When an expense involves multiple people (rent with a partner, a vacation with kids, a split dinner), FamSpend gives you two models, chosen per expense:
- Attribution (default) — the expense "belongs to everyone"; in per-person filters and totals it shows up at full amount
- Split — the amount is divided into percentages between people; each one sees only their share
Attribution: the simple case
When you add or edit an expense, in the People field you select who's involved. Example: the Milan home rent goes to You + your partner.
Now the expense is attributed to both:
- Filtering "[partner]'s expenses" → the expense shows at full amount
- Filtering "[your] expenses" → the expense shows at full amount
- The Home Center monthly total is one number (€1,000), not doubled
Meaning: "this expense involves both of us", without doing math on who paid how much. Works when you live together and precise calculation isn't needed — both of you know what that cost weighs.
Split: when percentages matter
For situations where who-pays-how-much actually counts (vacation with friends, flatmates with different shares, separation), in the expense form turn on the Split this expense toggle.
A panel opens with:
- One row per selected person
- An editable percentage for each (default: equal — 50/50 for two, 33/33/33 for three)
- A sum check: the total of all percentages must be 100%. The Split equally button resets everything to equal shares.
Example: €120 dinner with 4 friends:
- Everyone pays equally → 25% / 25% / 25% / 25% → €30 each
- One pays double → 40% / 20% / 20% / 20%
- You paid all the wine → 50% / 17% / 17% / 16%
Save and the expense is split: in per-person totals each one sees only their euro share.
When attribution, when split
| Case | Model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rent with cohabiting partner | Attribution | The "half each" math you do on the joint account, not in the app |
| Home bills | Attribution | Same reason |
| Kid expenses | Attribution (tagged) | They're for "the kid's expenses", not "who pays" |
| Vacation with friends | Split | Need to know who owes what |
| Flatmates with different shares | Split | Right to know your share |
| Lunch one person treats | Just You (no sharing) | You paid, end of story |
| Vacation where one fronts everything | Split | Needed for reimbursements |
The rule: if who-pays-how-much is a life decision, split. If it's an accounting abstraction, attribute.
Workspace setting: "Split by default"
If in your workspace most multi-person expenses are split (e.g. you only share with flatmates where you always divide everything), you can enable the preference:
Settings → Workspace preferences → Split expenses by default when multiple people are involved.
From then on, every time you create an expense with more than one person selected, the Split this expense toggle starts already on — with equal percentages. You can still customize the split on every expense, or turn it off with Cancel split.
If most of your multi-person expenses are just attributed (cohabiting who don't do math), leave the setting off (default).
Editing the split afterward
The split is editable like any other field. Open the expense, edit the percentages (or remove the toggle with Cancel split), save. Per-person totals update in real time.
People vs workspace members
The people selectable in an expense don't need to be workspace members (with their own FamSpend account). They can also be label- people without login (e.g. a small child, a grandparent, a short-term flatmate).
See People and members: the difference for detail.
AI Helper for shared expenses
The AI Helper recognizes the pattern on the fly:
"Add €120 of restaurant dinner to me and my partner last night" → expense attributed to both
"Add €120 of restaurant dinner split half with my partner" → expense split 50/50
"€600 rent, split 60/40 with my flatmate" → expense split with specific percentages
The Helper shows the proposed card with the split, you confirm.