Split Costs with Your Travel Group
Group travel means group expenses — and figuring out who owes whom at the end of a trip is always a headache. The cost-splitting tools in the Budget tab keep a running tally of every shared expense so you can settle up cleanly the moment you land.
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Find the item to split
In the Budget tab, locate any item with an actual amount set — a shared car hire, a group dinner, a joint accommodation booking. Every item with a confirmed amount can be split between members.
- 2
Open the split editor
Click the split icon on the budget item row. A panel slides open showing all trip members. By default the total is divided equally — each person's share appears as an editable field. If no companions have joined yet, invite them first from the Team tab.
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Set custom amounts if the split isn't equal
Switch to custom amounts when shares differ — for example, if one person had a single room while two others shared a double. Enter the exact amount each person owes. The amounts must sum to the item total.
Tip: Use custom amounts when shares differ — a single room vs. a double, or one person who skipped the group dinner. The amounts must sum to the item total before you can save. - 4
Review the Contribution Summary
The Contribution Summary at the top of the Budget tab shows the net position for every member: how much each person has contributed vs. their share of the total expenses. A positive figure means they've overpaid; a negative means they still owe. Use this as your settlement reference when the trip ends.
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Include guests and non-members
You can add cost rows for people who aren't in the trip — useful when someone outside the group paid for something, or a guest joined for part of the journey. Enter their name as a free-text field and assign their share the same way as members.
Tip: Guest rows are useful when someone outside the group covered a cost (e.g. a friend who joined for one dinner, or a partner who pre-paid the accommodation). Add them as a free-text name — they don't need a Smooth Traveling account.
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