Balances & Settlements
See who owes what and settle up with the fewest payments possible.
How Balances Work
For each participant, balance equals total Paid minus total Share. A positive balance means they're owed money. A negative balance means they owe. Balances are always shown in the tracker's reporting currency.
Example
A tracker with three participants and $300 in total expenses split evenly. Each person's share is $100.
- Alice paid $200 — share $100 — balance: +$100 (owed $100)
- Bob paid $100 — share $100 — balance: $0 (settled)
- Charlie paid $0 — share $100 — balance: -$100 (owes $100)
The Settle Up Plan
Tabello calculates the fewest payments needed to settle everyone up. The plan is displayed in the Settle Up tab.
If settlement groups are configured, grouped participants settle as a single unit.
Recording Payments
Tap a settlement entry to record a payment. Two options:
- Full Amount — completes the entry, marked as Settled
- Partial Amount — reduces the remaining balance, entry stays open
Each payment can include an optional note. Only owners and contributors can record payments — contributors can only record payments for their own settlement unit.
Recorded a payment by mistake? You can delete it, which triggers a recomputation of the settle-up plan.
When Balances Change
Balances and the settle-up plan update automatically when you:
- Add, edit, or delete expenses
- Add or remove participants
- Change category splits or opt-outs
- Adjust daily presence weights (prorated trackers)
Any payments you've already recorded are preserved and applied to the recomputed plan. For example, if you recorded a partial payment and then an expense is edited, the payment still counts — the remaining amount in the settle-up plan reflects the new balance minus what's already been paid.