Bill splitting scenarios

Real situations, worked out step by step. Numbers on the left, the reasoning on the right — no hand-waving.

Every scenario below is a worked example, not a rule. Your group's tradeoffs might be different. Use these as a starting point when a bill feels complicated and you want to see how someone else would have handled the same shape of problem.

The scenarios

Birthday dinner for 12

A full itemized restaurant split where the birthday person's share gets covered by the group — with the exact tax and tip math.

Brunch with bottomless mimosas

How to split a brunch check when some of the table did bottomless drinks and some didn't.

Group bar tab: mixed rounds and shots

One bar tab, rounds bought by different people, a plate of shared apps — worked out drink by drink.

Holiday dinner at home

Groceries, wine, and hosting costs split between the host and the guests contributing dishes.

Weekend road trip

Four days, six friends, one Airbnb, two cars, three group meals. Worked example of a running trip tab.

Have a real bill to split? Start a bill →