Recording shared expenses
Together
In a journal with members, the transaction editor asks two more questions: who paid, and who it was for. Here's how to answer them.
Once a journal has members, the editor changes a little. Instead of picking the account the money comes from, you say who paid. And a new section splits the cost. Journals without members keep the usual editor.
The editor
Section titled “The editor”- Paid by: who paid. New expenses start with you, once you’ve marked your member with This is me.
- Under Categories, the categories the money went to, each with its amount.
- ＋ Category adds another one. Swipe left on a category to remove it.
- Split: on for a shared cost. Turn it off for an expense that isn’t split.
- How to split: Equally, Amounts or Ratio.
- Who’s in, with each person’s share. Tap a member to take them out or add them back.
Date, Note, Cleared and Repeat work as in every transaction: see Recording transactions.
Who paid
Section titled “Who paid”Tap Paid by to choose who paid. The menu lists the members first, then the journal’s Assets and Liabilities accounts, such as a joint account or a shared card. Several… comes last. Pick a member when someone paid out of their own pocket, and an account when the money came from the household.
A new expense starts with you as the one who paid. If you haven’t marked your member with This is me, the row says Choose, and you can save once you’ve chosen someone.
You only type the amounts of the categories. Balanced works out the line the money comes from, so the transaction always adds up. A category without an amount counts as 0, and a category line you’ve left empty disappears when you save.
- Expenses:Restaurants
- +60.00
- Equity:Anna
- −60.00
- Balanced
- 0.00 ✓
Several people paid
Section titled “Several people paid”When several people paid parts of the bill, choose Several… in the menu. The row then says Several, and the editor shows all lines of the transaction under Accounts, as in a journal without members. Add a line for each person who paid and pick them under Members in the account menu.
- Expenses:Restaurants
- +60.00
- Equity:Anna
- −40.00
- Equity:Bob
- −20.00
- Balanced
- 0.00 ✓
Choose a name in Paid by again, and the payments become a single one by that person, for the same total.
A transaction you open again starts the way it was saved: an expense with one payer shows Paid by. Anything else opens with Several… chosen, such as payments between members, money a member puts into the joint account, and income.
How to split
Section titled “How to split”New expenses start split, with everyone in: Equally, or by Ratio if the members have different default ratios. An expense that was saved without a split opens with Split turned off. Change the split for this expense if needed:
- Equally: everyone who’s in pays the same.
- Amounts: type each person’s share. The shares must add up to the total. Until they do, the hint below shows what they add up to, for example: The shares add up to €50.00, not €60.00. You can’t save until then.
- Ratio: type a weight per person, for example 2 for Anna and 1 for Bob. Anna then pays two thirds. At least one person needs a ratio above 0.
At least one member has to be in. To put an expense on one person only, such as Bob’s concert ticket that Anna paid, take everyone else out.
Cents that don’t divide evenly go to individual people, so the shares always add up exactly. €10 split three ways becomes 3.34, 3.33 and 3.33.
What gets split
Section titled “What gets split”- Expenses. Balanced splits the total of the category lines.
- Refunds. A refund is a negative expense, so it gives everyone a negative share: it lowers what each person owes.
- Income and transfers aren’t split. The Split section only appears while the transaction has a category line.
- Repeating transactions keep their split in every occurrence.
In the lists
Section titled “In the lists”Transaction lists show under the accounts who paid and who shares the cost:
- Paid by Anna · split 3 ways: Anna paid, three people share it.
- Paid by Bob · for Anna: Bob paid for Anna alone.
- Split 2 ways or For Anna: paid from an account, such as the joint account.
- Bob paid Anna: a payment between members.
A transaction marked Check split was changed by an older version of Balanced that doesn’t know about splits, so the shares no longer match the amount. Balanced scales the shares to the new amount until you check them. Open the transaction: the split says The amount changed after this expense was split. Check the shares, then save.