Expense Settlement Calculator

Enter the amount each person paid out of pocket. The calculator shows each person's equal share and who pays whom, with as few payments as it can find.

People and the amount each paid (2 to 20 people; the name is optional; a row with an amount counts as a person)

Enter 0 for a person who paid nothing. A blank row is not counted as a person. Each amount is from 0 to 999,999.99, with up to 2 decimal places.

Each person's share —

Total paid—

Who pays whom

—

The text copied is one line per payment, in the form "Name → Name: amount". The balance is the amount paid minus the share: + means the person gets money back, − means the person pays.

How the settlement works

Total ÷ number of people gives each person's share.
Each person's balance = amount paid − share. People with a positive balance get money back, and people with a negative balance pay. The balances always add up to exactly 0.
The calculator then works out who pays whom.

Payments are found by first settling pairs with the same amount in one payment, then matching the largest amount owed with the largest amount due. The number of payments is at most the number of people minus one. It does not guarantee the smallest possible number of payments.

The leftover cents

When the total does not divide evenly (for example 100.00 among 3 people), the leftover cents are given out one cent (0.01) at a time, starting from the top row: 33.34, 33.33 and 33.33. The shares always add up to exactly the total paid, so nothing is lost or created, and after the payments everyone's balance is exactly 0.

Example

A paid 120.00, B paid 45.50 and C paid nothing: the total is 165.50 among 3 people.

165.50 ÷ 3 = 55.1666…, so the shares are 55.17, 55.17 and 55.16 (two people bear one cent more, starting from the top row).
Balances: A +64.83, B −9.67, C −55.16 (they add up to 0).
Payments: C → A: 55.16 and B → A: 9.67.

Notes

This calculator splits the cost equally. It does not handle weights such as half price for children, people who drank less, or people who stayed a different number of nights.
There can be 2 to 20 people, and each person can have paid up to 999,999.99. The calculation works in whole cents (or the smallest unit of your currency), and no currency is assumed.
It is different from the Split Bill Calculator. The Split Bill Calculator divides one bill among a number of people and rounds the share to a unit you choose. This calculator starts from what each person actually paid and works out who pays whom so that everybody ends up even.
If people owe different shares, work out each share with the Proportional Allocation Calculator, then compare it with what each person paid.

Frequently asked questions

What if one person paid for everything?

Enter that person's total and 0 for the others. Each of the others pays the first person their share.

Why does one person pay one cent more?

The total cannot always be divided equally into whole cents. The leftover cents go one at a time to the people at the top of the list, so the shares add up to the exact total.

Does it find the fewest possible payments?

It keeps the number of payments to at most the number of people minus one, but it does not guarantee the minimum.

Can it handle different shares for different people?

No. Everyone bears the same share. For unequal shares, use the Proportional Allocation Calculator and compare the result with what each person paid.