Shared expenses feel simple… until they’re not. Groceries, rent, subscriptions, kid stuff, dinners with friends—tiny “I’ll get this one” moments can quietly turn into confusion or resentment.

And it’s not just you. One survey found one in three (34%) partnered Americans identify money as a source of conflict in their relationship. [1] Another report found the “one pot” approach isn’t even the default anymore: 23% of couples had no joint bank accounts in 2023 (up from 15% in 1996). [2] So yeah—more people are sharing life without fully merging money, which makes clean shared-expense tracking more important than ever.

“Sharing all finances is no longer the norm for married couples…” [2]

Below is a simple way to track shared expenses inside a budgeting app (or alongside one), plus five apps that worked well in my hands-on testing.

What “shared expenses” really means (so you don’t mis-track them)

A shared expense is any cost where more than one person should ultimately pay—even if only one person’s card was used at checkout.

Common shared-expense categories:

  • Housing: rent/mortgage, utilities, internet
  • Food & household: groceries, cleaning supplies, toiletries
  • Kids & family: childcare, school costs, activities
  • Transport: gas, parking, ride-shares
  • Subscriptions: streaming, cloud storage, memberships
  • Travel & social: hotels, meals, group gifts

The biggest mental shift: who paid and who it belongs to are two different things. Tracking shared expenses well means you record both.

How tracking shared expenses works inside a budgeting app (the clean version)

Most people fail here because they try to “just split everything evenly” and hope it balances out later. A better system has four moving parts:

  1. Capture the expense once (and fast).
    Ideally: quick entry, receipt attach, auto-sync from bank, or both.
  2. Assign who owes what.
    Equal split is common, but real life needs:
    • weighted splits (like 60/40 for rent)
    • itemized splits (one person didn’t eat the steak)
    • uneven splits (one person covers daycare, the other covers groceries)
  3. Keep a running balance.
    Instead of Venmo requests for every coffee, you let balances accumulate and settle weekly/monthly.
  4. Reconcile + settle on a cadence.
    Pick a rhythm (weekly or monthly). The goal is fewer money conversations—but better ones.

If you want this to feel effortless, look for apps that support percentage splits (or something equivalent). For example, one app explicitly supports splitting “by %” for uneven bills. [3]

A simple workflow that keeps you sane (couples, roommates, families)

This is the workflow I recommend because it works whether you share everything or keep money mostly separate.

Step 1: Decide your rules once

  • What’s shared vs. personal?
  • Split method: 50/50, income-based, or category-based?
  • Settlement cadence: weekly or monthly?

Step 2: Create a shared structure in the app

  • A shared group (roommates/friends) or a shared household budget (partners/families)
  • Clear categories: “Groceries (Shared),” “Utilities (Shared),” etc.

Step 3: Settle in one move Instead of nickel-and-diming:

  • settle balances at the end of the week/month
  • keep the record in the app so you don’t “re-argue” old spending

Now, here are five apps that cover different styles—from “just split bills” to “run the whole household budget together.”

1) Splitwise (best for fast shared-expense tracking without full budgeting)

Splitwise is the cleanest “shared expenses first” app I tested. If your main pain is “who owes who?”, it’s hard to beat.

How I used it

  • Created a group for “Household”
  • Logged groceries, utilities, and shared subscriptions
  • Used uneven splits when needed (rent, big purchases)

What it’s great at

  • Running balances so you don’t settle after every transaction
  • Flexible splitting, including percentage-based uneven splits [3]
  • Optional “Pro” upgrade with extras (useful if you want deeper reporting/export) [4]

Pros

  • Very fast to log shared expenses
  • Great for roommates and groups (not just couples)
  • Balances are clear and hard to misread

Cons

  • Not a full budgeting method by itself (you may still want a budgeting app)
  • If you want goal-setting, envelopes, or strict category controls, you’ll need another tool

2) Honeydue (best for couples who want shared visibility + light budgeting)

Honeydue is designed for couples: shared visibility, bills, and in-app communication features that make the “did you pay this?” loop less annoying.

How I used it

  • Connected accounts for transaction visibility
  • Tracked bills and shared spending
  • Used it as a “shared dashboard” rather than a strict budget

What it’s great at

  • Couples-focused design (including chat-style collaboration) [5]
  • Bill tracking and shared visibility that reduces duplicate payments [5]

Pros

  • Feels built for two people, not a spreadsheet
  • Good for “we’re together, but we don’t merge everything”
  • Helpful for recurring shared bills

Cons

  • Less powerful for strict budget control than dedicated budgeting systems
  • If you want deep reports and forecasting, it can feel light

3) YNAB (best for serious shared budgeting, not just splitting)

YNAB is for people who want a real budgeting system—especially if you want every shared dollar assigned a job. It’s less about “who owes who for dinner” and more about “how are we funding the household this month?”

How I used it

  • Set up categories like groceries, utilities, kids, sinking funds
  • Assigned incoming money to those categories
  • Used shared access so both people can stay aligned [6]

What it’s great at

  • Clear category-based budgeting for shared life (groceries, utilities, kids, travel)
  • Shared access via its “together” concept so the household can operate from one plan [6]

Pros

  • Strong structure for families and long-term shared goals
  • Great for reducing “surprise” expenses because everything is planned
  • Works well if you’re willing to build a shared process

Cons

  • Takes real setup time and habit-building
  • Can feel like “too much system” if you only want simple bill splitting

4) Monarch Money (best for shared household finances + reporting)

Monarch is a strong pick if you want a shared household view with modern reporting—especially if you care about net worth tracking and collaborative review.

How I used it

  • Used it as a shared household hub
  • Reviewed transactions together and tagged items that needed discussion
  • Checked summaries to catch drift (subscriptions, dining out, etc.)

What it’s great at

  • Household-style collaboration and reviews (it’s built around shared visibility) [7]
  • Monthly summaries and reports that make check-ins quicker [7]

Pros

  • Great “shared dashboard” vibe for partners
  • Reporting makes it easier to spot repeated shared spending patterns
  • Feels modern and less “spreadsheet-y”

Cons

  • More of a full personal finance platform than a simple split tracker
  • If you only want “who owes who,” it may be more app than you need

5) Goodbudget (best for envelope budgeting you can share)

Goodbudget is built around the envelope budgeting method, which is surprisingly effective for shared expenses because it creates clear boundaries: groceries are groceries, utilities are utilities, and you stop arguing about “where the money went.”

How I used it

  • Set up shared envelopes (Groceries, Utilities, Household, Kids)
  • Logged shared expenses against the right envelope
  • Used it to keep shared spending disciplined without overthinking it

What it’s great at

  • Envelope budgeting concept and shared tracking across devices (designed to help you plan spending by category) [8]

Pros

  • Simple mental model for shared categories
  • Great if you’re trying to stop “misc spending” from swallowing your month
  • Makes shared priorities visible (not just balances)

Cons

  • If you want automated “who owes who” settling, it’s not the core focus
  • Envelope systems require consistency to feel smooth

Common shared-expense mistakes (and how the apps help)

  • Mistake: Settling too often.
    Apps with balances help you settle monthly instead of after every meal.
  • Mistake: Mixing personal and shared categories.
    Shared categories/envelopes make it obvious what counts as “us” vs. “me.”
  • Mistake: Not agreeing on split rules.
    Percentage/unequal splits handle reality better than forced 50/50. [3]
  • Mistake: Treating shared tracking like a trust test.
    The point is clarity. Remember: a meaningful share of people report money conflict anyway—structure helps. [1]

Current trends that are shaping shared-expense tracking

  • More “together, but not merged” households.
    With 23% of couples having no joint bank account in 2023, tools that support shared tracking without full merging matter more than they used to. [2]
  • Separate finances are common even among couples.
    One survey reported 62% of couples keep at least some money separate. [9] That basically guarantees shared-expense tracking will stay a mainstream need, not a niche one.
  • Shared expense tracking is moving from “bill splitting” into “shared planning.”
    People increasingly want shared views, shared categories, and lightweight check-ins—without constant back-and-forth.

Short conclusion

Tracking shared expenses in a budgeting app isn’t about perfection—it’s about having one shared truth: what was spent, what it was for, and who should ultimately cover it. Once you pick a simple workflow and the right app style (splitting vs. full shared budgeting), shared money stops being a guessing game.

References

  1. Ipsos (Aug 1, 2024). Money fights: One in three (34%) partnered Americans identify money as a source of conflict in their relationship. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/money-fights-one-three-34-partnered-americans-identify-money-source-conflict-their-relationship
  2. U.S. Census Bureau (Sep 2025). Married but separate: Fewer couples are opting for joint bank accounts. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/09/married-but-separate.html
  3. Splitwise Feedback & Helpdesk. Can I split an expense by percentages? https://feedback.splitwise.com/knowledgebase/articles/77463-can-i-split-an-expense-by-percentages
  4. Splitwise. Splitwise Pro. https://www.splitwise.com/pro
  5. Honeydue. Honeydue (official site). https://www.honeydue.com/
  6. YNAB. YNAB Together. https://www.ynab.com/ynab-together
  7. Monarch Money. Monarch for Couples. https://www.monarchmoney.com/couples
  8. Goodbudget. Envelope Budgeting. https://goodbudget.com/envelope-budgeting/
  9. CNBC (Jan 27, 2025). 62% of couples keep at least some money separate from each other, survey finds. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/27/62percent-of-couples-keep-at-least-some-money-separate-from-each-other-survey.html