How do I split expenses among members?
To record a shared expense:
- Open the Expenses page
- Click Add expense
- Enter the expense details: amount, description, category, date
- Optionally upload a receipt photo
- Click Create expense
How splits are calculated
Splits use your group's default split method, set under Group settings → Financial → Expense sharing. Two automatic methods are available:
- Equal: split evenly among all active members
- Proportional to ownership: split by each member's ownership percentage (or share count, if your group uses share-based ownership)
You can also pick None to disable automatic splitting and record each member's share manually.
Is every expense split?
Not always. In groups that use invoicing, a cost you paid defaults to being reimbursed to you in full: turn on Split cost among members on the expense to split it instead. In non-invoicing groups every expense is split automatically. So mark shared costs as split, and leave personal ones (like your own fuel) off: you carry those yourself.
After creating an expense
Each member's share appears in their balance. They can mark their portion paid, or it gets pulled into the next invoice if your group uses invoicing. Kai tracks balances and notifies members automatically.
After you pay an expense yourself
When you pay a group cost out of pocket (fuel, mooring, a repair), Kai treats it separately from your invoice:
- Your invoice stays clean. It bills your usage only; the expense is not mixed into it.
- Your reimbursement is tracked on My Balance as money the group owes you.
- How it comes back depends on the group's settlement mode (Group settings, Financial):
- Separate transfers (default): you pay invoices in full and the group transfers your reimbursement separately.
- Offset against invoice payments: open reimbursements are deducted when you pay an invoice, so you transfer only the difference. The payment QR and online checkout already show the reduced amount.
An admin can also mark an expense Paid by group: then nobody is reimbursed and the split shares are simply what members owe.