How to Write a Tip on a Receipt: Card & Cash (2026)
To write a tip on a receipt, enter the tip amount on the "Tip" line, add it to the printed subtotal, and write the new total on the "Total" line — then sign the merchant copy. The restaurant charges the total you write, not the amount on the card terminal, so the tip line is what matters. Here's how to fill it in correctly, plus how tipping works for cash and split checks.
Where the tip line is on a receipt
After you pay by card at a restaurant, you get two slips: a merchant copy (you sign and leave it) and a customer copy (you keep). Each has three lines near the bottom:
- Subtotal / Amount — the bill before tip, already printed
- Tip — blank, for you to fill in
- Total — blank, for the subtotal plus your tip
You write the tip and the new total on the merchant copy and sign it. To see how these fields fit into a full receipt, see the parts of a receipt.
How to write a tip on a card receipt, step by step
- Check the printed subtotal — that's the bill before tip.
- Decide the tip. For quick math, 15% is the subtotal minus its last digit divided by two more; 20% is the subtotal times 0.2.
- Write the tip amount on the Tip line.
- Add the tip to the subtotal and write the sum on the Total line.
- Sign the merchant copy and keep your customer copy.
The card is charged the total you wrote, so double-check the addition before you sign.
How much should the tip be?
In the US, 15–20% of the pre-tax subtotal is standard for sit-down service, more for exceptional service or large parties (where an automatic gratuity may already be added — check the receipt first so you don't tip twice). Tip on the pre-tax amount unless you prefer to round up.
What if you leave a cash tip?
If you tip in cash, write "cash" on the tip line or draw a line through it and write the subtotal as the total, so the server isn't charged a card tip by mistake. The cash you leave on the table is the tip. For how checks and tips get divided among staff, see how restaurants split receipts.
Splitting the check and the tip
On a split bill, each person tips on their own share, or you divide the total tip evenly. If the server splits the check onto separate cards, each receipt has its own tip line — fill in each one.
Keep your customer copy
Keep the customer copy until the charge posts and matches what you wrote — tip adjustments are a common billing error. If you need a clean itemized copy for an expense report, you can recreate a restaurant receipt with the correct total, or make one from scratch.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing the tip but forgetting to update the total
- Tipping on the terminal and again on the paper slip
- Missing an automatic gratuity already added for large parties
- Not signing the merchant copy
- Throwing away the customer copy before the charge posts
Frequently asked questions
- How do you write a tip on a receipt?
- Write the tip amount on the 'Tip' line, add it to the printed subtotal, and write the sum on the 'Total' line, then sign the merchant copy. The card is charged the total you write, not the amount shown on the terminal.
- Do you add the tip to the total on a receipt?
- Yes. Write the tip on the tip line, then add it to the subtotal and write the combined amount on the total line. The final charge is the total you write, so check the math before signing.
- What happens if you leave the tip line blank?
- If you leave the tip line blank and only fill the total (or leave both blank), no card tip is added — you'd be tipping nothing on the card. Leave a line through the tip field and write the subtotal as the total if you tipped in cash.
- How do you write a cash tip on a card receipt?
- Write 'cash' on the tip line or draw a line through it and enter the subtotal as the total, so no tip is charged to your card. The cash you leave is the tip.
- How much should you tip at a restaurant?
- In the US, 15–20% of the pre-tax subtotal is standard for table service. Check first for an automatic gratuity on large parties so you don't tip twice.
- Which receipt copy do you write the tip on?
- Write the tip and total on the merchant copy and sign it — that's the one the restaurant keeps to process the charge. Keep the customer copy for your records until the charge posts.