Fewest transfers to settle a group trip
Settling a trip with five people never needs more than four payments, and often needs fewer. The saving comes from finding smaller groups inside the trip whose balances already cancel out, so each group settles on its own.
A worked example
Ana, Ben, Cleo, Dani and Eva take a trip. Ana and Cleo share a rental car, and the other three share a cabin.
- Ana paid 100.00 for the car, shared by Ana and Cleo: 50.00 each.
- Ben paid 90.00 for the cabin, shared by Ben, Dani and Eva: 30.00 each.
- Eva paid 20.00 for a lunch shared by Dani and Eva: 10.00 each.
| Person | Paid | Share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ana | 100.00 | 50.00 | is owed 50.00 |
| Ben | 90.00 | 30.00 | is owed 60.00 |
| Cleo | 0.00 | 50.00 | owes 50.00 |
| Dani | 0.00 | 40.00 | owes 40.00 |
| Eva | 20.00 | 40.00 | owes 20.00 |
The shares add up to 210.00, the group total. Ana and Cleo's balances cancel each other, and so do the other three. Three payments settle everything: Cleo pays Ana 50.00, Dani pays Ben 40.00 and Eva pays Ben 20.00.
Why a simple rule needs four
A common shortcut is to let the biggest debtor pay the biggest creditor, again and again. On these same numbers it gives four payments: Cleo pays Ben 50.00, Dani pays Ana 40.00, Eva pays Ana 10.00 and Eva pays Ben 10.00. The result is just as correct but one payment longer.
Try it
Enter your own trip in the Per-Person Owe Links tool: add each expense with who paid and who took part, then copy a link for each person. For groups of up to 10 people it finds the fewest possible payments.
Privacy and limits
- Your data lives only in the link. Nothing is stored on a server, and anyone with a link can see its contents.
- This tool does not process payments, does not hold money and gives no financial advice. It only does the arithmetic; people pay each other however they choose.
- It is offered as-is, with no warranty. Check the numbers before anyone pays.