Emily Post's chart is the etiquette range for each service below. Pew's August 2023 survey is what U.S. adults said they do. Toast's Q1 2026 figures are card and digital restaurant tips, and cash is not in that set. A charge already printed on the receipt beats all three.
| Service | Usual amount | Watch for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant | 15–20% of the pre-tax bill | The chart says pre-tax. Pew's 2023 answers and Toast's Q1 2026 averages are below. Do not add the row on top of a charge already on the bill. The restaurant guide has the wage rules. | $86.40, 2 people, 20% |
| Buffet with a server | 10% pre-tax | The chart lists 10%, pre-tax. | $40, 2 people, 10% |
| Counter or coffee | Optional | The chart says a tip jar creates no obligation. The October 2 note says you can leave change, or a dollar or more, depending on the order. | Restaurant guide |
| Takeout | No obligation; 10% for a large or complicated order or curb delivery | A packaging fee is not automatically the tip. | $46 at 10% |
| Food delivery | 10–15% of the bill. Pizza is $2–$5 by size and difficulty. A 2025 note says around 10% or $5 or more for groceries, other daily items, or restaurant takeout | DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart keep the tip separate from fees. The delivery guide quotes each help page. | $42 at 15% |
| Bartender | $1–$2 per drink, or 15–20% of the tab | At a sit-down table, drinks are part of the one meal tip, not a separate bar tip. | $32 tab at 20% |
| Large party | Read the bill | IRS Publication 531 uses an 18% charge on a party of eight as a service-charge example. The large-party guide walks through the dollars. | $240, 8 people, 18% |
| Hair salon or barber | 15–20% of the service | The chart says to ask that the tip be split among the people who served you. The salon guide has the longer note. | $165 at 20% |
| Manicure, facial, wax, massage | 15–20% of that service | The chart lists 15–20% of that service. A charge already printed on the bill is the case in the large-party guide. | $90 at 20% |
| Taxi or rideshare | 15–20% of the fare, at least about $1 | The chart adds $2 for the first bag the driver carries and $1 per extra bag. | $28 fare at 15% |
| Hotel housekeeper | $2–$5 per night | Leave it daily, with a note marked for housekeeping, because a different attendant may clean the room each morning. | Notes below |
| Bellhop | $2 for the first bag, $1 per extra bag | The chart lists $2–$3 for an extra service such as a room delivery. | Notes below |
| Valet | $2–$5 when the car comes back | The chart says to tip when the car is returned. | Notes below |
How to use a row
Pick the row that matches the work, not the room. A bartender working a seated dinner is in the meal tip or the contract's service charge, not in a separate per-drink line, unless you are buying rounds directly from them. A delivery fee stays off the tip row. The delivery guide, the salon guide, and the large-party guide are the longer versions. Outside the United States, start with the travel guide, including Mexico and South Korea.
The example links open the TipSlice calculator with b (bill), p (people), and t (tip percent) filled in. Change the bill after the page loads if your check is different. Add sales tax from the receipt with the tax switch, or by adding &x= and the rate. &o=1 tips on the after-tax total. The pre-tax guide explains why the default leaves that flag off. To divide one of these totals, open the same numbers in the bill splitter.
What people said, and what Toast recorded
These two sets are not the Emily Post chart, and they are not the same measurement as each other. Pew asked U.S. adults what they would do. Toast counted card and digital tips that were added on its platform.
| Among people who use the service | Always or often leave a tip |
|---|---|
| Sit-down restaurant | 92%, including 81% who say they always tip |
| Haircut | 78% |
| Food delivery | 76% |
| Drink at a bar | 70% |
| Taxi or rideshare | 61% |
| Coffee or another drink at a coffee shop | 25% |
| Fast casual, no server | 12% |
For an average sit-down meal, not an exceptional one, 57% said they would tip 15% or less, including 2% who would leave no tip. Another 12% said they would leave 18%. A quarter said they would tip 20% or more. In the same chapter, Pew's review of more than three dozen tipping guides says 15% is widely treated as the minimum acceptable restaurant tip and that 18% to 20% or beyond is frequently advised. That sentence is the guide review, not the survey.
| Restaurant type | Average tip |
|---|---|
| Full service | 19.3% |
| Quick service | 15.8% |
| Takeout | 13.7% |
Toast says cash tips are not in the dataset, and that the rates are gratuities on processing volume that includes taxes and fees. On that page, overall tips are total tips divided by gross processing volume. Delaware is the highest overall figure printed there, 22.1%, and California is the lowest, 17.3%. The page's trend table lists full-service tips at 19.1% in Q2 2025, 19.2% in Q3 2025, and 19.3% in Q1 2026, with quick-service at 15.8% in each of those rows. One row's period label says Q3 2025 while its source line says Toast Q4 2025 data, also 19.2% and 15.8%. This page does not relabel that row.
Restaurants, counters, and delivery
The sit-down row is the Emily Post chart's 15% to 20% pre-tax. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a May 2025 median of $16.94 an hour for waiters and waitresses, including tips. The cash-wage rule and the longer restaurant cases are in how much to tip at restaurants.
The Emily Post chart says 10% to 15% of the bill for delivery, and $2 to $5 for pizza depending on size and difficulty. A 2025 Emily Post note says around 10%, or $5 or more, for groceries or other daily items, or restaurant takeout. Fifteen percent of $42 is $6.30. Fifteen percent of $18 is $2.70, which is under that note's $5 for those deliveries. Which app fees reach the driver is in tipping delivery drivers.
Salons and spas
The chart lists 15% to 20% for a hair salon and says to ask that the tip be split among the people who served you. Manicures, facials, waxing, and massage are 15% to 20% of that service on the same chart. The $165 example and the barber and hairdresser wage figures are in the salon guide.
Parties and anything already printed
The large-party row is a warning as much as a percentage. IRS Publication 531 uses an 18% charge on a party of eight as its example of a service charge: the guest did not freely set the amount, so it is wages if the house pays it out, not a tip the worker records in a tip diary. Only an extra amount you choose is a tip. Tapping a 20% button on a total that already includes 18% can turn a $240 food bill into a 38% combined charge. Walk through that case in the large-party guide before a rehearsal dinner or a banquet contract.
Hotels, taxis, and flat amounts
Housekeeping, bellhops, and valets are flat amounts on the Emily Post chart. The housekeeper line is $2 to $5 per day, left daily with a note marked for housekeeping. Bellhops are $2 for the first bag and $1 for each additional bag. Valet is $2 to $5 when the car is returned. A taxi is 15% to 20% of the fare, minimally $1, plus $2 for the first bag the driver carries and $1 per additional bag. The $28 example above at 15% is a $4.20 tip.
The same chart lists a concierge at no obligation for answering questions, $5 to $10 for tickets or a restaurant reservation, and $15 for something hard to get. A doorman who carries luggage is $1 to $4.
What the table leaves out on purpose
Federal law sets no required tip-out percentage. Who may share a pool is in tip-out and tip pooling. Country rules are in the travel guide. Type the sales-tax rate from your receipt. The 8.875% figure in the pre-tax guide is only a New York City illustration.
Type a subtotal into the tip percentage table when you want the dollars at several rates before you choose.
Matt Totty maintains this table for TipSlice. Ranges move, and a house policy on your menu controls your check. This is not legal or tax advice. Sources for the numbers are listed below and inside the linked guides.
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, General Tipping Guide — the chart behind the restaurant, buffet, takeout, delivery, bartender, salon, spa, taxi, valet, and hotel rows.
- Emily Post Institute, Finer Points of Tipping — pre-tax tipping, and carrying cash where a card tip is not possible.
- Emily Post Institute, Everyday Tipping (October 2, 2025) — about 10% or $5 or more for delivery; 15–20% for personal services; tip jars optional.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Waiters and Waitresses — May 2025 median wage, including tips. The cash-wage rule is in the restaurant guide.
- IRS Publication 531 — an 18% charge on a party of eight as a service-charge example.
- Pew Research Center, Tipping Culture in America (November 9, 2023) — survey of 11,945 U.S. adults, August 7–27, 2023.
- Pew Research Center, services and amounts — who always or often tips, and the average-meal answers.
- Toast, average tip percentage (July 22, 2026) — Q1 2026 card and digital averages: 19.3% full service, 15.8% quick service, 13.7% takeout. Cash tips excluded.
More from TipSlice
Every long guide starts at the guides hub. The calculator behind the example links is the tip calculator on the home page.