Split Expenses by Income Calculator

How to split bills fairly between roommates or a couple

This calculator puts everyone's take-home pay and fixed expenses in one place, splits the shared bills and shows how much each person has left to save each month.

1. Real monthly income: if you are paid every two weeks (26 paychecks a year), a month is not two paychecks. Income is averaged over the year: $1,600 × 26 / 12 = $3,467 a month.
2. Monthly cost of every bill: quarterly or yearly bills (insurance, car registration, subscriptions) are divided by the months they cover so they don't surprise you.
3. Shared costs: rent, utilities and groceries are split 50/50 or in proportion to income.
4. What is left: income − share of shared costs − own expenses = what each person can save.

50/50 or proportional to income?

Splitting shared bills equally is simple, but when one person earns much more, the other has far less left over. Splitting in proportion to income means everyone puts the same percentage of their pay into the household.

How much should we save?

A common benchmark is to save at least 10% of take-home pay, and 20% if you can (the 50/30/20 rule). If there is little left, review the bills that renew automatically first: subscriptions, insurance and phone plans often have room to cut. To plan variable spending too, use the 50/30/20 budget calculator.

Frequently asked questions