Split bills by income calculator
When two people share the bills but not the same salary, a 50/50 split is simple — and can feel unfair. Enter both net incomes and your shared monthly costs to compare an equal split with a split in proportion to income.
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How the two methods work
Split equally: every shared bill is divided in two. Simple to run, and it feels right when incomes are close. When they are not, the lower earner pays a much larger share of their own income for the same home and the same groceries.
Split by income: add both net incomes together and split every bill by each person's share of the total. If one of you earns 60% of the combined income, they pay 60% of the shared costs. Both of you then give up the same share of what you earn, and the money left for personal spending scales with each income.
Which one is fair?
There is no single right answer — fairness is whatever both of you agree it is, on purpose rather than by habit. The income-based split leaves both partners giving up the same share of what they earn, which matters more as the income gap grows. A third approach goes further and equalises what is left over after shared costs, which can help when one income is much smaller. The calculator above shows the first two; the point is to make the choice visible and talk about it once, calmly, instead of every month.
What usually counts as shared
Housing, utilities, home internet, groceries and joint insurance are shared for most couples. Personal subscriptions, hobbies and old personal debts usually stay personal. Where the line goes is again an agreement — the useful step is writing the list down once, so both of you mean the same thing by "shared costs".
Frequently asked questions
Should we use gross or net income? Net — the split happens with money that actually arrives. Tax systems already treat the higher earner differently.
What about savings? Shared goals (a home deposit, a holiday) can go into the shared pot with the same split. Personal savings stay personal, like personal spending.
What if one of us has no income right now? A strict income split would put everything on one person, and a 50/50 split would be impossible. Couples in this situation usually treat all income as shared and agree on personal allowances instead.
For the wider picture — joint accounts, who pays what, and how to talk about it — see our guide to budgeting as a couple. And to plan what each of you keeps, try the 50/30/20 budget calculator on your own share.
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By Mihkel Vetemaa, Founder & CEO at Bilance · Checked
One view for the whole household
Bilance lets you share account data with your partner and track finances jointly — most transactions synced and categorised automatically, in one view.
