User Guide

Welcome to Paji Splitly! We are dedicated to solving the age-old awkward questions like "Who pays for this?" and "Who owes whom?" Whether it's a dinner with friends, couple's bookkeeping, or a group trip, we have the simplest and most intuitive solution for you.

🚀 Quick Start

Step 1: Add Participants

Add Participant: Click "Add Participant" on the home page and enter names (e.g., Alice, Bob).
Import from Contacts: After logging in, you can select frequent friends directly from your "Address Book" to save time.
Group Settings: Click the settings icon ⚙️ at the top right to rename the group or manage members.

Step 2: Record Expenses

Whether it's food, transport, or accommodation, record it instantly:

Click the "Add Expense" button.
Enter the Item Name (e.g., Pizza, Taxi) and Amount.
Select Who Paid (Payer).
Select the Split Option (how to divide it: everyone splits, just some of us, custom split…).
- Tip: Use the "Batch Add" feature to enter multiple receipts at once.

Step 3: Settlement

The system automatically calculates all debts and suggests the "Minimum Transfers" required.

View Results: In the "Settlement" section, see who owes whom.
- Green: Money others owe you (Receivable).
- Red: Money you owe others (Payable).
Mark as Settled: After you pay your friend back, click the settlement card (or personal bill) and check "Mark as Settled" to clear the debt.
Partial Repayment: If you only pay part of it now, use "Partial Settle" in the personal bill and enter the amount. The remaining debt stays open.
Payer Edit Warning: If an expense has affected settlement history (including settled or repaid records), changing payer/amount/split rule will show a warning first with affected members and before/after changes.
Share Bill: Click the "Share" button to send the settlement results as an image or text to your group chat.
See debts across bills at a glance: Once logged in, the home page sums up all your bills — "You owe N people" and "N people owe you" — tap to see the per-person breakdown.

Step 4: Multi-user Collaboration

Tired of tracking expenses alone? Invite friends to join the group and track together!

Get Invite Link: Click Settings ⚙️ at the top right, select "Invite Link" or "QR Code".
Share with Friends: Send the link to your messaging group (e.g., WhatsApp, Messenger).
Join Group: Friends click the link, select their name (or add a new one), and start collaborating.

All actions are synced in real-time. No more sending screenshots back and forth!

🛠 Features

1. Flexible Split Options

Not every expense is split evenly. When adding an expense, just pick the option that fits:

Everyone splits: The most common — all members share the cost equally.
Just some of us: Only the people you select share it (no naming needed — perfect for a quick split among a few).
I'll cover it: The payer takes it on alone, not shared with others.
Paying for someone: You pay now and collect from the beneficiary later.
Custom split: Divide by percentage (e.g. 60% / 40%) or by shares (e.g. 2:1); add a name to save it as one of "My split templates" for reuse.

2. Edit & Delete

Made a mistake?

Click the ✏️ (Pencil Icon) on an expense item to edit amount, people, or notes.
Click the 🗑️ (Trash Icon) to delete the expense.
All actions have a "History", so you can Undo any accidental deletions.
If the expense is tied to settlement/repayment history, the editor shows a Before / After debt comparison to prevent accidental changes.

3. Smart Import

Have expense data in text format?

Paste Text: Paste text (e.g., Lunch, 120) and the system parses it automatically.
File Upload: Upload CSV or text files for batch processing.

4. Lucky Draw

Who buys the drinks? Who takes out the trash?

Use the "Lucky Draw" feature to randomly select one (or more) lucky winners.
Fair, transparent, and fun.

5. Cloud Sync

Real-time Collaboration: Share the link with friends so everyone can add expenses from their own phones simultaneously; invited friends can join and collaborate without signing up.
Data Security: Data is stored in the cloud, safe from phone switches or cache clearing.

6. Multi-Currency

No more mental math for overseas trips or cross-border meals:

One bill can hold expenses in different currencies — the app converts them to your chosen settlement currency using the bill's exchange rates before splitting.
Pick the original currency when adding an expense; if the bill doesn't have that currency yet, add its rate first, then save.
In Bill Rates you can re-fetch the latest rate, adjust it manually, or remove currencies no longer in use.
If you change rates on an already-settled bill, the app shows the affected expenses and amount differences first, and only updates after you confirm.

7. Surcharge

For service charges, tips, or card fees — money that sits on top of the bill rather than belonging to one dish:

Add a Surcharge and choose who fronted it.
Pick how to split it: by proportion (those who spent more pay more), split evenly, or among selected members.
It's layered on after the expense shares are calculated, and shows up in the settlement breakdown.

8. Payment Info

All settled up — no more asking around for account numbers:

Keep your own payout accounts / links / payment QR codes under Payment Info (multiple sets, matched by currency).
Once shared to a bill, everyone sees who to pay and how right in the settlement details' "Personal Bill" tab.
Payment info is maintained by each member and only shown among bill members.

💡 Common Scenarios

Scenario A: Simple Dinner (Equal Split)

Situation: Alice, Bob, and Carol have hotpot for $150. Alice pays first.

Action: Add expense $150, Payer: Alice, Split by: Alice, Bob, Carol (Equal).
Result: Bob gives Alice $50, Carol gives Alice $50.

Scenario B: Paid for Someone Else (Reimbursement)

Situation: Alice buys a movie ticket ($30) for Bob. Alice pays, but it's for Bob.

Action: Add expense $30, Payer: Alice, Split by: Only check Bob.
Result: Bob owes Alice $30.

Scenario C: Couple/Family Trip (Shares)

Situation: Alice (with husband, 2 people) and Bob (single, 1 person) travel. Bob pays $300 for hotel.

Action:
- Payer: Bob.
- Split option: Custom split → by shares.
- Set Weights: Alice = 2, Bob = 1.
Result: Alice owes Bob $200.

Scenario D: Complex Shopping (Mixed)

Situation: A, B, C go shopping. A pays total $210.

Tissue $100 (Shared by all).
A's snacks $50.
B and C's drinks $60.
Tip: Enter as 3 separate items or use "Batch Add".
1. Tissue 100 -> Split A, B, C
2. Snacks 50 -> Split A
3. Drinks 60 -> Split B, C
Result: The system sums up everyone's share and calculates final debt.

Scenario E: Edited Expense After Settlement (Direction Reversal)

Situation: Originally B paid $100, so A owed B $50, and A marked it as settled. Later, the expense is corrected to B actually paid only $50.

System behavior:
1. A warning appears first, showing affected members (A, B) and the before/after comparison.
2. Existing "settled" records are treated as real repayment cash flow during recalculation, not just removed as a tag.
Result: It can flip from "A owes B" to "B owes A"; in this case it becomes B owes A $25.

🎯 Common Scenarios

Nobody wants to sign up → Guest mode + fruit nicknames, done in 3 min

Late-night snack, impromptu office dinner — nobody's logged in, someone needs to catch a ride. Start with Guest Mode, assign fruit nicknames (Apple, Banana...), have one person quickly enter all expenses on one phone, check "Settlement Results" on the spot. Change nicknames to real names later if needed.

Tip: Match nicknames to seating order (left to right) for faster identification. Screenshot the settlement screen before leaving as a receipt.

Rushing before checkout → Settle debts one by one in 10 min

Rushing before checkout — first add any final expenses (breakfast, parking), confirm payment paths in "Settlement Results", then have each debtor tap "Settle Debt" to mark payments. For unpaid items, note the amount + deadline + payee.

Tip: Process from largest to smallest amounts — settle high-risk payments first. Mark as settled the moment you confirm the transfer, don't wait until "later."

Everyone's paying for different things → Invite co-editors, payer records

On group trips, use "Invite to Co-edit" so everyone joins the same bill. Rule: the payer records the expense, not whoever is free. Spend 2 minutes before bed each night reviewing "Settlement Results" for a quick check-in.

Avoiding duplicates: Assign expense categories upfront (meals → A, transport → B). If two entries look similar, check "Edit Log" for creation time and author before judging by name alone.

Fronted amount getting too large → Use partial settle to pay back early

By day two, the main payer has fronted a large sum. Use "Partial Settle" to let willing members pay back portions during the trip, reducing cash flow pressure. Settle the remainder on the last day.

Tip: Add a brief note to each partial payment (e.g., "Day2 half repaid") to avoid confusion later. Do a 3-minute reconciliation at the same time each day.

Someone joins late or cancels → Edit expenses to adjust participants

When someone joins mid-trip or cancels last minute, edit expenses to adjust participant scope. Pre-join expenses keep the original headcount; post-join expenses include the new member. For cancellations, categorize expenses as "adjustable" vs. "non-refundable."

Tip: Start adjusting from the largest expenses — differences are easiest to spot. Check settlement results after each batch to avoid compounding errors.

Some ate more, some less → Mix equal, ratio, and exact splits

A dinner with shared dishes (equal split), drinks (percentage), and personal add-ons (by shares) — mix different rules in the same bill for accuracy. For multi-night stays with room switches, record each night separately with per-night participants.

Tip: Build the equal-split backbone first, then layer on percentages and shares. Name expenses like "Night 2 + Room Type" for easy reference.

Who's buying this round? → Lucky draw picks the payer in 30 sec

Use "Lucky Draw" to randomly pick who pays for drinks or tips — done in 30 seconds. Create the expense record immediately after drawing.

Tip: Confirm headcount before drawing — remove absent members first. Create the expense right away; don't navigate to other pages first or you might forget to record it.

Need to file expenses or reconcile monthly → Export bill + edit log

After events, use "Export Bill" (Premium) to compile shareable settlement content, paired with "Edit Log" for version clarity. For monthly reviews, prioritize high-value changes first.

Tip: Verify content consistency before exporting; start messages with "This is the final version." Maintain a habit of recording expenses within 24 hours of payment — monthly reconciliation time drops by at least 40 minutes.

No internet but need to record → Edit offline, auto-sync when back

Quick-record on phone, refine on computer — enable cloud backup by logging into the same account. When offline, your entries are saved locally and queued, then sent automatically once you're back online; you can track progress, retry, or discard them in the "Pending Changes" panel — nothing disappears silently even if a sync can't go through right away.

Tip: Assign device roles (phone for quick entry, computer for editing). First thing on a new device: spot-check 3 key expenses to confirm sync.

Travel mates don't read your language → Switch languages, align on numbers

Travel companions with different native languages each switch to their preferred interface language, then align payments using the same "Settlement Results" numbers.

Tip: Remind everyone to switch to their most comfortable language before settlement. Use recognizable terms (store names, dates) in expense names for smoother cross-language communication.

❓ FAQ

Q: Can I export my bill? Which formats? A: You can export as an image, a text summary, or CSV (CSV is Premium).

For more questions (decimal handling, marking as settled, data persistence, etc.), see the FAQ.

📞 Contact Us

If you have suggestions or find bugs, please email: paji.contact [at] gmail [dot] com