A 20% U.S. restaurant tip is a local custom tied to local wage rules. It is not a global minimum, and applying it unchanged in a country where service is already in the price can mean paying twice or handing someone money they are expected to refuse. This page compares the United States with Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia, using each country's own public guidance. It also lists the limits of that guidance, because a chart from a tourism office loses to the bill on your table.
Rules that travel better than percentages
- Read the bill before you add anything. Look for service, servizio, service compris, a cover charge, or a gratuity. A line that is already included is not a suggestion.
- Ask if the words are unclear. "Is service included?" is a normal question. The answer beats a blog post you read on the plane.
- Do not treat a tourist-area habit as the whole country. A restaurant that serves mostly visitors may print a U.S.-style tip line even where local custom is lighter.
- Cash and cards are not always equal. Some places cannot add a tip to a card, or the card tip is a service charge the house controls. If you want a specific person to receive money, ask how that works there.
- A Tokyo restaurant will almost certainly refuse a tip. That sentence is from the city's official visitor guide, not a general rule that insisting is rude everywhere.
The percentages below are starting points from the cited pages, checked when this guide was updated. The France guide, the UK guide, the Germany guide, and the Italy guide quote the legal and tourism pages. When a source and a menu disagree, follow the menu and ask.
United States
For sit-down service, the Emily Post Institute lists 15% to 20% of the pre-tax bill. That range sits next to a federal rule, explained in Labor Department Fact Sheet #15, that lets many employers pay a $2.13 cash wage if tips make up the rest of the $7.25 minimum. Several states require a full cash minimum instead. The tipped minimum wage calculator copies the July 1, 2026 table.
Other countries
| Place | What the cited source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Canada.ca: usually 15% of the bill. Destination Ontario and Travel Alberta: about 15% to 20%. Bonjour Québec: 10% to 15% before tax. The CRA says the percent, and whether it is before or after tax, depends on the customer. The Canada guide quotes each page. | Government of Canada, settling in Canada: money |
| United Kingdom | Tipping is not expected the way it is in some countries. An optional service charge can be declined. If nothing was added, 10% to 15% for good restaurant service is well received. The tips code and the taxi lines are in the UK guide. | VisitBritain, useful information |
| France | Displayed prices include service. A pourboire is optional and no profession can demand it. Menus that charge service must say "prix service compris" and the percentage. France.fr's 15% and 2% to 3% lines are in the France guide. | DGCCRF, Pourboire |
| Spain | A tip is not obligatory, because establishments include the service charge. It is common to leave 5% to 10% of the total in bars, restaurants, hotels, and taxis. The Spain guide quotes the tourism page. | spain.info, money |
| Germany | Service is generally included in restaurant prices, and about 5% to 10% is customary. Berlin.de calls a tip voluntary. The taxi lines differ. The Germany guide quotes both pages. | German National Tourist Board, 2026 resource guide (PDF) |
| Japan | JNTO: tipping is not common at bars, cafes, restaurants, taxis, or hotels. A gratuity called kokorozuke may be accepted by a private guide or interpreter used to overseas practice. It is not expected and should be discreet, in an envelope. Go Tokyo: a restaurant tip will almost certainly be refused, and there is no need to tip the taxi driver. The full note is the Japan guide. | Japan National Tourism Organization and Go Tokyo, How to Enjoy Tokyo (PDF) |
| Australia | Hotels and restaurants do not add a service charge, and tipping is your choice. In most places it is not expected. In upmarket restaurants, 10% for good service is common. | Tourism Australia, key facts |
Canada's federal page says "usually" 15%, and the Canada guide keeps the Ontario, Alberta, and Québec ranges separate, with the CRA sentence on tax. Britain's 10% to 15% is what VisitBritain calls well received when nothing was already added, and the UK guide has the service-charge test. France's displayed price includes service. Spain's tourism site says a tip is not obligatory because service is included. Germany's 2026 advisor guide separates included service from an extra 5% to 10%, and the Germany guide has Berlin.de's amounts. Japan is not common, with the guide exception in the table. Australia treats tipping as a choice.
Italy, Mexico, and South Korea are not in that table. Their notes are the Italy guide, the Mexico guide, and the South Korea guide.
Caveats that matter more than the chart
A printed service charge wins. In Britain, VisitBritain says an optional service charge may already be on the bill and that you can decline it. The UK guide quotes HMRC on when that charge is voluntary. In France, "service compris" means you are not looking at a missing tip. The France guide has the menu wording. Tokyo's visitor guide says an izakaya often adds an otoshi appetizer as a cover charge. That line is not a tip. Adding a U.S. 20% on top of a charge you did not read is the expensive mistake. If a charge is optional, decide whether the service earned it. If it is mandatory, an extra coin or two is a compliment, not a second bill.
A cover charge is not a tip. Italy's education ministry says most restaurants and pizzerias charge a fixed fee called coperto, and that a tip is welcome but not an obligation. Lazio Regional Law 22/2019, Article 75, forbids an additional coperto charge. Rome is in Lazio. The Italy guide quotes Italia.it, the ministry page, and that statute.
A blank tip line is not a 20% debt. Follow the source in the table, and leave something extra only if you mean to and the bill did not already include it.
Wage context is not the same. VisitBritain notes that British staff must receive at least the National Minimum Wage and do not have to live on tips. That is a different structure from the U.S. federal tip credit of $2.13 in Fact Sheet #15. The July 1, 2026 DOL table also shows several U.S. states requiring a full cash minimum before tips. Do not export one country's wage story into another.
Tax is often already in the menu price. The German tourist board notes that restaurant prices include tax, and French displayed prices include service. A U.S. menu price often does not. The pre-tax habit is a U.S. habit. Abroad, read the line before you multiply.
Private guides are a separate case. JNTO says a private guide or interpreter used to overseas practice may accept a discreet envelope, and that it is not expected. The Japan guide has the rest. Countries not in the table need their own source.
What the percentages cost on $60
On a 60 food total, 5% is 3, 10% is 6, 15% is 9, and 20% is 12. The gap between a service-included meal and a U.S. 20% tip is most of that 12.
Two people, $60, at 10% and at 20%
At 10% the tip is $6.00. At 20% it is $12.00. The links open those two checks. Add &x= and a rate only where tax is not already in the price.
The tip percentage table shows rates on a dollar bill. Travel Tipper fills a sourced city tax or these country notes. A conversion with no city is the currency converter.
Matt Totty writes these guides from the linked public sources. A restaurant's bill can differ from a national summary. This is not legal advice.
Sources
- Emily Post Institute, General Tipping Guide — U.S. sit-down service at 15–20% pre-tax.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #15 — federal tipped cash wage and tip credit.
- Government of Canada — usual tip about 15% of the bill.
- CRA, GST/HST in special cases — the percentage and the before-or-after-tax choice depend on the customer. Quoted in the Canada guide.
- Destination Ontario — 15% to 20% customary at bars and restaurants. Quoted in the Canada guide.
- Bonjour Québec — 10% to 15% of the bill before taxes. Quoted in the Canada guide.
- Travel Alberta — about 15% to 20% of the pre-tax bill. Quoted in the Canada guide.
- VisitBritain — tipping not expected as a wage; 10–15% when you choose to tip.
- French DGCCRF, Pourboire — service included in displayed prices; tips optional.
- France.fr — 15% service commonly included; a small extra when service was particularly good.
- spain.info — a tip is not obligatory; 5% to 10% of the total is common.
- GOV.UK, tips code of practice — England, Scotland and Wales, in effect 1 October 2024. Quoted in the UK guide.
- German National Tourist Board, 2026 advisor guide (PDF) — service generally included; about 5–10% customary.
- Berlin.de, Trinkgeld — a tip is voluntary; 5% to 10% of a restaurant bill is appropriate. Quoted in the Germany guide.
- Japan National Tourism Organization — tipping is not common at bars, cafes, restaurants, taxis, or hotels, with a discreet envelope for a private guide or interpreter.
- Go Tokyo, How to Enjoy Tokyo (PDF) — a restaurant tip will almost certainly be refused; no need to tip a taxi driver.
- Italian Ministry of Education, study in Italy — coperto, and a tip that is welcome but not an obligation.
- Lazio Regional Law 22/2019, Article 75 (PDF) — additional coperto charges are forbidden. Quoted in the Italy guide.
- Tourism Australia — tipping optional; 10% common in upmarket restaurants.
More from TipSlice
U.S. amounts are in how much to tip at restaurants. Home-currency totals are on the currency converter. All guides are on the hub.