Trip Expense Splitter - Fewest Payments
Settle group expenses with the fewest payments and copy a shareable summary
Runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
Updated 2026-10-04The people and expenses already filled in are just an example. Change the names and amounts to match your group.
Won and yen are whole numbers; dollars, euros and yuan use two decimals. If you paid in several currencies, convert them to one first.
People
Expenses
Expense 1
The amount spent, up to two decimals. Commas are fine.
Expense 2
Expense 3
Total 470.00 USD, 2 payments
Settlement
Total spent: 470.00 USD
| Name | Paid | Fair share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 300.00 USD | 150.00 USD | +150.00 USD (gets back) |
| Sam | 150.00 USD | 160.00 USD | -10.00 USD (owes) |
| Jo | 20.00 USD | 160.00 USD | -140.00 USD (owes) |
Send these payments 2 payments
- Jo → Alex: 140.00 USD
- Sam → Alex: 10.00 USD
People are grouped so each group sums to zero, which gives the fewest possible payments.
Amounts are calculated in cents (two decimals). A leftover cent that does not divide evenly is paid by the first people in the split list, one cent each. The number of payments is minimized by splitting people into groups that sum to zero (when 16 or fewer people have a balance). Check your bank app limits and fees before sending money. Names and amounts stay in your browser and are not saved.
What it is
On a trip, one person pays for the hotel, another for dinner and someone else for coffee, and at the end it is hard to work out who owes whom. This trip expense splitter lets you enter the names of the people, then add each expense with what it was for, the amount, who paid and who shares it. It shows what each person paid, their fair share and their balance, and builds the list of payments needed to settle up with as few payments as possible. If only some of the group took part in a cost, tick just those people, and you can enter a receipt as several line items. You can copy the result straight into a group chat, and everything is processed in your browser.
How to use
- Enter the names of the people. You can add up to 20.
- Add each expense: what it was for, the amount and who paid.
- Tick the people who share that expense. Everyone is selected at first.
- Use Add expense for more costs.
- Read each person’s balance and the payments in the result, and use the copy button to share.
How it works
- Each expense is divided by the number of people sharing it. Leftover cents go one each to the first people in the list.
- Balance = paid minus fair share. Balances always sum to zero.
- The number of payments is the number of people with a balance minus the number of zero-sum groups, the fewest possible. With 16 or fewer people having a balance, every grouping is checked so the minimum is guaranteed.
- Above 16, it matches the biggest debtor and creditor first. Payments are at most one fewer than the number of people.
- You can enter 2 to 20 people and up to 100 expenses.
Example
Alex, Sam and Jo. Alex paid 300.00 for the hotel, Sam paid 150.00 for meals, and Jo paid 20.00 for coffee that only Sam and Jo drank.
| Name | Paid | Fair share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 300.00 | 150.00 | +150.00 |
| Sam | 150.00 | 160.00 | -10.00 |
| Jo | 20.00 | 160.00 | -140.00 |
Settling takes two payments: Jo sends Alex 140.00 and Sam sends Alex 10.00.
Good to know
Cash and card payments are simply added together. Pick the settlement currency: won and yen are whole numbers, dollars, euros and yuan use two decimals. If you paid in different currencies, convert each amount to one currency first. An expense with no amount yet is left out, and removing the person who paid asks you to choose the payer again. Check your bank app’s transfer limits and fees before sending money.
FAQ
How is the settlement calculated?
Each expense is split evenly between the people who share it. For every person the tool subtracts their fair share from what they paid to get a balance. A positive balance is money to get back, a negative one is money to send. Then it builds a list of payments that clears those balances.
How does it keep the number of payments small?
It splits the people who have a balance into as many groups as possible that each sum to zero. Inside a group it matches the biggest debtor with the biggest creditor, so the number of payments is the number of people minus the number of groups, which is the minimum. With more than 16 people it switches to matching the biggest amounts first.
Can I split an expense between only some people?
Yes. Tick only the people who share each expense. If only two of you had coffee, tick those two. The person who paid does not have to be one of the people sharing it.
What happens when an amount does not divide evenly?
Amounts are calculated in cents. The leftover cents are paid one each by the first people in the split list. For example 1.00 split three ways is 0.34, 0.33 and 0.33, and the total always matches exactly.
Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. Names and amounts are processed only in your browser and are never sent or stored. They disappear when you close or refresh the page, so use the copy button to take the result with you.
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