Fifty-fifty
Everyone puts in the same. It's the simplest option and works well when you earn about the same.
Useful if incomes are close.
Free, no sign-up, nothing saved
How much does each person put in?
Enter what each of you earns and what you spend on the household. We'll show how much each person puts in, 50/50 or based on income.
How to split
Each one puts in
40%
60%
You
$ 2,250
per month · 40% of costs
45% of income$ 2,750 left
Your partner
$ 3,375
per month · 60% of costs
45% of income$ 4,125 left
Each of you puts in 45% of what you earn: the same effort, different amounts. With fifty-fifty, the lower earner would put in $ 562.50 more per month.
The three ways
What's fairer?
There's no single answer: it depends on how much you earn and how you feel about it. These are the three most common approaches.
In proportion to what each earns
Each person puts in the same percentage of their income. Whoever earns more puts in more money, but the effort is the same.
Useful when incomes differ.
A fixed proportion
You agree on it once —for example 70/30— and it doesn't change even if incomes move month to month.
Useful when income varies a lot.
Doing the math by hand
How the income-based split works
- 1
Add the incomes: $ 5,000 + $ 7,500 = $ 12,500.
- 2
Work out each person's share of the total income: 40% and 60%.
- 3
Apply that share to the household costs ($ 5,625): one puts in $ 2,250 and the other $ 3,375.
With the same numbers
- Fifty-fifty56% of income
- By income45% of income
For whoever earns $ 5,000, the difference is $ 562.50 per month.
Every month, on its own
Today's math is easy. Every month's, not so much.
Incomes change, one person pays for something alone, someone covers the rent early. SpendTick keeps track of what each person pays and at the end of the month tells you who sends money to whom.
September, between the two of you
$ 1,338
Tomi paid 58%Sofi paid 42%
Sofi needs to give Tomi $ 107
Common questions
How do you split expenses if one person earns more?
The most common approach is to split by what each person earns: add both incomes and each puts in the percentage their income represents of the total. If one earns $ 5,000 and the other $ 7,500, the first puts in 40% of the costs and the second 60%. That way both spend the same share of what they earn.
What's fairer, 50/50 or based on income?
It depends on how different your incomes are. If you earn about the same, 50/50 is simple and fair. If there's a big gap, 50/50 means the lower earner spends a much bigger part of their pay. What matters is that you choose together and revisit it when your incomes change.
Which expenses should you split?
The household ones: rent, building fees, utilities, groceries, internet. Personal things —each person's clothes, nights out, subscriptions— usually stay out. If something is shared only sometimes, it's best to agree on it before it comes up.
What if one of us has no income one month?
By proportion, that person would put in nothing that month. Many couples prefer to agree on a fixed split for those periods, or for the person without income to contribute in other ways. The calculator shows how each option works out so you can decide with the numbers in front of you.
Does it work for more than two people?
Yes. With the Add someone button you can split between up to four people: flatmates, family or friends who live together.
Are the numbers I enter saved?
No. The math happens in your browser and isn't sent anywhere. If you share the result, the numbers go in the link and only whoever opens it sees them.