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Create a Bill

With SplitHappens you can create a bill in just a few steps and split the costs fairly — whether it's a restaurant visit, grocery shopping, or a hotel bill.

The Bill Wizard

Tap the blue New Bill button at the bottom right of the Home screen. The wizard starts with the question "What do you want to do?" and offers three paths:

Option Description
Scan Receipt Take a photo – AI recognizes items
Enter Bill Manually Type in a total amount or individual items yourself
Direct Payment Record a single payment to one person

Bill Wizard

At the top, a progress bar with dots shows your current step. You can always go back to the previous step.

Option 1: Scan Receipt

Photograph your receipt and let the AI do the work. The highlight of SplitHappens — no more tedious manual entry.

  1. Select "Scan Receipt"
  2. Choose: Camera (new photo) or Gallery (existing image)
  3. Wait briefly while the AI analyzes the receipt
  4. The recognized basic data (title, date, currency) is automatically pre-filled — review and adjust
  5. Select participants and payer
  6. Review the recognized items — you can edit, delete, or add new ones
  7. Confirm with the green checkmark button

Choose Photo Source Recognized Basic Data Recognized Items

Best Results

Place the receipt on a smooth, light surface. Ensure adequate lighting and keep the image straight. Make sure the entire receipt is in the frame.

More about Receipt Scanning

Option 2: Enter Bill Manually

The manual way when you don't want to or can't scan a receipt. SplitHappens first asks "How do you want to split the bill?"

Choose split type

Choose Split Type

  • Split total amount — E.g. taxi, groceries, or hotel. Enter a single total and split it among all participants.
  • Individual items — E.g. a restaurant with different orders. Create each item separately and assign it individually.

Enter Basic Data

  • Title — Give the bill a descriptive name (e.g., "Pizzeria Da Luigi", "Weekly Groceries")
  • Date — Defaults to today, but you can change it
  • Currency — Your default currency is pre-selected. You can change it at any time — SplitHappens supports over 150 currencies.

Participants & Payer

Select the people involved in the bill:

Select individual friends from your friends list. You can add multiple friends at once.

Add people who don't have a SplitHappens account. Simply enter a name — the guest is created for the bill.

Set the payer — who paid the bill? By default you're listed, but you can select another participant.

Event Bills

When creating a bill within an event, all event participants are automatically included — you don't need to select them manually. The bill is associated with the event and displays an event badge.

Enter Items / Amount

Enter the total amount and choose the split type:

  • Evenly — Everyone pays the same share (e.g., 30 EUR ÷ 3 = 10 EUR each)
  • Unevenly — You determine how much each person pays:
    • Amounts — Enter fixed amounts per person
    • Shares — Split proportionally (e.g., Daniel 2 shares, Emma 1 share)
    • Percent — Percentage split via sliders

Example: 30 EUR split among 3 people

  • Evenly: Everyone pays 10 EUR
  • Shares (2:1:1): Daniel pays 15 EUR, Emma and Lisa each pay 7.50 EUR
  • Percent (50%/25%/25%): Daniel pays 15 EUR, Emma and Lisa each pay 7.50 EUR

Create items one by one:

  1. Tap "Add Item"
  2. Enter the name of the item (e.g., "Margherita")
  3. Enter the amount (e.g., 12.50 EUR)
  4. Repeat for all other items

Adjust Later

You can also add or modify items later in the bill detail view.

Summary & Create

Review the summary and tap the green checkmark button to create the bill.

Option 3: Direct Payment

For simple expenses to one person — e.g., "I fronted you 20 EUR for concert tickets."

  1. Select "Direct Payment"
  2. Choose the recipient (a friend or guest)
  3. Enter the amount, a description, and optionally the date
  4. Tap "Save Expense"

The payment is recorded immediately and the balance between you and the recipient is updated.

No Item System

With a direct payment, there are no items to assign. The amount is directly attributed to the recipient.

After Creating

Once you've saved the bill:

  • The bill appears on your dashboard and for all participants
  • Participants receive a notification
  • For individual items: items can now be assigned
  • The balance is automatically updated

Next Steps