column. Do this for the entire bill.
• When you have this list complete, pass the paper around to each person. Have him or her confirm that every item under their name is correct and that nothing has been left off. This is a way to double-check that everyone is paying the proper amount.
• When the piece of paper comes back to you, total up everyone’s payment on their column of the paper. Then proceed to add a fair tip to each person’s individual payment. So, if all that Sue purchased was the salad and it cost $8 then Sue owes $8 plus her tip. If you’re using a 20% tip then Sue owes $9.60 ($8 for her bill and $1.60 for her tip.)
• Take payment from each person at the table individually, pay the bill, make change. This is where things might get tricky and where you need to keep careful track of what is going on. That’s because most people won’t have exact change. Let’s say that Sue only has a $20 bill. Take Sue’s $20 bill. On the piece of paper, calculate what amount of change you owe Sue. In this case, it would be $10.40 (the $20 she gave you minus the $9.60 she owes). Do not give her change to her yet. Accept everyone’s money one at a time and write down what you owe each of them back for their change. Pay the bill then return the change that is owed to each person based on what you’ve already written on the paper.

This sounds complicated but once you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier.

Use Technology to Help You Do the Math

If that sounds too complicated for you to do on your own, that’s okay. There are a lot of different tools that you can use to assist you in doing the math to make sure that everyone pays their share and no more than their share. Some of those tools include:

• Basic calculator. You could carry a calculator with you or use the one that’s on your cell phone or laptop computer. There are also tip calculators specifically designed for the task of splitting up checks and calculating tips. These calculators come in physical form as well as in online versions.
• Phone applications. There are a lot of mobile phone applications out there that will do this type of calculation for you. For example, on the iPhone, you could use SplitCheck by CodeBits. This program lets you enter in all of the people who ordered with you, what they ordered and what it cost. Then it calculates what each individual owes with tip. Another example from the iPhone is the iHandy Tip Calculator. People who use a Blackberry phone could try GeoTip and there are other apps for Windows Mobile or Android users.
• PDA applications. If you carry a PDA then there are also applications similar to those for phones which allow you to do the same thing. One example is EZ Check. SplitBill is another one.

Do you have a favorite tool to use to calculate restaurant bills and other checks that you want to split?

If this article interested you, you might want to check out our original article on Top 10 Ways to Avoid Picking up the Bill.

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