Split a Bill According to Income Calculator

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Bill Splitter Based on Income

Enter the bill and each person's income. Everyone pays the same share of what they earn, and the results update as you type.

Use the same period for everyone, for example monthly income for all.

Total bill–
Total income–

Who pays what

How it was calculated

    Shares are rounded to the smallest unit of the currency, such as a cent. If rounding leaves a unit over or short, it goes to the person with the largest unrounded part, so the shares always add up to the bill.

    Split a Bill According to Income

    For example, when splitting a bill between two or three people with differing income levels, you can achieve a more equitable distribution by having each person contribute according to how much they earn. This approach can work well between family members and close friends.

    It ensures that the payment burden is shared in proportion to each individual's financial situation. This calculator will ensure that each person has a fair share.

    On this page, you will learn

    • How to split a bill in proportion to income
    • Why a split by income is fairer than a 50/50 split
    • How to check that the shares are right

    How to Split a Bill by Income

    Add up everyone's income. Each person's part of the bill is their income divided by the total income, multiplied by the bill.

    Share = person's incometotal income × bill
    Worked example: A $900 bill is shared by two people. One earns $3,000 a month and the other earns $1,500 a month.
    1. Total income: $3,000 + $1,500 = $4,500.
    2. First person: $3,000 ÷ $4,500 × $900 = $600.
    3. Second person: $1,500 ÷ $4,500 × $900 = $300.
    4. Check: $600 + $300 = $900.

    The first person pays $600 and the second person pays $300.

    Remember

    In a split by income, everyone pays the same percent of what they earn. In the example, $600 is 20% of $3,000, and $300 is 20% of $1,500.

    Common mistake

    Mixing up income periods. If one person's income is monthly and another's is yearly, the shares will be wrong. Use the same period for everyone, for example monthly income for all.

    A $1,200 bill is shared by two people who earn $4,000 and $2,000. How much does each person pay?

    Show answer

    $800 and $400. The total income is $6,000, so the first person pays $4,000 ÷ $6,000 × $1,200 = $800 and the second pays $2,000 ÷ $6,000 × $1,200 = $400.

    Example: A 50/50 Split or a Split by Income

    For example, suppose the cost of a bill is $10,000. One person makes $10,000 per month and the other makes $5,000 per month.

    If you were to split the bill 50/50, the one who makes $5,000 will have to use his entire income.

    However, if you use the calculator to split the bill according to income the one who makes $10,000 will give $6,666.67 and the one who makes $5,000 will give $3,333.33.

    Worked example: Split the $10,000 bill according to income.
    1. Total income: $10,000 + $5,000 = $15,000.
    2. First person: 10,00015,000 = 23 of the bill, and 23 × $10,000 = $6,666.67 (rounded to the nearest cent).
    3. Second person: 5,00015,000 = 13 of the bill, and 13 × $10,000 = $3,333.33.
    4. Check: $6,666.67 + $3,333.33 = $10,000.

    Each person pays about 66.7% of their income, instead of one person paying all of theirs.

    Three people earn $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000 and share a $500 bill by income. How much does the person who earns $5,000 pay?

    Show answer

    $250. The total income is $10,000, and $5,000 ÷ $10,000 × $500 = $250.

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