By The Table desk · Last verified 27 September 2026

On a Singapore menu, ++ means two charges get added when the bill comes: a 10 per cent service charge, then 9 per cent GST on the food and the service charge together. Multiply the menu price by 1.199 and you have the real number. A S$28++ main costs S$33.57. A S$100++ dinner costs S$119.90.

Quick facts

• ++ means a service charge (usually 10%) plus GST (9%).
• GST is charged on the service charge as well, so the uplift is 19.9 per cent, not 19.
• In your head: add a fifth, then take off a few cents.
• Only places that charge service may print prices without GST.
• Hawker centres and most coffee shops add neither.
• Nett means the printed price is the price.

Why can a restaurant print a price that isn’t the price?

Because of one exception. GST-registered businesses must normally display GST-inclusive prices, but hotels and F&B outlets that charge service are allowed to show prices before GST, which spares them separate dine-in and takeaway price lists. In return they must post a prominent notice that prices are subject to GST and service charge. The exception does not cover places that add a token service charge just to avoid showing GST-inclusive prices. That notice is the small line at the foot of the menu.

How is ++ worked out?

The service charge is added first. GST is then calculated on the food plus the service charge, and IRAS’s own worked example turns S$100 of food into S$119.90.

Menu	Service (10%)	GST (9%)	You pay
S$10++	S$1.00	S$0.99	S$11.99
S$28++	S$2.80	S$2.77	S$33.57
S$50++	S$5.00	S$4.95	S$59.95
S$88++	S$8.80	S$8.71	S$105.51
S$138++	S$13.80	S$13.66	S$165.46
S$200++	S$20.00	S$19.80	S$239.80

Some restaurants round the final bill to the nearest five cents, and whether they round up or down is their call.

What if there is only one plus, or the word nett?

Nett means any service charge and GST are already inside the printed price. A single plus is less tidy. Under the rules above, a GST-registered restaurant that doesn’t charge service must print GST-inclusive prices. So a lone + should mean a service charge at a place that isn’t registered for GST. If it’s unclear, ask before you order, because the answer changes the bill by up to ten per cent.

Does the service charge go to the staff?

Not by any rule. The government does not require a service charge; businesses add it at their own discretion. It counts as the restaurant’s revenue. How much of it reaches the people who served you depends on the employer, and the menu will rarely say.

Can I ask for it to be taken off?

You can ask. If the charge was on the menu, it is part of the price you accepted when you ordered, and nothing in Singapore’s rules lets a diner strike it off alone. Managers will often remove it after a genuine failure, so ask before you pay, quietly, and say what went wrong.

Is takeaway ++ too?

Usually only the GST part applies. Restaurants may also display prices before GST when the same item is sold for dine-in and takeaway and only dine-in carries a service charge. Takeaway is then the menu price times 1.09.

What about charges that were never on the menu?

The consumer regulator’s price-transparency guidelines expect unavoidable charges to be included in the headline price. Where a charge can’t be worked out in advance, it should be disclosed clearly beside that price. A charge that turns up only on the bill is fair to question, politely, before you pay.

The WahLiao Verdict

Read ++ as “add a fifth”, and budget from that number, never the menu’s. A restaurant that prints nett prices has done the sums for you and accepted looking dearer on the page. That deserves noticing, and rewarding.

Questions people ask

Is ++ legal in Singapore?

Yes, for restaurants and hotels that charge service, as long as the menu says prices are subject to service charge and GST.

What is GST in Singapore now?

Nine per cent, since 1 January 2024.

Do hawker centres charge ++?

No. The signboard price is the price.

Should I tip on top of ++?

No. Service is already on the bill.

Sources: IRAS, GST guide for the hotel and F&B sectors; IRAS, Buying from a GST-registered business; CCCS, Guidelines on Price Transparency.

Read next: Do You Tip in Singapore? · Corkage in Singapore · Price, Value and the Real Cost of Ownership · Back to The Table

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