How do you keep track of shared expenses and money owed between friends?
Last updated: October 27, 2026
In short: The simplest way to track a shared expense is to record whoever paid the bill and write each person's share down as money they owe or you owe. Your expenses then show only your own share, and who owes whom adds up person by person. If you enter partial repayments as separate lines, the amount still owed stays right at all times.
A shared bill is two things: an expense and money owed
Say you pay a 2,000 dinner bill for four people with your own card. 2,000 left your card, but your real expense is 500. The other 1,500 is not an expense; it is money your three friends owe you. Mix the two in one record and at the end of the month it looks as if you spent 2,000 on dinner, and when your friends pay you back, the money looks like income.
The correct picture is this: 2,000 leaves your account, 500 is written down as your expense, and each friend owes you 500. When a friend pays you, that is not income; it settles what they owed.
How to keep a list of who owes what
With lists kept on paper or in a notes app, partial repayments are what usually get lost. If a friend pays back 400 of the 1,000 they owe, most people cross out the old line and write 600, and the history is gone. It holds up better to write every movement as its own line and take the balance from the total: lent 1,000, received 400, 600 left.
Keep currencies apart. If you once lent a friend 100 dollars and another time 2,000 lira, adding them into one number gives the wrong answer as soon as the rate moves.
Write down the due date too. If you agreed when the money comes back, note the date. Even if you did not, knowing when you lent it makes it easier to bring it up a month later.
Step by step: the People section in Wiozen Ledger
- On the People page, add your friend under New person. A name is enough; phone, email and address are optional.
- When you lend or borrow money, open Add a movement on the person's page and choose I lent money, I borrowed money, I received a payment or I made a payment. You pick the account the money came from or went into. For an old debt from before you started using the app, choose No account (old debt / cash in hand).
- If you like, enter the repayment date under Due date.
How the balance looks
The person's page sums up where you stand in one line: They owe you 600 or You owe them 600. The balance is kept separately for each currency. The People list is split into My receivables and My debts and advances, so one page shows who you owe and who owes you.
Entering a shared bill in one record
When you enter an expense on the New entry screen, open More. Under Shared expense share, pick the person, type the share amount and choose one of two options. With I paid, they owe me their share, the full amount leaves your account, only your share goes into the expense report and your friend's share is added as money they owe you. With They paid, I owe them my share, you choose no account and enter your own share as both the amount and the share. That amount counts as your expense, and the same amount is added as money you owe that person.
One record carries one person's share. If you split the bill with several people, you can break the payment into one record per person. For the 2,000 dinner for four, enter four records of 500: one with just your share, and in each of the other three put the whole 500 as the share of one friend. In the end 2,000 leaves your account, 500 is your expense and each friend owes you 500. This field is not shown for a card purchase in installments.
When your friend sends the money, add an I received a payment movement on their page and choose the account it went into. The balance goes down on its own.
Reminders
For a debt or loan with a due date, a reminder appears on the dashboard 3 days before it is due and again once it is overdue. If money you lent without a due date stays open for more than 30 days, the dashboard shows a note with who owes you, how much and for how many days.
Reminders only appear on your own dashboard. Wiozen Ledger does not message your friend, and your friend does not need to use the app.
Which plan includes this?
Pro includes people, debts and shared expense shares. Every new account gets 14 days of Pro without a card; after that Pro is $39.99 a year or $6.99 a month. The free plan has 1 account and 30 records a month. Details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I record a friend paying me back in parts?
- Enter each payment as its own I received a payment movement. The balance is worked out again after each one, and the earlier payments stay on the list.
- How does my share of a shared bill show up in my expenses?
- With I paid, the full amount leaves your account but only your share goes into the expense report. Your friend's share stays as money they owe you and does not count as spending in the monthly report.
- Do I need to convert a loan made in dollars into my own currency?
- No. You record the loan in dollars and the balance stays in dollars. Each person's balance is kept separately per currency.
- Does my friend need to use Wiozen Ledger too?
- No. The People section lives only in your own ledger. The person you add gets no notification and does not need an account.
Open your ledger today.
All of Pro is on for your first 14 days. No card needed.