How Settle Up Works

Written By Bradley Bernard

Last updated 4 months ago

Settle Up is how you record payments between group members or friends. When someone pays what they owe, recording it in SplitMyExpenses clears their balance.

Recording a Payment

  1. Click Settle Up on the group page or from the sidebar

  2. Select who is paying whom

  3. Enter the amount

  4. Choose a payment method

  5. Click Create Payment

The payment is logged, and the balances update immediately.

Payment Methods

SplitMyExpenses supports linking to external payment apps. You can record that a payment was made via:

  • Cash - For in-person payments or bank transfers

  • Venmo - Opens Venmo with pre-filled details

  • Cash App - Links to Cash App

  • Zelle - For bank-to-bank transfers

  • PayPal - Links to PayPal

How Payment App Links Work

When you click Pay with Venmo (or another app):

  1. SplitMyExpenses opens the payment app

  2. The recipient and amount are pre-filled (if supported)

  3. You complete the payment in the external app

  4. Return to SplitMyExpenses to confirm the payment

Note: SplitMyExpenses does not process payments directly. It links you to your preferred payment app and records that the payment was made.

Why Don't I See Venmo/PayPal Options?

Payment app options only appear if the recipient has that payment method set up in their profile. The system checks the receiver's profile, not yours.

To enable payment links:

  1. Have the person you're paying go to their profile settings

  2. They add their Venmo username, Cash App $cashtag, or PayPal email

  3. When you pay them, those options will appear

Recording a Cash Payment

If someone paid you in cash, at a restaurant, or via bank transfer:

  1. Click Settle Up

  2. Select who paid whom

  3. Enter the amount

  4. Choose Cash as the payment method

  5. Confirm

This logs the payment without opening any external app.

Partial Payments

You don't have to pay the full balance at once. If you owe $100 but only pay $50:

  1. Record a $50 payment

  2. Your balance updates to show the remaining $50 owed

Payments in Groups vs 1:1

In a group: Payments are logged within the group context and affect group balances.

1:1 (Friends): Payments between friends outside of any group are tracked separately.

If you have expenses with someone in multiple groups, you may need to settle up in each group individually.

Understanding Payment Direction

Payments flow from the person who owes money to the person who is owed:

  • If you owe Sarah $50, you pay Sarah

  • If Sarah owes you $50, Sarah pays you

The Settle Up screen shows you who owes whom, making it clear which direction the payment should go.

UPI Payments (India)

For users in India, UPI information can be displayed:

  1. Set your default currency to INR

  2. Add your UPI ID in profile settings

  3. Others will see your UPI ID when settling up

Note: UPI is display-only. The app cannot directly open UPI payment apps due to platform restrictions. You'll need to manually open your UPI app and enter the details.

Common Questions

Q: Can I send money directly through SplitMyExpenses? No. SplitMyExpenses tracks debts and links to payment apps, but does not process money transfers. You use external apps like Venmo or your bank to make the actual payment.

Q: How do I record that my friend already paid me? Go to Settle Up, select that your friend paid you, enter the amount, and save. This updates the balance even if the payment happened outside the app.

Q: Can I add a note to a payment? Currently, payments don't support notes or memos. This is a feature request we've heard and may add in the future.

Q: What if I recorded the wrong amount? You can delete the payment and create a new one with the correct amount. Find the payment in the activity log to delete it.

Related Articles