— Budgeting
Expense Split Calculator
Split shared expenses for trips, roommates, dinners, or households. List people, expenses, and who paid, then see each person’s fair share, net balance, and the shortest settlement plan for who pays whom.
To settle up
$2,500
- Arun → Rahul
- $2,000
- Priya → Rahul
- $500
- Group total spent
- $10,500
Try: Three friends, a weekend away, Couple splitting rent by income, Everyone pays one person
— Per-person ledger
| Person | Paid | Fair share | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahul | $6,000 | $3,500 | $2,500 |
| Priya | $3,000 | $3,500 | $-500 |
| Arun | $1,500 | $3,500 | $-2,000 |
— Who owes, who’s owed
Download— How it works
Each person’s fair share = their portion of every expense (equal, or weighted by income). Net balance = what they paid − their fair share. The settlement greedily matches the biggest debtor to the biggest creditor, minimising the number of transfers.
Fair shares, then the settlement
The calculator works in two steps. First it tallies each person’s fair share — by default an equal slice of every expense — and compares it to what they actually paid; the difference is their net balance. Someone who paid for the hotel is owed money (a positive balance); someone who paid for nothing owes their share (negative). Then comes the clever part: rather than have everyone pay everyone, it reduces the whole tangle to the fewest possible transfers by matching the biggest debtor to the biggest creditor in turn. The result is a short, unambiguous list — the answer you actually came for.
Worked example — Rahul paid $6,000 (dinner), Priya $3,000 (hotel), Arun $1,500 (cab): Total $10,500, so each owes $3,500. Rahul is owed $2,500, Priya owes $500, Arun owes $2,000. Settlement: Arun pays Rahul $2,000, Priya pays Rahul $500. Two payments, done.
Splitting by income, and the hub option
An equal split isn’t always fair. For a couple or flatmates with different incomes, splitting rent proportionally to income is often the agreement — the higher earner covers a bigger share. Switch to “by income”, enter each person’s income, and every expense is divided in that ratio. The settle-up style is a matter of taste: “fewest transfers” gives the mathematically tidiest set of payments, while “everyone pays one person” routes it all through a single hub, which some groups find simpler to coordinate even if it’s a payment or two longer. It’s an arithmetic tool — not financial advice — but it ends a lot of arguments.
— Reader questions
How does the calculator decide who pays whom?
It computes each person’s net balance (what they paid minus their fair share), then matches the biggest debtor to the biggest creditor repeatedly until everyone is square. This produces the fewest transfers needed to settle the whole group.
Can we split unequally?
Yes — switch to “by income” and enter each person’s income, and every expense is divided in proportion to income rather than equally. This is the common arrangement for couples or flatmates splitting rent and bills.
What if someone paid for everything?
Then everyone else owes them their share, and the settlement is simply each person paying that one person. The calculator handles any mix of who paid what — including one person fronting all the costs.
What’s the difference between the two settle-up styles?
“Fewest transfers” minimises the number of payments by matching debtors to creditors. “Everyone pays one person” routes all the money through a single hub — sometimes a payment or two more, but easier for some groups to organise.