How BillShare works
BillShare keeps track of who owes whom in a list (a trip, a flat, a group). Everything you add is one of three types. Picking the right one keeps balances correct.
Expense, income or transfer?
Rule of thumb: Money left the group → Expense. Money came back to the group → Income. Money moved between two members → Transfer.
Expense
Someone paid for the group: dinner, hotel, fuel, tickets.
Example: Asha pays ₹600 for dinner for three. Each share is ₹200, so Ravi and Meera each owe Asha ₹200.
Counts in Total spent.
Income
Someone received money on behalf of the group: a refund, a deposit back, selling leftovers.
Example: The hotel refunds ₹900 to Asha for all three. Each share is ₹300, so Asha owes Ravi and Meera ₹300 each.
Shown as Received next to Total spent.
Transfer
One person gave money to another, not for the group: paying back, settling up, a loan.
Example: Ravi sends Asha ₹200 on UPI. What Ravi owes Asha goes down by ₹200. Nothing is split.
Not counted in Total spent. Settle up records these for you.
At a glance
| Split between members? | In Total spent? | Effect on balances | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense | Yes | Yes | The others owe the payer their shares |
| Income | Yes | No — shown as Received | The receiver owes the others their shares |
| Transfer | No, one person to one person | No | The sender is owed less (or is owed more) by the full amount |
Common mix-ups
- Paying a friend back is a Transfer, not Income. Income is money that came back to the whole group from outside (a refund, a deposit). Money between two members is a Transfer — or tap Settle all balances and BillShare records it for you.
- A refund is Income, not a negative expense. Add it as Income with the same people as the original expense, and everyone gets their share back.
- Total spent vs. Received. Total spent adds up expenses only; refunds show separately as Received, with the net amount next to it. On the Lists screen a one-person list shows the net.
App updates
The Android app checks for updates when it opens. If you installed it from Google Play, it updates through Play. If you installed it from billshare.in/download, it downloads the new version from there — open the downloaded file to install it over the old one; your data stays.
Most updates are optional: a small notice at the top of your lists, which you can close. Rarely, an update is required because older versions stop working with the server; the app then asks you to update before continuing. Phones on an older Android version are only offered versions they can install. Check any time in Account → Info.
Still stuck?
Write to support@billshare.in.