One person books the accommodation, another pays for dinner, and someone else covers transport. By the end of the trip, everyone has paid something—but the amounts are rarely equal.

To split trip expenses, compare what each person paid with their share of the costs. People who paid less than their share owe money; those who paid more should receive money back.

Start with a shared expense list

For each expense, record:

  • What it was for.
  • The total amount and currency.
  • Who paid and how much.
  • Who shared the expense.
  • Whether the shares were equal or unequal.

Include only the people involved in that expense. If two friends take a taxi while a third walks, that taxi fare usually belongs to those two.

Calculate each person’s share

Here’s a simple trip where Alex, Sam, and Jordan agree to share every expense equally:

Expense Paid by Amount
Accommodation Alex $180
Dinner Sam $90
Transport Jordan $30
Total $300

The total is $300, so each person’s share is $100.

Now compare that share with what each person paid:

Person Paid Share Balance
Alex $180 $100 Receives $80
Sam $90 $100 Owes $10
Jordan $30 $100 Owes $70

The group can settle up with two payments:

  • Sam pays Alex $10.
  • Jordan pays Alex $70.

After those repayments, everyone has contributed $100 overall.

Enter the trip into the calculator

Open the group expense splitter and add Alex, Sam, and Jordan. Enter the three expenses, selecting the person who paid and all three participants for each equal split.

The settlement section shows who pays whom and how much. Make the actual payments outside the website, then record them as paid.

What if someone joined for only part of the trip?

Calculate their share expense by expense. Someone who missed dinner should normally be excluded from that dinner. Accommodation might need unequal shares if people stayed different numbers of nights.

Agree on the approach together and enter the resulting shares. Don’t divide the whole trip equally if people used different parts of it.

Keep currencies separate

Split Bill Free calculates settlements separately for each currency; it doesn’t convert exchange rates automatically.

If your group wants to settle everything in one currency, agree on the conversion amounts first and record them consistently. Keep a note of the exchange rate and any fees so everyone can check the totals.