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Sharing Bills

BillManager allows you to share individual bills with other users and split costs in flexible ways. This is perfect for roommates sharing rent, couples splitting utilities, or families dividing household expenses.

Overview​

Bill sharing enables you to:

  • Share any bill with other BillManager users
  • Split costs by percentage, fixed amount, or equally
  • Track who has paid their portion
  • Manage multiple recipients per bill
  • Accept or decline shared bills

Creating a Share​

Prerequisites​

  • You must own the bill you want to share
  • The recipient must be a BillManager user (self-hosted) or have an email address (SaaS)

Steps to Share a Bill​

  1. Open the bill you want to share
  2. Click the Share button
  3. Enter the recipient's username or email address
  4. Choose how to split the bill (see Split Types below)
  5. Click Share Bill

The recipient will receive a notification (self-hosted) or email invitation (SaaS) to accept the share.

Split Types​

BillManager offers four ways to split bill costs:

Percentage Split​

Split the bill by percentage between you and the recipient.

Example: $200 utility bill split 60/40

  • You pay: $120 (60%)
  • Recipient pays: $80 (40%)

Use case: Splitting based on usage or room size

Fixed Amount​

Assign a specific dollar amount to the recipient.

Example: $1200 rent bill with fixed amount of $400

  • You pay: $800
  • Recipient pays: $400

Use case: Different room sizes or when one person pays more

Equal Split​

Divide the bill amount equally among all recipients.

Example: $150 internet bill split equally among 3 people

  • Each person pays: $50

Use case: Shared utilities or services used equally

Full Amount (No Split)​

Share the full bill amount without splitting.

Example: $100 streaming subscription

  • You pay: $100
  • Recipient sees: $100 (informational only)

Use case: Transparency without cost splitting

Accepting Shares​

How you accept a shared bill depends on your deployment mode:

Self-Hosted (Username-Based)​

  1. Log into BillManager
  2. Go to the Shared Bills section
  3. Review pending shares
  4. Click Accept or Decline

Accepted bills appear in-line with your own bills.

SaaS (Email-Based)​

  1. Check your email for the invitation
  2. Click the secure invitation link
  3. Log in to your account (or create one if new)
  4. Review the bill details
  5. Click Accept Share

The bill will appear in your bill list after acceptance.

Managing Shared Bills​

As the Bill Owner​

When you share a bill, you can:

View Share Status​

See all shares for your bills in the bill details view, including:

  • Recipient name
  • Split configuration
  • Payment status
  • Acceptance status

Update Split Configuration​

  1. Open the shared bill
  2. Click the edit icon next to the share
  3. Modify the split type or amount
  4. Click Save

Changes take effect immediately for the recipient.

Revoke Access​

To stop sharing a bill:

  1. Open the shared bill
  2. Click the delete icon next to the share
  3. Confirm revocation

The recipient will lose access immediately.

As a Share Recipient​

When a bill is shared with you, you can:

View Shared Bills​

Shared bills appear in your main bill list with:

  • Blue tinted background (mobile)
  • "Shared" badge
  • Owner's name
  • Your portion amount

Mark Your Portion as Paid​

Track your payment contributions independently:

  1. Open the shared bill or use the quick action
  2. Click Mark My Portion Paid
  3. Confirm the payment

Your payment status is visible to the bill owner.

Leave a Shared Bill​

If you no longer need access:

  1. Open the shared bill
  2. Click Leave Shared Bill
  3. Confirm

You'll lose access but the owner retains the bill.

Payment Tracking​

Recipient Payments​

Each recipient can independently mark their portion as paid:

  • Payment dates are tracked separately
  • Owners can see who has paid
  • Recipients see only their own payment status

Owner View​

Bill owners see comprehensive payment tracking:

  • Who has paid their portion
  • Payment dates for each recipient
  • Outstanding balances

Shared Payments as Income​

When a share recipient marks their portion as paid, the bill owner benefits in two ways:

  1. Payment History - The recipient's payment appears in the owner's All Payments view, clearly marked as a shared payment with the recipient's name
  2. Spending Trends - The payment is recorded as income/deposit in the owner's monthly trends, providing an accurate picture of net cash flow

This means if you split a $200 bill 50/50 with a roommate:

  • Your expense shows as $100 (your portion)
  • When your roommate pays, $100 appears as income in your trends
  • Your net cost for the month accurately reflects only $100
Income Tracking

Shared payments automatically appear in your Spending Trends chart as positive income (green bars), helping you visualize the true cost of shared expenses over time.

Payment History​

Shared bills appear in payment history with:

  • Clear indication of shared status
  • Your portion amount
  • Payment dates
  • Owner information (for recipients)
  • Recipient name and payment date (for owners receiving shared payments)

Security​

Bill sharing is designed with security in mind:

Access Control​

  • Only bill owners can create, update, or revoke shares
  • Only intended recipients can accept shares
  • Email shares require token-based verification
  • Expired invitations are automatically invalidated

Data Privacy​

  • Recipients see only the bills shared with them
  • You cannot access another user's bills or bill groups
  • Payment information is isolated per user
  • All share operations are logged for audit purposes

Authorization Checks​

Every operation verifies:

  • User identity
  • Ownership permissions
  • Recipient authorization
  • Database access rights

Use Cases​

Roommates​

Share rent and utilities with roommates:

  • Create shares for rent, internet, electricity
  • Split by percentage based on room size
  • Track who has paid their portion each month

Couples​

Manage household bills together:

  • Share mortgage/rent equally
  • Split utilities 50/50
  • Track joint expenses in one place

Families​

Divide family expenses:

  • Share streaming subscriptions
  • Split childcare costs
  • Track who pays for what

Business Partners​

Split business expenses:

  • Share office rent by percentage
  • Divide software subscription costs
  • Track individual contributions

API Reference​

For developers integrating with BillManager, see the API Documentation for detailed endpoint information on:

  • POST /api/v2/bills/{id}/share - Create a share
  • GET /api/v2/shared-bills - List shared bills
  • GET /api/v2/shared-bills/pending - Pending shares
  • POST /api/v2/shares/{id}/accept - Accept username-based share
  • POST /api/v2/share/accept-by-token - Accept email-based share
  • POST /api/v2/shares/{id}/mark-paid - Mark recipient portion paid
  • PUT /api/v2/shares/{id} - Update share configuration
  • DELETE /api/v2/shares/{id} - Revoke share
  • POST /api/v2/shares/{id}/leave - Leave shared bill

Troubleshooting​

I can't find the Share button​

Solution: Only bill owners can share bills. If you received a shared bill, you cannot re-share it.

My invitation expired​

Solution: Ask the bill owner to send a new invitation. Email-based invitations have an expiration period for security.

The recipient can't accept my share​

Solution:

  • Self-hosted: Verify the username is correct
  • SaaS: Check the email address for typos
  • Ensure the recipient has access to a bill group (database)

My portion amount seems wrong​

Solution: Contact the bill owner to verify the split configuration. They can update it from the bill details view.

I marked my portion as paid but the owner says I haven't​

Solution: Ensure you clicked "Mark My Portion Paid" not the regular payment button. Your payment status is separate from the bill's main payment status.