Split a shared bill and record reimbursements

When you pay a shared bill, the full payment leaves your account even though only part of it belongs to you. Fireball can keep your spending accurate and stop repayments from being counted as income.

This guide uses a restaurant bill, but the same steps work for shared groceries, rent, utilities, tickets, accommodation, and costs that an employer will reimburse.

Example: you paid for dinner

You pay a restaurant bill of $180 for three people. Your share is $60 and the other two people owe you $60 each.

There are two ways to record this. Choose one approach for the amount other people owe you.

Option 1: exclude the expected repayments now

Use this approach when you know how much you expect to receive and want your spending to show only your share immediately.

1. Open Activity, then open the $180 restaurant transaction.
2. Open its category controls and choose Split transaction.
3. Add Dining or takeaway for $60.
4. Add Expense reimbursements for $120.
5. Make sure the split is fully allocated, then choose Save split.

The split editor shows how much counts as spending. The reimbursement portion is excluded from spending and is not treated as income.

Use one Expense reimbursements row for the total amount everyone else owes. Fireball does not use that row to track each person's balance. Add a private note to the transaction if you want to record names and amounts.

Match each repayment when it arrives

After a repayment appears in a connected or manual account:

1. Wait until the incoming payment is posted.
2. Open the incoming transaction and choose Details.
3. Under Refund, choose Match as refund.
4. Search for and select the original restaurant purchase.
5. Repeat these steps for each separate repayment.

Fireball treats a matched repayment as money returned against the expense. It does not add the repayment to income. When the purchase already has an Expense reimbursements split, repayments settle that excluded portion first. They do not reduce your personal spending a second time.

Option 2: count the full bill until people repay you

Use this approach when the amount is uncertain or you do not want to exclude money until it has actually been returned.

1. Keep the full $180 restaurant purchase in Dining or takeaway.
2. When a $60 repayment arrives, open it and choose Match as refund.
3. Select the restaurant purchase.
4. Repeat for the second repayment.

The full $180 counts as spending at first. Each matched repayment then reduces the original expense category in the period when the repayment arrives.

Understand which period changes

The restaurant purchase belongs to the period when you paid it.

If you use an Expense reimbursements split, only your share counts as spending in that purchase period. A later matched repayment settles the excluded share without reducing your spending again.

If you do not split the purchase first, the full bill counts in its purchase period. A repayment received in a later period reduces the matching category in the repayment period. Fireball does not reopen and rewrite a completed period.

For example, you pay in May and receive a repayment in June. Without an upfront reimbursement split, May shows the full restaurant bill and June shows the repayment as a reduction in Dining or takeaway.

If the amount repaid is different

If you used an Expense reimbursements split and the amount people owe changes, edit the original split.

For example, you expected $120 back but receive only $100 and no more money is coming. Change the split so $80 is Dining or takeaway and $100 is Expense reimbursements. Your spending will then include the extra $20 you paid.

If you counted the full bill, match only the repayments you actually receive. The unmatched remainder stays as your spending.

When a flatmate pays you

Classify the payment by what it is for, not by what you do with the money after you receive it.

For example, your mortgage payment is $2,400 and a flatmate pays you $300 each week as rent. Categorise the incoming $300 payments as Rental income. Do not match them as refunds against the mortgage, even if you use the money to make the mortgage payment.

A mortgage payment normally includes debt repayment and may include interest or fees. The movement that reduces the loan balance is not a household expense that a refund match should reduce. Fireball handles mortgage and loan activity through its debt and transfer calculations.

If the flatmate separately sends $45 for a power bill you paid, treat that $45 as a reimbursement. Open the incoming payment, choose Match as refund, and select the original power bill. You can also split the original power bill between your Utilities share and Expense reimbursements when you know the amount you expect back.

If one payment combines rent and a bill repayment, do not match the whole payment to the bill. That would remove the rent portion from income. Fireball's refund match applies to the incoming transaction being matched, so ask for separate transfers when possible. Otherwise, add a note explaining the parts and review your income and spending totals after categorising the payment.

If the other person is a co owner or partner contributing to a mortgage you both owe, the payment may be a household transfer rather than Rental income. Categorise the contribution according to the ownership arrangement, then keep the mortgage payment in Fireball's loan or transfer flow.

Fireball categories organise personal reporting. They do not determine the tax treatment of rent, board, or shared property arrangements.

When work reimburses a cost

Suppose you pay $450 for a work hotel with your personal card and your employer will reimburse the full amount.

1. Categorise the $450 purchase as Accommodation.
2. Wait for the employer's reimbursement to appear as a separate posted incoming transaction.
3. Open the incoming transaction and choose Details.
4. Choose Match as refund, then select the hotel purchase.

The hotel cost counts as spending until the reimbursement arrives. The matched reimbursement then reduces the Accommodation expense and is not added to your income.

If work reimburses only part of the cost, match the amount you actually receive. The remainder stays as your personal spending. For example, if work returns $350 of a $450 hotel bill, $100 remains as your Accommodation expense.

If the work purchase also contains a known personal share, you can split the purchase between its spending category and Expense reimbursements. For example, split a $500 hotel charge into $50 of Accommodation and $450 of Expense reimbursements. When the $450 arrives, match it to the hotel purchase.

If work combines the reimbursement with salary

Do not match the whole payroll deposit to the expense. That would treat the salary portion as a reimbursement and remove it from income.

Fireball's refund match applies to the incoming transaction being matched. A single deposit that mixes salary and a reimbursement may not be representable as an exact match in your version of Fireball. Where possible, ask for the reimbursement as a separate payment. Otherwise, add a note explaining the two parts and review your income and spending totals after categorising the deposit.

If work reimburses several claims in one payment

If your Match refund screen lets you add several expenses, allocate the whole reimbursement across the original work purchases before saving. Do not choose one purchase if the full payment also covers other claims. Add a note with the claim breakdown and check your totals.

If one repayment covers several shared bills

Fireball can allocate one incoming repayment across several original expenses. If your Match refund screen lets you add several expenses, allocate the whole incoming payment before saving. You are also able to set recurring rule if needed.

If the repayment arrived before the purchase

Fireball matches an incoming repayment to an earlier posted purchase. An advance payment cannot be matched to a restaurant transaction that happened later.

Do not force a match. You can categorise the advance payment as Expense reimbursements and leave the later purchase fully counted in its spending category. Do not also exclude that same share with an Expense reimbursements split on the purchase, because that would count the reimbursement twice.

Add a note to both transactions so you can recognise the relationship later. If the transactions fall in different periods, the period totals will reflect when the money actually moved.

If the purchase does not appear as a match

The original purchase and incoming payment normally need to be posted, use the same currency, and be eligible expense activity. A pending purchase, a later purchase, a transfer, or a payment larger than the remaining eligible amount may not appear.

Wait for pending transactions to post and try again. If the transactions use different currencies or cannot be matched, categorise them carefully and use a note. Check the spending total to make sure the shared amount is excluded once.

If someone else paid the bill

If another person paid the restaurant and you send them your share, categorise your outgoing payment as Dining or takeaway. It is your expense, even if the bank description shows the person's name instead of the restaurant.

Do not use Match as refund for your outgoing share. That action is for incoming money returned to you after you paid an expense.

Correct or remove a match

Open the incoming repayment and choose Details.

Choose Change match to select a different purchase. Choose Not a refund to remove the relationship before assigning a normal income or other category. These changes affect Fireball's calculations only. They do not move money or change the bank's transaction.

Common questions

Does Fireball request money from my friends?

No. Fireball records the financial effect after you pay or receive money. It does not send payment requests or track who still owes you.

Can I split the bill equally by percentage?

Yes. The split editor can use amounts or percentages. All rows must add up to the full transaction amount or 100 percent before you can save.

Can my own share use more than one spending category?

Yes. For example, a shared trip purchase could include Accommodation, Transport, and Expense reimbursements. Every part must be allocated, and each category can appear only once in the split.

What if someone repays me in cash?

If the cash does not appear in an account tracked by Fireball, there is no incoming transaction to match. Use the purchase split to exclude the amount you received or expect back, and add a note if you need a record.

Why is the repayment not counted as income?

It returns money from an expense you paid for someone else. Matching it to the purchase keeps income and spending from being overstated.