AllsquareWho owes who calculator
Several people paid for different things. See who owes whom, in the fewest payments.
Free. No account. Nothing to install.
A worked example: four friends, four payers
Four friends spend a Saturday out, and each of them pays for something. Not everyone shares everything: the host skipped the concert, and the guest took the train home.
| Expense | Paid by | Amount | Each share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | Host | $212.00 | $53.00 × 4 |
| Rideshare home | Driver | $46.00 | $15.33+ × 3 |
| Concert tickets | Planner | $240.00 | $80.00 × 3 |
| Coffee | Guest | $19.60 | $4.90 × 4 |
Paying each other back item by item would take up to 10 payments. Netting first takes far fewer:
- Host: paid $212.00, shares cost $73.24, so gets back $138.76.
- Driver: paid $46.00, shares cost $153.23, so owes $107.23.
- Planner: paid $240.00, shares cost $153.23, so gets back $86.77.
- Guest: paid $19.60, shares cost $137.90, so owes $118.30.
Settling up: Guest pays Host $118.30; Driver pays Planner $86.77; Driver pays Host $20.46. That is 3 payments, and everyone ends square.
Why it takes so few payments
Each person's balance is what they paid minus what their shares cost. The balances always add up to zero. The calculator has whoever owes the most pay whoever is owed the most, again and again. Every payment settles at least one person, so a group of any size settles in at most one payment fewer than it has people.
How to use it
- Step 1Add everyone in the group.
- Step 2Add each expense with who paid it.
- Step 3Untick anyone who didn't share an expense.
- Step 4Read who pays whom in the Settle up panel.
Questions
How do you figure out who owes who?
For each person, add up what they paid and subtract what their shares cost. Positive means they get money back, negative means they owe. Then match those who owe with those who are owed.
What is the fewest number of payments?
At most one fewer than the number of people. Four people never need more than three payments, however many expenses there were.
What if an expense was shared by only some people?
Untick the others for that expense. Only the ticked people share it.
Can I split an expense unevenly?
Each expense is split evenly between the people ticked for it. For uneven splits, add it as separate expenses, one per group of people.
Is the data saved anywhere?
Until you save, nothing is sent to us. A saved group is encrypted in your browser with a key that only your link holds, so we store only what we cannot read.