Split bills calculator: who owes whom after a trip
After a holiday or a weekend away, everyone has paid for something and nobody quite knows where they stand. Add what each person paid and who it was for, and this works out everyone’s balance and the fewest payments that settle the lot. It uses the same settle-up code as the FayrShare app.
Who’s in
What was paid
Balances
- Ana paid £480.00, share £201.50gets £278.50
- Ben paid £84.00, share £201.50owes £117.50
- Cat paid £135.00, share £201.50owes £66.50
- Dev paid £62.00, share £156.50owes £94.50
Fewest payments to settle up
- Ben → Ana£117.50
- Dev → Ana£94.50
- Cat → Ana£66.50
How it works
- Each expense is split equally between the people it was for, to the penny.
- Your balance is what you paid minus your share of everything. Positive means you’re owed; negative means you owe.
- The calculator then pairs whoever owes the most with whoever is owed the most, again and again, until everyone is square. That keeps the number of payments down.
Worked example: a weekend in Cornwall
Ana, Ben, Cat and Dev rent a cottage for the weekend. Ana pays for the cottage (£480), Ben fills up the car (£84), Dev does the food shop (£62), and Cat books a surf lesson (£135) for herself, Ana and Ben. Dev doesn’t surf.
- Shared by all four: £480 + £84 + £62 = £626, which is £156.50 each.
- Surf lesson: £135 between three is £45 each for Ana, Ben and Cat.
- Shares: Ana, Ben and Cat £201.50 each, Dev £156.50. That’s £761, the same as what was spent.
- Balances: Ana is owed £278.50. Ben owes £117.50, Dev £94.50 and Cat £66.50.
Settling each receipt separately would take 11 payments: three people paying Ana back for the cottage, three paying Ben for fuel, two paying Cat for surfing and three paying Dev for food. Netted off, it’s three: Ben pays Ana £117.50, Dev pays Ana £94.50 and Cat pays Ana £66.50.
Tips for a smoother settle-up
- Write things down as they happen. A forgotten £30 taxi is the usual cause of arguments a month later.
- Agree up front what’s shared. Drinks are the classic one. If some people don’t drink, keep the bar tab separate from dinner so they can be tapped off it.
- Settle soon. Within a week of getting home, while everyone still remembers the trip fondly.
- For flats, split rent separately. Rooms are rarely the same size; the rent split calculator handles that, and bills like energy and broadband are usually split equally.
Keep a running tab instead
The calculator is good for a quick sum. For a whole trip or an ongoing household, make a FayrShare group: send everyone the invite link (or add them by name before they’ve joined), and each person adds what they pay as they go. Balances and the fewest payments update as you go. When someone pays, record it and they’re square. It’s free, with no limit on expenses or groups.
Questions
What if someone didn’t take part in something?
Tap their name off that expense. It’s then split only between the people still selected, and their balance ignores it.
Can I split something unevenly?
This calculator splits each expense equally between the people it was for. In a FayrShare group you can also split by exact amounts or by percentage, for things like a double room that costs more.
We paid in different currencies. Does that work?
Not here. Pick one currency for the whole trip and convert anything paid in another before you add it. FayrShare groups also use one currency each (pounds, dollars or euros) and don’t convert for you.
Does this save anything?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser and disappears when you close the page. To keep a running tab the whole group can see, make a free FayrShare group.