# Tip + Sales Tax + Currency Conversion + Discount Stacking Final Price Waterfall Calculator

Builds the true final price as a waterfall: stacked discounts, correct sales-tax base and cascade, tipping on the etiquette base with rounding, per-person split, and mid-market vs DCC conversion.

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/tip-sales-tax-currency-conversion-discount-stacking-calculator

- **Category:** Calculator

- **Keywords:** price waterfall, tip calculator, sales tax cascade, discount stacking, dcc markup, mid-market rate, bogo tax, gst pst hst, coupon tax base, checkout total

## Overview

Defaults follow documented rules: US sales tax is generally charged after store discounts but on the full price for manufacturer-reimbursed coupons; BOGO free items are usually treated as discounts of the paid item; tips are customarily computed on the pre-tax subtotal; DCC terminal offers typically load 3–7% over the interbank mid-market rate while card issuers charge ~1–2% on home-currency billing. Per-line tax amounts are rounded to cents like a POS.

## Inputs

- **Subtotal (list price, original currency)** (number): e.g. 85.00
- **Discount lines (one per line: "20%" or "5.00")** (textarea): 20% 5.00
- **Discount stacking model** (select)
- **Sales-tax base** (select)
- **Tax lines ("label=rate%", one per line)** (textarea): State=6.5 City=0.5
- **Tax cascade model** (select)
- **Tip percent** (number)
- **Tip base** (select)
- **Tip rounding** (select)
- **Split between (people)** (number)
- **Original currency code** (text)
- **Home currency code** (text)
- **Mid-market rate (home per original)** (number)
- **DCC markup offered at terminal (%)** (number)
- **Card issuer FX fee (%)** (number)

## When to use

- Splitting a restaurant or bar tab abroad while accounting for stacked promotions, local sales taxes, pre-tax tipping etiquette, and multi-person bill splits.
- Evaluating international e-commerce orders with manufacturer or store coupons, multi-tier tax cascades (such as GST, PST, or HST), and cross-currency settlement fees.
- Deciding between payment in local currency or accepting POS dynamic currency conversion (DCC) markups when traveling internationally.

## How it works

- Enter your starting list price subtotal and specify percentage or fixed discounts stacked sequentially or additively.
- Select the applicable sales tax base (pre-discount for manufacturer coupons or post-discount for store coupons) and enter multi-jurisdiction tax rates with additive or compound cascading.
- Set tip percentage, target tipping base (such as pre-tax post-discount), and rounding rules, then assign the party size to split the local total.
- Input exchange rate settings, card issuer foreign transaction fees, and terminal DCC markups to compare foreign vs. home currency card settlement costs.

## Use cases

- Dining Bill Splits: Calculate exact per-person costs for group restaurant meals including stacked coupons, city/state sales tax, and rounded tips.
- Overseas Shopping & Travel: Compare payment terminal DCC rates against credit card foreign exchange fees to choose the cheapest currency payment option.
- Cross-Border Online Retail: Model total landed checkout totals for global orders involving regional VAT/GST cascades and stacked promo codes.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between store discounts and manufacturer coupons for sales tax?

Store discounts reduce the taxable base before sales tax is applied, whereas manufacturer coupons are usually taxed on the original list price because the retailer is reimbursed for the coupon value.

### Should tips be calculated on the pre-tax or post-tax amount?

Standard dining etiquette calculates tips on the pre-tax, post-discount subtotal so you only tip on the value of the food and service received.

### What is the difference between sequential and additive discount stacking?

Additive stacking sums all percentage discounts against the original list price, while sequential stacking applies each subsequent discount to the remaining subtotal.

### What is Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)?

DCC is a card terminal service that converts your bill into your home currency at checkout, usually adding a 3% to 7% markup over mid-market rates.

### How does compound tax cascading work?

In compound taxation, secondary taxes apply to the combined sum of the subtotal and preceding taxes, rather than applying all tax percentages to the base subtotal in parallel.

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