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Singapore · ++ calculator

What ++ really costs. Service charge, then GST.

A price with “++” after it is not what you pay. Type the food total from the menu and the calculator adds the 10% service charge, then 9% GST on the food and the service charge together, and splits it between you.

Add up the prices on the menu, before the service charge and GST.

Service charge and GST

This calculator runs on JavaScript, which looks switched off. The sum is short enough to do by hand: add 10% to the food for the service charge, then add 9% of that new total for GST. In one step: menu price × 1.199. A worked example is below.

In short

In Singapore, “++” after a price means a 10% service charge and 9% GST are added at the bill. The service charge goes on first, and GST is charged on the food plus the service charge, so ++ adds 19.9%, not 19%: 100 on the menu is 119.90 on the bill.

Checked

The formula

Why ++ is 19.9%, not 19%.

The two pluses are two charges, and the order matters. The restaurant’s service charge is added to the food first. GST then goes on the whole of that, because the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore treats the service charge as part of the price of the meal: GST is worked out on the total payable, service charge included.

So the GST is 9% of 110, not 9% of 100, and the extra 0.9% is GST on the service charge. Multiply any ++ price by 1.199 and you have the bill.

What a ++ price comes to (10% service charge, then 9% GST)
On the menuService charge 10%GST 9%You pay
12.001.201.1914.39
30.003.002.9735.97
100.0010.009.90119.90
186.0018.6018.41223.01

Each line on the bill

What you’re paying for.

  • Service charge (usually 10%). Set by the restaurant, not by law, and added for the service at the table. It is not a tax, but for GST it counts as part of the price.
  • GST (9%). Singapore’s goods and services tax. IRAS lists 9% as the current rate. It is charged on the food and the service charge together.
  • Nett. A price marked nett already includes everything: the menu price is the bill. Pick Nett prices above and nothing is added.
  • A tip. Not expected when the service charge is on the bill. The calculator keeps any tip apart, so the service charge and a thank-you on top stay two different things.

By hand

Three friends, one ++ dinner.

The menu prices of everything ordered add up to 186++.

  1. Service charge10% of 186 is 18.60. Running total: 204.60.
  2. GST9% of 204.60 is 18.41. The bill: 223.01.
  3. Divide223.01 ÷ 3 is 74.34 each, rounded up to the cent.

Check it the quick way: 186 × 1.199 = 223.01. If one person only had a drink, switch to By item: each person’s service charge and GST then follow what they ordered.

After the bill

Split it here. Remember it in PlateDiary.

Straight answer first: the PlateDiary app doesn’t split bills. It’s a food memory app for eating out. One photo of the table turns every dish into a save, kept under the place and the people you ate with, and the bill can go with it.

  • The bill, kept. Add an optional price to any dish and a “What was the bill?” total to the night.
  • Receipt scan. Point the camera at the receipt and it fills in the prices. It’s read on your phone, and the photo is deleted right after.
  • Prices as you paid them. Singapore dollars stay Singapore dollars, with no conversion, so a trip reads the way it happened.

Months later, when someone asks what that birthday dinner at the hotel came to, the answer is next to every dish and everyone who was there. Entering prices and scanning receipts is free.

Get PlateDiary How the bill and receipt scan work

Sources

Where the rules come from

  1. Hotel and food & beverage: GST on service charges (worked example 100 + 10 + 9.90) — Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
  2. Current GST rates (9%) — Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore

Questions

Questions people ask.

What does ++ mean in Singapore?

It means the menu price is before a 10% service charge and 9% GST. The service charge is added first, then GST is charged on the food plus the service charge, so the bill comes to 19.9% more than the menu price.

How do I calculate ++ from the menu price?

Multiply by 1.1 for the service charge, then by 1.09 for GST, which is the same as multiplying by 1.199. A dish at 30++ costs 35.97.

Is GST charged on the service charge in Singapore?

Yes. IRAS treats the service charge as part of the total price, so GST is worked out on the bill including the service charge.

Do you tip in Singapore if there is a service charge?

It isn’t expected. The service charge is already on the bill; anything on top is a personal thank-you, not a rule.

What does nett mean on a menu?

Nett means the price already includes any service charge and GST, so the price on the menu is what you pay.