Is tipping expected in the Netherlands?

No. Service and tax are included in the price by law and staff are paid a proper wage, so a tip (fooi) is a bonus for good service rather than an obligation. Most locals simply round up the bill.

How much should I tip in a Dutch restaurant?

Rounding up to a convenient amount is normal for everyday meals. For genuinely good service or fine dining, 5–10% is generous and appreciated. There is no expectation of the 15–20% common in the United States.

Should I tip taxis and cafés?

Rounding up to the nearest euro or two is typical for taxis and cafés. For a short coffee or a quick taxi ride, leaving the small change is perfectly normal and nothing more is expected.

Should I tip in cash or on the card?

Cash is preferred so the tip reaches staff directly, and many older Dutch card terminals do not prompt for a tip. If you pay by card, mention the rounded total to the server or leave a small cash tip on the table.

Does a service charge replace a tip?

Restaurants do not usually add a separate service charge because service is already in the menu prices. If you ever see a bedieningsgeld or service line, no further tip is needed.

Netherlands Tipping Guide & Calculator

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

A Netherlands tipping guide and calculator. In the Netherlands, service and tax are included in the price by law, so tipping (a fooi) is optional — a bonus for good service, not an obligation. The norm is to round up, or leave 5–10% for excellent service or fine dining.

How it works

You choose how to tip and the tool does the arithmetic:

percent mode:  tip   = bill * (pct / 100);   total = bill + tip
round-up mode: total = ceil(bill);           tip   = total - bill
no-tip mode:   tip   = 0;                     total = bill
perPerson      = total / number of people

Suggested generous-end percentages reflect Dutch norms: restaurants up to ~10%, cafés ~5%, hotels ~5%, taxis round-up only.

Example and notes

On an 68 EUR restaurant bill, rounding up to 70 EUR is a normal everyday tip; for outstanding service a 10% tip of 6.80 EUR is generous. Split between 2 people, a rounded 70 EUR total is 35 EUR each.

Tipping is never required in the Netherlands. All figures are computed locally in your browser.