18% Tip on $20 | Tip & Total
A 18% tip on $20 is $3.60, for a total of $23.60.
Meals in the $20 range are where most tipping happens; at 20% that is $4.00, and rounding up to the next dollar is fine. 18% is the traditional sit-down default when the service was fine and the bill uncomplicated.
You can compare this 18% rate against 15%, 18%, 20%, and 25% in the table and calculator below.
Tip amounts on $20
| Tip % | Tip amount | Total with tip |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $2.00 | $22.00 |
| 15% | $3.00 | $23.00 |
| 18% — your selection | $3.60 | $23.60 |
| 20% | $4.00 | $24.00 |
| 25% | $5.00 | $25.00 |
Watch out: tips calculated after tax
Many receipts print their suggested tip on the after-tax total. With a 9% sales tax, a 18% tip on $20 comes to $3.92 instead of the correct $3.60 — about $0.32 more, which is really 19.6% of your pre-tax bill.
On other percentages: 15% → $3.27, 18% → $3.92, 25% → $5.45.
Tip Calculator
Tip percent
Tip
$3.60
Total with tip
$23.60
How much should you tip?
Reviewed by TipTruth TeamUpdated 2026-08-21