How this calculator works
Every shared cost is split among the people it was for. You choose how: equally, by exact amounts, by percentage, by shares (whole-number weights), by custom weights, or by household — which counts each adult as one share and each kid as half. Every split is rounded to the cent and normalized so the parts always add up to the exact total, never a penny off.
Then it nets each person's total: what they paid minus what they owe. A positive number (green) means the group owes them; a negative number (red) means they owe the group. The settle-up plan matches those up and returns the smallest set of payments that clears every balance — so eight tangled IOUs become two or three clean transfers.
How to actually collect the money
A calculator tells you the number; it doesn't get you paid. The winning move is to log costs as they happen (not from memory two weeks later), settle once at the end, and make each ask specific with a due date and a payment link. That's the full playbook in how to collect money for a group trip without nagging.
- Splitting a rental and not sure what's fair? See how to split an Airbnb with couples, singles, and uneven rooms.
- Want the running total to stay current all trip? See how to track who paid for what on a group vacation.
- Comparing tools? See a trip planner with expense splitting built in.
Frequently asked questions
How do you split group trip expenses fairly?
Log each shared cost with who paid and who it was for, split it the way that fits (equally, by exact amounts, by percentage, by shares, or by household with kids counted as half), then net everyone's totals so each person's paid-minus-owed is clear.
How do you figure out who owes who after a trip?
Add up what each person paid and what they owe, take the difference (their net), then match the people who are owed money against the people who owe it. This calculator does that and returns the fewest transfers that settle everyone up.
How do you split a cost when a group includes kids?
Use a household-weighted split: count each adult as one share and each child as half. This calculator has a one-tap “split by household” option that does exactly that, keeping the total penny-exact.
Is this trip cost calculator free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser with no signup and no account. The same math powers the GroupCation iPhone app, which adds a shared itinerary and one-tap payment requests.