Quick answer
Add up the items, take off any discount, add the service charge and VAT (on the discounted amount), add a tip, then split it equally, by shares, or in proportion to what each person ordered. A VND 1,850,000 bill with 5% service and 8% VAT for four people comes to VND 2,097,900, or 524,475 each.
How do you split a bill fairly?
Dinner, a trip, shared rent: enter the bill total or what each person ordered, plus any discount, service charge, VAT or tip. The calculator shows what everyone owes, compares it with what each person actually paid and suggests the fewest transfers to settle up. Copy the result straight into your group chat.
How to split a bill
- 1
Choose how to split: equally, by shares (someone bringing a partner counts as 2) or by what each person ordered.
- 2
Enter the food and drink total, or each person's items when splitting by items; add names so it's easy to read.
- 3
Open “Discount, service charge, VAT, tip” if the bill has any of these.
- 4
In the “Paid” column, note who paid how much (leave it empty and the first person is assumed to have paid everything).
- 5
Check what each person owes and the “Who pays whom” list; round to VND 1,000 or 10,000 and press “Copy for the group chat”.
Order in which charges are added
| Step | Charge | Calculated on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discount (amount or %) | Items total |
| 2 | Service charge (%) | Items after discount |
| 3 | VAT (%) | Items after discount + service charge |
| 4 | Tip (amount or %) | Items after discount |
This is the usual order in Vietnamese restaurants; if your bill works differently, just enter the amounts printed on it.
Three ways to split
| Method | Each person pays | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Equally | Bill total ÷ number of people | Hotpot, barbecue, shared dishes |
| By shares | Total × that person's shares ÷ all shares | Trips with partners or children, rooms of different sizes |
| By items | Total × that person's items ÷ all items | Everyone orders their own dish at different prices |
Examples
Dinner for four, split equally
Items VND 1,850,000, 5% service (92,500), 8% VAT on 1,942,500 (155,400): total 2,097,900, or 524,475 each. An paid 1,200,000 and Bình paid 897,900; rounded to 1,000: Chi sends An 524,000, Dũng sends Bình 373,000 and An 151,000.
A VND 6,000,000 trip by shares
An brings a partner (2 shares), Bình and Chi have 1 share each, 4 shares in total: An pays 3,000,000, Bình and Chi 1,500,000 each. An paid for everything, so Bình and Chi each send An 1,500,000.
Coffee ordered separately, 10% off
An 250,000, Bình 180,000, Chi 320,000 (750,000); 10% off leaves 675,000, 8% VAT makes 729,000. Split by items: An 243,000, Bình 174,960, Chi 311,040.
Common mistakes
- Splitting equally when dishes cost very different amounts.
- Use “By items”: fees and discounts follow each person's share of the items, so light eaters pay less.
- Charging VAT on the price before the discount.
- VAT applies to what is actually paid for food and service, after the discount and including the service charge.
- Everyone paying back one person when two people chipped in.
- Fill in the “Paid” column; the calculator nets everything out to the fewest transfers.
- Rounded transfers don't add up exactly.
- Rounding each transfer can leave a few thousand đồng over or under; the person receiving usually absorbs it.
How the transfer suggestions work
Everyone has a balance: what they paid minus what they owe. Negative means they still owe, positive means they should get money back. The calculator matches the biggest debtor with the biggest creditor and repeats until everyone is square; a group of n people needs at most n − 1 transfers, often fewer.
Everything runs on your device; names and amounts are never sent to a server.
Glossary
- Service charge
- A percentage the restaurant adds, often 5–10%, separate from a voluntary tip.
- VAT
- Value added tax on the bill; most food and drink service in Vietnam is at a reduced 8% until 31 December 2026.
- Tip
- A voluntary extra for the staff.
- Shares
- A weighting: someone with 2 shares pays twice as much as someone with 1.
- Balance
- What a person paid minus what they owe; negative means they still owe.
Frequently asked questions
Nobody paid in advance. What goes in “Paid”?
Leave it empty. The first person on the list is assumed to have paid the whole bill; if everyone pays their own part, just read the “What each person owes” table.
Can I split hotel and fuel costs on a trip?
Yes. Add every cost into the total, or split each one separately; use “By shares” for children or people in separate rooms.
How are service charge and VAT shared?
In the same proportion as the items: equally when splitting equally, by each person's items when splitting by items.
Is there a limit on the number of people?
No hard limit; groups of 2 to 30 display best.
Does rounding to VND 1,000 lose money?
Each transfer is rounded to the nearest step, so the total can be off by a few thousand đồng. Choose “No rounding” to be exact.
Is my list saved?
No. Reloading the page starts over; use “Copy for the group chat” to keep the result.
Ratings and comments
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