>>>>>>>I'm pretty much the same way. (Plus, I can't do actual math in my head to save my life, so I'm always liberal...oh my god, did I just admit I'm a liberal???)
>>>>>
>>>>>LOL. So pity the foreigner who is not used to math at the end of a nice dinner out.;-)
>>>>>
>>>>>FWIW I tend to shift the decimal point for 10% then half it and then halve that, adding to 17.5% and rounding up all the way. I take if from the tax-inclusive price including alcohol, though some older conservative associates insist it's supposed to be 15% on the pre-tax cost of the meal only. From what I'm seeing here maybe I'm a bit cheap.
>>>>
>>>>FWIW, my 20% is typically on the pre-tax total.
>>>>
>>>>Tamar
>>>
>>>I don't know if you realize that if you pay with CC only about 17% of your tip goes to the server(s). They have to pay about 3% to the CC company.
>>
>>Just looked it up and sure enough, yes, the employer can deduct the CC fee from the portion that goes to the server. Guess that makes sense, since me putting a tip on my charge shouldn't cost the employer extra.
>>
>>That said, the fee is about 3% of the tip amount, which leaves 97% of the tip. If I tip 20% of the bill, the CC fee is .03 x .2 of the check or .006. So if the bill is $30 and I tip $6, the server gets 97% of $6, which is $5.82. That's not at all the same as a 17% tip, which would be $5.10.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>Actually I found out that in California the employer pays the CC fees on the tip portion of the bill. See item 3 in the link below.
>
>http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_tipsandgratuities.html
>
>So the rules must vary from state to state.

What I found was the US Dept. of Labor rules, but clearly states could be stricter.

Tamar