Is it wrong to leave out the tip when you pay your share?
Guilty
The short answer
Yes. In the US, the tip is part of the cost of the meal, so your share includes your share of the tip.
The ruling
From the public record. Names are replaced with roles.
Small claims division
Case no.PC-2026-00598
The friend who covered the tip v. The friend who paid only the subtotal
Filed 10/05/2026
- Plaintiff
- The friend who covered the tip
- Defendant
- The friend who paid only the subtotal
Statement of claim
We split dinner four ways. He paid exactly his part of the subtotal and left. The rest of us had to cover his part of the tip.
Charge
Paying a share of the subtotal and leaving before the tip was settled
Judgment
Guilty
Friend found guilty of paying his share and leaving before the tip
Sentence
The defendant will send each of the three others his share of the tip today, and leave the full tip at the next group dinner.
How the court usually rules on this
The court treats the tip as part of the price in places where tipping is expected. Paying only the pre-tip share shifts the cost to the others at the table. The court does not set the tip percentage; it only asks that each person pays a fair part of whatever the group leaves.
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