How the split calculator works
Add up the expenses you share: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, internet, insurance, childcare. The calculator then divides that total three ways.
Half and half gives each of you 50%. By income gives each of you the same share of the total as your share of your combined take-home pay: if one earns 60% of what you earn together, they pay 60%. Custom lets you set any split, and the other person's share is always the rest, so it adds up to 100%.
Amounts are worked out in cents, and the two shares always add up to the total exactly. When a total can't be split evenly to the cent, the extra cent goes to the first person.
A worked example
Partner A takes home $6,000 a month and Partner B $4,000. Their shared expenses come to $3,000. Half and half, each pays $1,500, leaving Partner A $4,500 and Partner B $2,500. By income, Partner A earns 60% of their combined pay, so Partner A pays $1,800 and Partner B $1,200, leaving $4,200 and $2,800.
What each way does
Half and half
Simple to agree on and to check. When incomes are far apart, the one who earns less has much less left after the shared bills.
By income
Each pays the same share of their pay, so the shared costs weigh the same on both. The one who earns more still keeps more in money, and you need to agree on what counts as income.
Your own percentage
Useful when other things matter: one of you pays a personal loan, works fewer hours to care for children, or owns the home. It's your decision, and it can change when your situation does.
None of these is the fair one for everyone. Couples weigh different things, and the calculator only shows what each way means for each of you.
Questions
Should couples split expenses 50/50 or by income?
There's no single answer. Half and half is simple and works well when incomes are close. Splitting by income keeps the shared costs the same weight for both when one earns much more. Many couples start by comparing both, which is what this calculator is for.
How do you split rent based on income?
Add both take-home incomes, work out each person's share of that total, and pay that share of the rent. With $6,000 and $4,000 a month, the shares are 60% and 40%, so $1,800 rent is $1,080 and $720.
Should I use gross or net income?
This calculator uses take-home (net) pay, what actually reaches your accounts, since that's what pays the bills. You can type gross amounts instead if you both agree to; just use the same kind for both.
What if one of us has no income?
By income, the partner with income pays all of the shared expenses. Half and half would leave the other with less than nothing, which the calculator shows as a negative amount left. If neither has an income, by income can't be worked out.
Are my figures saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to our server or put in the page's address. Sharing your results is something you do yourself, after seeing the text.
Free calculators
- Household Budget CalculatorPlan a month of household spending in three groups and see what's left of your income.
- Fair Contribution CalculatorCompare four ways of paying for the household and what each leaves both of you.
- Yearly Costs CalculatorTurn the costs that come once or twice a year into one amount to put aside each month.