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What the tip screen is really asking for.

A payment terminal offers 18, 20 and 25 per cent, and many work it out on the total after tax. That makes its 20 per cent a percentage of the tax as well, so it is really more like 23 per cent of what you ate. Put the bill in and see the tip both ways, what each button really means, and what everyone owes.

Food, drinks and anything else you ordered, before tax. It is the line above the taxes on the receipt.
A service or delivery fee, if there is one.
Tip
Type the dollar amount a terminal offered, and this tells you what percentage of your meal it really is.

Why the base matters

A percentage is only as honest as the number it is taken from. Tax is collected for the government, not for the service, so a tip worked out on the after-tax total is partly a tip on the tax. A delivery or service fee is the same: it goes to the business, and tipping on it tips on the business's own charge.

On a bill with 14.975 per cent tax, which is Quebec's combined rate, every button on an after-tax screen is about 15 per cent bigger than it says. Twenty becomes 23. Twenty five becomes almost 29. Nothing about the screen tells you that, and it is shown while someone waits for you to choose.

How this works

The tip is the bill before tax multiplied by the percentage, rounded to the cent. The same percentage of the after-tax total is shown beside it, and that amount divided by the bill before tax is what the screen's button really is. Splitting divides the total, tip included, by the number of people.

If you know only the tax rate, switch the tax field to a rate and the tax is worked out from the bill. If a terminal showed you a dollar amount rather than a percentage, type it in the last field to see what it really comes to.

Questions people ask

Should I tip on the amount before or after tax?

Before tax gives a tip on what you ordered and the service you received. After tax adds a tip on the tax itself. Where tipping is voluntary the choice is yours; this calculator shows both so you can see the difference in dollars.

What changed for tip screens in Quebec?

Since May 7, 2025, suggested tips on a payment terminal in Quebec must be calculated on the bill before taxes. The suggestions must be shown in a neutral and uniform way, so that no option is made to stand out, and an option to choose your own amount must be offered and visible.

Do I have to tip in Quebec?

No law requires a customer to leave a tip. It is a custom. Éducaloi, a Quebec legal information organisation, says so plainly in its guide to tipping.

How do I split the bill and the tip between several people?

Put the number of people in the splitting field. The total, including tax, any fees and the tip, is divided equally, rounded to the cent.

Sources

Related

Preselected choicesThe option chosen for you is the one that suits them. Hidden costsThe price you were shown is not the price you pay. The real priceAdd the fees back on to an advertised price.

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Free, and staying that way. If it changed the button you pressed, that is the whole point.

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