How to use the group expense settlement calculator
- List the people, separated by commas or new lines. Names are matched without regard to capital letters.
- Add each expense with what it was for, the amount, who paid and who shared it. Leave Shared by empty when everyone shared it, or list the names that did.
- Read the payments that settle up, then the table with what each person paid, what they owe and their net balance.
- Copy or print the list so everyone can see the same numbers.
Formula
Each expense is split evenly among its sharers, in whole cents
Net balance = amount a person paid - the shares they owe
Balances add up to zero
Settling: the person owed the most is paid by the person who owes the most, repeatedly
Leftover cents from an uneven split go to the earlier names in the sharing list. A settlement never needs more payments than the number of people minus one.
Four friends and four expenses
Ana, Ben, Cy and Dee share a weekend. Ana pays $480.00 for the cabin (everyone shares), Ben pays $96.40 for groceries (everyone), Cy pays $60.00 for gas shared by Ana, Cy and Dee, and Dee pays $150.00 for lift tickets shared by Ben and Dee. The total is $786.40.
Shares come to $164.10 for Ana, $219.10 for Ben, $164.10 for Cy and $239.10 for Dee. Net balances are Ana +$315.90, Ben ($122.70), Cy ($104.10) and Dee ($89.10), which add to zero. Three payments settle it: Ben pays Ana $122.70, Cy pays Ana $104.10 and Dee pays Ana $89.10.
Different people share different costs
A single equal split works when everyone takes part in everything. On a real trip some costs are for only some of you: a rental car for two, a dinner out that three attended, a gift for one. By recording who shared each expense, the tool charges each person only for what they took part in.
If everyone shares every cost and you only have totals paid by each person, the Trip Cost Split Calculator is quicker. To divide a single restaurant check by item, use the Itemized Bill Splitter.
A short list, not always the shortest
The settlement repeats one rule: the biggest debtor pays the biggest creditor as much as covers the smaller of the two. Each payment clears at least one person, so with n people there are at most n - 1 payments. That makes a short list that is easy to follow.
It is not guaranteed to be the very shortest possible list. Finding the minimum number of payments is a harder problem, and in some groups a different matching saves one transfer. If you want fewer payments, look for pairs of balances that cancel exactly. For rounding rules behind the shares, see the Cent-Exact Split Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Each expense is shared equally by the people named, or by everyone if no names are given.
- Amounts have at most two decimals and each payer is a name from the list of people.
- Up to 12 people and 40 expenses are supported.
- Nothing is sent or stored, and names are not included in share links.
Frequently asked questions
What does the net balance mean?
It is what a person paid minus the shares they owe. A positive balance means the group owes them money. A negative balance means they owe money to the group.
Why might the payment list not be the shortest?
The tool pairs the largest debtor with the largest creditor each time. That always finishes in at most one fewer payments than there are people, but the true minimum can be smaller for some groups and is hard to compute in general.
What happens when an expense does not divide evenly?
The amount is split in whole cents, and the spare cents go one at a time to the earlier names in the sharing list. Totals always add up exactly.
Can someone pay for an expense they did not share?
Yes. They are credited for the full amount they paid and charged only for the shares of the people listed in Shared by. A person who paid for others may end up owed money.