Free tool
Enter what each of you takes home and your shared bills. See what each person pays under three fair methods, side by side. It runs in your browser and saves nothing.
Three fair ways to divide it, side by side. Try each one with your own numbers.
Scales with income
Each person pays the same share of their income.
60% of the bills
$2,526 left after bills
40% of the bills
$1,684 left after bills
Each person pays half of the bills.
50% of the bills
$2,805 left after bills
50% of the bills
$1,405 left after bills
Both people end up with the same money left after bills.
75% of the bills
$2,105 left after bills
25% of the bills
$2,105 left after bills
In Allokate, shared bills come off the top by the split you choose, then each of you plans what is left.
Everything stays in your browser. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
The methods
Couples usually pick one of three methods. The calculator above shows all of them so you can compare the numbers before you decide.
Add both take-home pays, then work out each person's percent of the total. That percent of every bill is theirs. If one of you brings home 60 percent of the household income, that person pays 60 percent of the bills. Both of you give up the same share of your pay, so the lower earner is not squeezed.
Each person pays half. It is simple to explain and fair when your pay is close. When one income is much larger, the lower earner gives up a bigger slice of theirs.
Instead of matching shares of the bills, this matches what each of you has afterward. The higher earner pays more than under the proportional method, so you both end up with the same money for spending and saving. If the income gap is bigger than the bills, the higher earner covers all of them and the leftovers stay unequal.
Try it with real numbers
Alex takes home $4,200 a month and Sam takes home $2,800. Their shared bills come to $2,790: rent, utilities, internet and groceries.
Proportional: Alex pays $1,674 (60%) and Sam pays $1,116 (40%).
50/50: each pays $1,395, which leaves Alex $2,805 and Sam $1,405.
Equal leftover: Alex pays $2,095 and Sam pays $695, so each has $2,105 left.
In Allokate you choose the split once, by income or 50/50, and shared bills come off the top before each of you plans the rest your own way.
There is no single right answer. Proportional is a common place to start when incomes differ, because it keeps the pressure on each budget about the same. 50/50 suits couples with similar pay or a strong preference for keeping things even. Equal leftover suits couples who think of the household as one pot of spending money.
Use take-home pay, the amount that reaches your account after tax and deductions, and count only the bills you share. Revisit the split when either income changes. If you keep separate accounts, each person can pay their share into a joint account or cover specific bills directly. More on that in our guide to budgeting for couples with separate accounts. For the formula behind the proportional method, see how to split rent in proportion to income.
Whatever you choose, talk it through together. A split that looks fair on paper still needs to feel fair to both of you. Try each method with your own numbers, notice who ends up with more breathing room, and agree on a way to revisit it after a raise, a job change or a new bill.
Straight answers about the math, the methods and your privacy.
Add both partners' monthly take-home pay, then divide each person's pay by that total. Each person pays that percent of the rent. For example, someone who brings home 60 percent of the household income pays 60 percent of the rent.
Many couples think so, because each person gives up the same share of their pay. Others prefer 50/50 for simplicity or equal leftover to even out spending money. The calculator shows all three so you can compare.
Use take-home pay, the amount that reaches your account after tax and deductions. It reflects what each of you can actually put toward shared bills.
Under the proportional method the person with income covers all the bills. With no income entered for either person, the calculator falls back to an even split. You can also switch to 50/50 and agree on a different arrangement.
No. The math runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved, sent to a server or used for analytics.
Anything you both rely on, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, internet, insurance and groceries. Personal spending like hobbies or gifts is usually left out and planned separately.
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