Blog
How much to tip at a Thai restaurant
Tipping in Thailand is not obligatory the way it is in some countries, but once a bill already carries a 10% service charge, it is hard to know whether anything more is expected — or how a group should divide it.
Does a 10% service charge replace the tip?
Usually yes. The service charge is what the restaurant collects in place of a tip, so anything extra is entirely voluntary.
Many people add something only when the service stood out — leaving the change, or adding 20–50 baht, rather than a percentage.
Worth knowing: a service charge does not always reach staff in full; it depends on the restaurant's policy. Cash left directly with the server is the more reliable route.
What to tip where there is no service charge
- Casual and made-to-order shops: leaving the change, or 20–50 baht, is normal.
- Sit-down restaurants with table service: around 10% of the pre-VAT total is the common figure.
- Fine dining or special service such as wine service: 10–15%, at your discretion.
- Delivery and takeaway: not expected, though many give riders 20–50 baht.
Tip on the pre-VAT or post-VAT total?
The pre-tax food total is the sounder base, since VAT is money the restaurant remits to the government rather than payment for service.
On 1,000 baht of food, VAT 7% makes 1,070. A 10% tip on the pre-VAT figure is 100 baht; on 1,070 it is 107 — a 7 baht difference.
That gap is trivial on one bill but adds up across a large bill or frequent meals, and fixing the base up front keeps the arithmetic simple.
Splitting the tip across a group
When everyone ordered roughly the same, an equal split of the tip is fastest and nobody objects.
When individual totals differ sharply — one person had plain rice, another had steak — split the tip in proportion to each person's share of the bill.
On a 3,000 baht bill with a 300 baht tip, someone who consumed 1,500 baht (half the bill) covers 150 baht of it, while someone at 500 baht covers 50.
What to avoid is the person holding the bill quietly absorbing the tip alone, since it is money nobody else saw in the agreed total.
An order of operations that keeps the numbers honest
- Start from the food total before tax and service.
- Add the 10% service charge if the restaurant applies one.
- Add VAT 7% on top of that combined figure to get what you actually owe.
- Work out the tip separately from the pre-tax food total, then divide it across the group.
Key takeaway
Tipping in Thailand is voluntary — base it on the pre-VAT total, keep it separate from the bill, and let HarnDuay divide the food and the tip proportionally in one pass.
FAQ
Do I still tip when a 10% service charge is added?
Not necessarily — the service charge already stands in for a tip, so anything extra depends on how the service was.
Should the tip be based on the pre-VAT or post-VAT amount?
The pre-VAT amount, since VAT is remitted to the government rather than paid to staff.
What is a normal tip in Thailand?
Around 10% of the pre-VAT total where no service charge applies; at casual shops, leaving the change or 20–50 baht is normal.
Should a group split the tip equally?
Equally is fine when orders are similar, but split it proportionally when individual totals differ a lot.