Three fair ways to split the rent
| Split | Fair when | Each person pays |
|---|---|---|
| By room size | the bedrooms differ | their room plus an equal part of the shared space, over the whole home |
| By income | earnings differ a lot, often couples | the same percentage of their income |
| Equally | rooms and incomes are alike | the rent divided by the number of people |
The sample home rents for $2,400 a month and is 670 sq ft: Anna’s room is 150, Ben’s 120 and Cy’s 100, so 300 sq ft are shared, 100 each. By room size Anna pays $895.52, Ben $788.06 and Cy $716.42. By income (60,000, 40,000 and 20,000) they pay $1,200.00, $800.00 and $400.00.
Agreeing on it
- Choose the split together, before the first month, and print the agreement.
- Fill in who collects the rent and by which day, and what happens when someone moves out.
- Everyone signs; keep a copy each.
For costs that come up once, like a trip or a party, the trip expense splitter works out who owes whom. More money tools are on the Money page.
Questions
How do you split rent by room size fairly?
Give everyone an equal part of the shared space (kitchen, living room, hall, bathroom) and add their own bedroom. Each person's share of the rent is that total over the size of the whole home. Type the size of the whole home and the calculator works out the shared space itself; leave it empty and the rent follows the bedrooms alone.
How do couples split rent by income?
Each person pays the same percentage of their income: someone who earns 60,000 a year and a partner who earns 40,000 pay 60 % and 40 % of the rent. It works with yearly or monthly income, as long as everyone's is typed the same way.
What about utilities?
Type them as one monthly amount and choose: split equally, which suits internet and electricity used by everyone, or like the rent, so the bigger room or the bigger income pays more of them too.
Do the amounts add up exactly?
Yes. Amounts are worked out in whole cents, and the leftover cents go to the people with the largest fractions, so the parts always add up to the rent you typed.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The names and amounts stay in this browser, where they are remembered for next time; clearing your browser data removes them. There is no account.