Splitorium User Guide

Welcome to Splitorium! This comprehensive guide will help you master every feature of our expense sharing app—from simple expense splits to advanced family settlements.

Introduction #

Splitorium is a powerful yet intuitive expense sharing app designed to make splitting costs with friends, family, and roommates effortless. Unlike other apps, Splitorium is completely free, works offline-first, and includes unique features like virtual users, family mode, and shared todo lists.

Creating Your Account #

Getting started with Splitorium takes just a minute. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, then sign up with your email.

Quick Start Guide #

Here's how to get up and running in 5 minutes:

1. Add a friend – Search by email or username and send a friend request
2. Create a group – Tap "+" and create a group (e.g., "Roommates")
3. Invite friends – Add your accepted friends to the group
4. Add an expense – Record who paid and how to split it
5. Settle up – Record payments when debts are settled

Adding Friends #

Before you can invite someone to a group, you need to be friends with them in Splitorium.

How to Find Friends

You can search for existing Splitorium users by:

• Email address – Their registered email
• Username – Their unique username (case-insensitive)

Friend Requests #

When you send a friend request, the other person can accept or decline it.

Request States

Direct Expenses (P2P) #

When you become friends with someone, Splitorium automatically creates a P2P (peer-to-peer) group between you. This special group is for tracking expenses directly between the two of you.

P2P Group Characteristics

• Automatically created when friendship is accepted
• Contains exactly 2 people (you and your friend)
• Both users have equal admin permissions
• Cannot add more members or leave the group
• Group name is auto-generated (e.g., "John & Jane")

Creating Groups #

Groups are where the magic happens. Create groups for trips, households, events, or any shared expense scenario.

Roles & Permissions #

Splitorium has three roles for group members, each with different capabilities:

Managing Members #

Adding Members

Admins can add new members to a group. Remember: you can only invite people you're already friends with.

Removing Members

Admins can remove members from the group. When someone is removed:

• Their expense history remains intact
• Outstanding balances are preserved
• They can be re-invited later

Leaving a Group

Any member can leave a group voluntarily. However, there are some restrictions:

Categories #

Choose a category that best describes your group's purpose. This helps with organization and provides relevant visual theming:

• General – Default category for mixed purposes
• Trips – Vacations, road trips, travel
• Dining – Restaurants, meals, food outings
• Utilities – Bills, rent, shared household expenses
• Entertainment – Movies, concerts, events
• Groceries – Food shopping, household supplies
• Transportation – Rides, gas, parking

What Are Virtual Users? #

Virtual users are placeholders for people who don't have the Splitorium app. They allow you to track expenses for everyone, even if not everyone wants to install the app.

Adding Virtual Users #

Only group admins can create virtual users within a group.

Virtual User Limitations #

Virtual users have some restrictions to be aware of:

Understanding Families #

Families are a powerful feature that lets group members organize into family units for simplified debt settlement. Within a family, one person is designated as the "responsible party" who handles all payments on behalf of family members.

How Families Work

Every group member starts as their own "family of one." Admins can then organize members into families. Here's a key concept to understand:

• Individual balances are still tracked – Each person's expenses are recorded separately
• Family balances are displayed – The UI shows aggregated family-to-family debts
• One person settles for all – The responsible party pays/receives on behalf of the family

Setting Up Families #

Only group admins can create and modify family structures.

Family Balances #

When families are configured, the balance display changes from individual debts to family-to-family debts.

Example

Without families:

• Alice owes Eve: $40
• Bob owes Eve: $10
• Charlie owes David: $20

With families (Alice, Bob, Charlie in one family; David, Eve in another):

• Alice's Family owes David's Family: $70

Responsible Party #

The responsible party is the family member who actually sends and receives payments.

Responsible Party Rules

• Must be a real user – Virtual users cannot be responsible parties
• Cannot be moved – Must transfer responsibility before moving to another family
• Cannot leave group – Must transfer responsibility first
• Handles all family settlements – When settling, the responsible party pays for everyone

Adding Expenses #

Adding an expense in Splitorium is straightforward. Here's what you need to specify:

Split Types #

Splitorium offers five ways to split an expense:

0. Default Split

If your group has a default split configured, this option appears first and is pre-selected. Uses the group's saved splitting template.

Example: Use the 60/40 split your roommates always use

1. Even Split

The default option. Divides the expense equally among all selected participants.

Example: $90 dinner split evenly among 3 people = $30 each

2. Percentage Split

Assign specific percentages to each participant. Percentages must total exactly 100%.

Example: $100 rent split 60% Alice, 40% Bob = $60 and $40

3. Weighted Shares

Use ratios when exact percentages are awkward. Great for unequal portions.

Example: $80 pizza where Alice had 2 slices and Bob had 6 slices → weights 2 and 6 = $20 and $60

4. Exact Amounts

Specify exactly how much each person owes. Amounts must equal the total expense.

Example: $87.50 groceries → Alice $25, Bob $30.50, Charlie $32

Default Splits #

Default Splits let you save a splitting template for your group. Instead of configuring participants and percentages for every expense, set it once and reuse it automatically.

Setting Up a Default Split

Only group admins can configure default splits.

Using Default Split in Expenses

When you create a new expense in a group with a default split configured:

• "Default" is pre-selected as the split type
• Participants and values are shown in a read-only preview
• You can override by selecting any other split type (Even, Percentage, etc.)

Important Rules

Expense Categories #

Categorize expenses to keep things organized:

• 🍽️ Dining – Restaurants, cafes, food delivery
• 🚗 Transportation – Gas, parking, rideshares, tolls
• 🎬 Entertainment – Movies, concerts, games
• 💡 Utilities – Electric, water, internet, rent
• 🛒 Groceries – Supermarket, household items
• ✈️ Travel – Hotels, flights, trip expenses
• 📦 General – Everything else

Editing & Deleting #

Who Can Edit

• Admins – Can edit or delete any expense in the group
• Members – Can only edit or delete expenses they created
• Viewers – Cannot edit or delete anything

What Gets Preserved

Splitorium keeps a complete audit trail. When you edit or delete an expense:

• The change is recorded with a timestamp
• Your user ID is associated with the change
• Deleted expenses are "soft deleted" – the data remains for history

Recording Payments #

When someone pays back what they owe, record it in Splitorium to update balances.

Payment Methods #

Track which payment method was used for each settlement:

• 💵 Cash – Physical cash payment
• 📱 Venmo – Venmo digital payment
• 💳 PayPal – PayPal transfer
• 🏦 Zelle – Bank transfer via Zelle
• 💚 Cash App – Square Cash App
• 🍎 Apple Pay – Apple Pay transfer
• 📝 Other – Any other method

Payment Handles #

Save your Venmo and PayPal handles in your profile so friends know how to pay you!

Setting Up Payment Handles

1. Go to your Profile settings
2. Find Payment Preferences
3. Add your Venmo handle (e.g., @johndoe)
4. Add your PayPal handle (email or username)

Setting Up Recurring Expenses #

For expenses that happen regularly (rent, subscriptions, utilities), set up recurring expenses to automatically create them on schedule.

Frequencies #

Managing Recurring Expenses #

Editing

When you edit a recurring expense, changes apply to future generated expenses only. Past expenses remain unchanged.

Deleting

Deleting a recurring expense stops future generation. Previously generated expenses remain in your history.

Creating Lists #

Lists let you collaborate on shared todo items, shopping lists, packing lists, and more—right within your groups.

List Categories

• 🛒 Shopping – Groceries and supplies to buy
• 🧳 Packing – What to bring on a trip
• ✅ Todo – Tasks to complete
• 📝 Preparation – Things to do before (book hotels, etc.)
• 🎯 Activities – Places to visit, things to do
• 🍕 Food & Drinks – Restaurants, recipes, meal planning
• ⚙️ Gear – Equipment needed
• 🎁 Gifts – Gift ideas
• 🧹 Chores – Household tasks

Adding Items #

Each list item can have:

• Title – What the item is (required)
• Description – Additional details
• Assignee – Who's responsible for this item
• Due Date – When it should be done
• Priority – Low, Medium, or High

Assigning & Completing #

Assigning Items

Assign items to any group member (including virtual users!) to clarify who's responsible.

Completing Items

Anyone with Member or Admin role can check off items. When you complete an item:

• The completion time is recorded
• Your name is recorded as the completer
• If someone else was assigned, they'll see that you helped out!

Understanding Balances #

Splitorium calculates balances using a simple formula:

How Expense Balances Work

When an expense is created, each participant's share is calculated. The payer gets credit for paying the whole amount.

Example: $60 dinner, Alice pays, split evenly with Bob and Charlie

• Alice paid $60, owes $20 → balance: -$40 (is owed $40)
• Bob paid $0, owes $20 → balance: +$20 (owes $20)
• Charlie paid $0, owes $20 → balance: +$20 (owes $20)

Debt Simplification #

Splitorium can simplify debts to minimize the number of payments needed to settle up.

Without Simplification

Shows all individual debts:

• Alice owes Bob: $30
• Bob owes Charlie: $25
• Charlie owes Alice: $15

With Simplification

Calculates optimal settlements:

• Alice owes Bob: $15
• Charlie owes Bob: $10

(2 payments instead of 3!)

Overview Page #

The Overview page shows your total financial position across all groups and friends.

What You'll See

• Total you owe – Sum of all positive balances
• Total you're owed – Sum of all negative balances
• Net position – Overall: owe or owed?
• Per-group breakdown – Your balance in each group

Multi-Currency Support #

Splitorium supports all 150+ world currencies. Each expense can use a different currency, and balances are tracked separately per currency.

How It Works

• User preference – Set your default currency in settings
• Group default – Groups inherit the creator's currency preference
• Per-expense override – Change currency when adding any expense

Separate Balance Sheets

If your group has expenses in both USD and EUR, you'll see two separate balances:

• You owe $45 USD
• You're owed €20 EUR

Offline Mode #

Splitorium is designed offline-first. This means you can use the app without internet, and everything syncs when you're back online.

What Works Offline

• ✅ View all groups, expenses, and balances
• ✅ Add new expenses
• ✅ Edit or delete expenses
• ✅ Record payments
• ✅ Manage lists and items

What Requires Internet

• ❌ Initial sign-up and login
• ❌ Sending friend requests
• ❌ Adding new group members
• ❌ Creating virtual users

How Sync Works

Changes made offline are queued and automatically sent to the server when you reconnect. If there are conflicts (e.g., two people edited the same expense), you'll be notified to resolve them.

Languages #

Splitorium is available in 6 languages:

Changing Language

1. Go to Settings
2. Find Language option
3. Select your preferred language
4. The app will update immediately