Getting started
Your first split
A single shared expense (dinner for four) is the smallest useful thing PaySlice does. Here's the whole flow, start to finish.
Every balance in PaySlice comes from expenses. There are no manual “IOUs” to keep in sync: you record what was spent, say who was in on it, and the app works out who owes whom.
Add the expense
- 1
Tap the + button
From Home, hit the orange Add action. This opens the new expense screen. - 2
Enter what it was
Type a description (“Sushi Bar dinner”) and the total amount ($84.00). PaySlice quietly auto-detects a category from the description. - 3
Pick who paid
By default that’s you, but tap Paid by to choose anyone in the split. - 4
Choose the people
Add the friends who shared it. With four people on an $84 bill, PaySlice proposes $21.00 each. - 5
Confirm
Tap Confirm split. The expense is saved and everyone’s balance updates in real time.
🔑What just happened to the balances
You paid $84 but only owed $21, so PaySlice records that the other three each owe you $21: a net of +$63 to you. Each participant sees the mirror of that on their side, instantly.
How the split is stored
Each person on the expense gets a share (their portion) and a paidAmount (how much they’ve paid back so far). Your balance with someone is simply the sum of share − paidAmount across every expense you share. Nothing is denormalized, so the number is always the single source of truth.
💡You can change your mind
Split evenly now, switch to exact amounts or item-wise later. Editing an expense re-derives the balances cleanly. See Groups & many expenses next.