Expense splitter
An expense splitter divides one payment between the people who shared it and keeps track of what each of them owes as a result. Expenddy does this three ways — equally, by exact amounts, or by percentage.
The three split methods
| Method | You enter | Expenddy checks | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equal | Nothing — just who is included | Nothing to check; the total divides by the number of people | Group dinners, shared taxis, joint gifts |
| Exact | Each person's share as an amount | The shares add up to the expense total | A shop where people bought different things |
| Percent | Each person's percentage | The percentages add up to 100% | Rent split by room size, bills split by income |
Splitting equal
You pick who shares the expense and Expenddy divides the amount by the number of people. This is the default, and it recalculates as you add or remove people.
Use it when: Everyone consumed roughly the same thing — a shared taxi, a group dinner, a joint gift.
Splitting exact
Expenddy checks that the shares add up to the total and refuses the expense if they do not, so a mistyped share cannot silently corrupt the balances.
Use it when: People consumed clearly different amounts and you know the real numbers.
Splitting percent
Percentages are entered to six decimal places and must total 100%. Expenddy converts them to currency amounts against the expense total.
Use it when: The ratio is stable but the amount changes each time — rent by room size, a bill split by income.
The same expense, split three ways
The clearest way to understand the difference is to take one expense and split it each way. Three people — Nadia, Omar and Priya — share a £150 grocery shop.
Equal split
Nobody tracked who put what in the trolley, and it was roughly even.
| Person | Share | How it was calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Nadia | £50.00 | £150 ÷ 3 |
| Omar | £50.00 | £150 ÷ 3 |
| Priya | £50.00 | £150 ÷ 3 |
Result: If Nadia paid, Omar and Priya each owe her £50, and Nadia is owed £100.
Exact split
Priya's own toiletries and a bottle of wine came to £48; the rest was shared food.
| Person | Share | How it was calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Nadia | £51.00 | Half of the £102 shared food |
| Omar | £51.00 | Half of the £102 shared food |
| Priya | £48.00 | Her own items |
Result: The three shares total £150, so Expenddy accepts the expense. Had they totalled £149 or £151, it would have refused it and shown the difference.
Percentage split
This household agreed long ago that Priya pays a smaller share of all food, at 20%, with the other two splitting the rest evenly.
| Person | Percentage | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nadia | 40% | £60.00 |
| Omar | 40% | £60.00 |
| Priya | 20% | £30.00 |
Result: The percentages total 100%, and the shares total £150. Next month's shop can use the same percentages regardless of what it costs — that is the advantage of a percentage split over typing exact amounts each time.
Which method should you use?
A rule of thumb that holds up in practice: use the simplest method that produces a result nobody would argue with.
- Start with equal. Most shared costs really are shared evenly, and an equal split takes no input at all.
- Switch to exact when the difference is real and known. If one person's items came to £48, use that number rather than arguing about a fair approximation.
- Use percentage when the ratio outlives the amount. Rent and bills recur with different totals but the same fairness rule, so a percentage set once keeps working.
- Change who is included before you change the method. An expense only two people shared should be split between those two, not split unevenly across everyone. This is the control most people forget.
The longer guide to choosing a split method covers the failure mode of each one.
What happens after the split
Splitting is only the first half. Once an expense is recorded, its shares feed straight into the group balances:
Balances
Each person's balance is what they have paid minus the total of their shares. Positive means they are owed; negative means they owe. See how it works for the arithmetic in full.
Settling
When someone pays what they owe, record it as a settlement and the balance clears. Recorded settlements can be voided or edited if you get one wrong.
Receipts
You can attach a photo of the bill to an expense in the mobile app, which settles most “are you sure it was that much?” questions without anyone hunting for paper.
Questions about splitting
How does Expenddy split expenses?
When you add an expense you enter the total, choose who paid it, and select which members share it. You then pick one of three split methods: equal, exact amounts, or percentage. Expenddy turns that into a share for each person, subtracts what they already paid, and updates the balances immediately. Nobody has to do the arithmetic.
Can Expenddy split a bill equally?
Expenddy splits bills equally by default. Choose the people sharing the expense and the total is divided evenly between them — a £120 dinner shared by four people gives each person a £30 share. The split recalculates automatically if you add or remove someone before saving.
Can Expenddy split an expense by exact amounts?
Expenddy supports exact-amount splits, where you type each person's share as a currency figure instead of dividing the total. Expenddy checks that the individual shares add up to the expense total and will not save the expense if they do not, so a typo cannot quietly leave the balances wrong.
Can Expenddy split an expense by percentage?
Expenddy supports percentage splits. You assign each person a percentage of the total, the percentages must add up to 100%, and Expenddy converts them into currency amounts. This suits costs where the ratio stays the same but the amount changes each month, such as rent split 60/40 by room size.
Can I attach receipts to an expense?
You can attach a photo of the bill or receipt to a group expense, so the amount can be checked later without anyone hunting for the paper copy. Personal records and friend-ledger entries support attachments too.
Split your first expense
Record a shared expense, see the balance update, and settle it when the money moves.
Free to use. Available for Android and in any web browser. An iOS app is in development and is not released yet.