Short answer: if the orders are similar, add the agreed tip to the bill total and divide by the number of diners. If orders differ, split by receipt item, exact amount, or weighted share instead. Keep each person’s allocated share separate from what they actually paid; that difference shows who owes whom.
Choose one of four methods before doing the math
1. Equal split: use (bill total + agreed tip) ÷ diners when orders are similar. 2. By item: assign every receipt line to the people who had it and divide shared dishes only among those people. 3. Exact amounts: enter each person’s known share when the individual totals are already clear. 4. Weighted shares: use proportions such as two shares and one share when the group agrees on a ratio. Whichever method you choose, keep allocation and payment separate. A participant’s balance is amount paid minus allocated share: a positive balance means they should receive money; a negative balance means they owe it.
Start with the people and the currency
List everyone included in the bill and use the currency printed on the receipt. If one diner is not responsible for any part of the total, do not include them as a beneficiary just to make the headcount look complete. Record the actual date or keep the current date and time. A short description such as the restaurant name makes the entry easy to recognise later.
Split equally when the difference does not matter
An equal split is the fastest choice for a shared meal where orders are similar and everyone agrees. Enter one total, select the people who benefited, and divide it equally. If 100 EUR is shared by four diners, each person’s share is 25 EUR. Equal does not always mean fair. Use it because the group accepts the approximation, not because the calculation is convenient.
Split the receipt by item when orders differ
Itemised splitting is clearer when individual choices account for most of the difference. Add each receipt item, assign it to the person or people who shared it, and make sure the item totals add up to the receipt total. A shared appetiser can be allocated equally while separate mains belong to individual diners. Check which tax, service, and tip amounts are already included in the printed total. When personal subtotals differ, allocate percentage-based charges in proportion to those subtotals or enter the agreed final amounts exactly. Allocate a fixed shared fee only among the people who agreed to share it, and never add a charge twice.
Worked example: split tax and tip in proportion
Suppose Alex ordered 30 EUR of items and Bailey ordered 20 EUR. The item subtotal is 50 EUR. If the printed receipt then adds 5 EUR tax and a 10 EUR agreed tip, the final total is 65 EUR. The extra charges equal 15 ÷ 50 = 30% of the item subtotal. Alex's final share is 30 × 1.30 = 39 EUR; Bailey's is 20 × 1.30 = 26 EUR. The check is 39 + 26 = 65 EUR. This proportional method is one group agreement, not a universal tax or tipping rule. Use the amounts and bases printed on the actual receipt, agree how to handle fixed fees or discounts, and verify that every allocated share adds back to the exact final total before recording who paid.
Use exact amounts or shares for uneven situations
Exact amounts work when each person’s part is already known. Shares work when the desired proportion is easier to describe: two shares for an adult and one for a child, for example. The final allocation must still match the bill total. This is also useful when the group wants to apply a discount or cover one person intentionally. Record the agreed result rather than forcing an artificial equal split.
Record who actually paid the restaurant
The people who benefited and the people who paid are different concepts. One person may pay the whole bill, several cards may cover different amounts, or everyone may contribute at the counter. Enter the real payer amounts and make sure they add up to the receipt total. The balance then compares each participant’s payment with their allocated share. That difference is what determines who owes whom.
Record repayments without changing the bill
Once a friend pays back their part, add a direct transfer. Do not edit the original receipt to pretend the payer changed, and do not add another expense. The receipt remains a record of the meal; the transfer records the settlement that happened afterwards. If the original entry was wrong, revise it so the correction stays visible in the activity history.
The shortest fair process
Create a one-receipt space, add the diners, choose the receipt currency, and enter either one total or the individual items. Record the payer amounts, allocate the benefit equally or unevenly, review the result, and share the private link. Everyone can see the same calculation, and future repayments can be added without rebuilding the original bill.