Bill splitting FAQ

Create a group, add each expense with who paid and who it was for, and SplitMyBills works out what everyone owes. Payments shows the fewest payments that clear everyone's balance.

Yes. Every feature is free for every group, with no ads and no paid tier. Nobody needs an account.

Share the group's link with the share button at the top. Anyone with it can see and add expenses, with no sign-up. On a computer the link is copied; on a phone your share options open.

Groups you opened recently are listed on the home page and under Recent groups in the footer. They're saved in this browser only, so they won't appear on another device. You can remove any you no longer need.

Choose "Install the app" in the footer and follow the prompts. On an iPhone or iPad, tap Share in Safari and choose "Add to Home Screen".

Expenses are split equally by default. Turn on Uneven split to enter exact amounts, or switch on Split by percent to use percentages. If people ordered different things, use Split by item: select who had each item, and tax and tip are shared by what each person ordered.

Yes, in two places. For a group, choose Split by item from the Add expense menu, or the + button on your phone: add each item, select who had it, and add tax and tip. Tax and tip are shared by what each person ordered, and the bill is saved as one expense with each person's exact share. Choose View bill from the expense's menu to see the items and who had each, or Edit to change them. For a single bill with no group, use the bill splitter page and share the split as a link: everyone sees their share and the bill, laid out like the receipt. In both, you can scan the receipt to fill in the items.

Yes. In Split by item, or on the bill splitter page, tap Scan receipt and take a photo of the receipt, or choose one. The items, prices, tax and tip are filled in for you to check, and the photo is read on your device: it is never uploaded or kept. When the receipt shows a subtotal or total, you see whether the items add up to it, so a misread price stands out. Then select who had each item.

In Add expense, enter the bill before tax and tip, select Include tax & tip, and enter each as a percentage or a fixed amount. They're added to the expense's total. If people ordered different things, use Split by item: tax and tip are shared by what each person ordered.

Yes. In Preferences, from the ⋯ menu, save the descriptions and amounts you use often, such as coffee or groceries. They appear as one-tap suggestions when you add an expense.

Yes. Every group starts with common categories such as transport, utilities and food, and you can add your own in Preferences.

Add the expense with Add expense and choose how often it repeats: daily, weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Future copies appear with a lighter background and can't be edited on their own: edit the original, and every future copy updates. Quick expense is for one-off costs.

Yes. Choose Quick expense from the arrow next to Add expense, or from the + button on your phone. All the details go on one screen, with one-tap suggestions for the date, description and amount. For recurring expenses, use Add expense. Select Remember next to Paid by and you'll be picked as the payer next time; clear it to forget.

Yes. Choose Edit or Delete from the expense's menu. An expense split by item opens again in Split by item, and View bill shows the whole bill.

Each group uses one currency. A new group picks it from where your device is, and you can change it before you start with "Change" under the members, or later in the preferences. Amounts are not converted when you change it. To add an expense paid in another currency, use the convert button next to Amount: pick the currency, enter the amount and check the suggested rate for the expense's date. The converted amount is saved, and the original is kept in the description, e.g. "Dinner (JPY 3,000 @ 0.0067)". In Split by item, use "Change" next to "Bill in" to type a receipt in another currency: each person's share is converted at the rate shown when you save.

Payments shows who owes whom and how much. Pay the other person directly (cash, bank transfer or any app), then choose "Mark as paid" on that payment and confirm it. You can change the amount for a partial payment, the date and the recipient, or share a reminder with the payer. Recorded payments are listed in Payment history, where you can edit or delete them, and everyone's balance updates straight away.

Yes. Choose a member in View as, and the group shows what they owe, what they're owed and the expenses they share. In the calendar, each month's summary also shows what they paid.

Every share is worked out in whole cents, so the shares always add up exactly to the expense. When an amount doesn't divide evenly, the leftover cents go one each to the members with the largest remainder, and on a tie to the person who paid. So one person can pay 0.01 more than another.

Yes. Choose Calendar above the expenses, and List to go back. Each day shows its total, and recurring expenses have a repeat icon. Go to a later month to see recurring expenses still to come. Tap a date to see its expenses or to add one on that day.

Yes. Use the filter to search descriptions and narrow the list by year, month, category, who paid, who it was for, an amount range, or recurring expenses only.

Yes. Choose Download spreadsheet from the ⋯ menu to get the group's expenses as an Excel (XLS) file.

Yes. Choose Start next group from the ⋯ menu and leave Carry debts forward selected. The new group has the same people and starts with what is still owed; the expenses stay in the old group.

Yes. Choose Lock from the ⋯ menu to make the group read-only. Anyone with the link can still view it, and unlock it from the same menu, so locking guards against accidental changes, not access.

Insights, in the ⋯ menu, shows your share of the latest month and what you paid, how spending compares with the month before, spending by month, what each person paid next to their share, repeating costs, spending by category, and the biggest expenses.