EvenOut

Glossary

Plain definitions of the terms used when splitting expenses.

20 pages

Roommates and rent

• What does 'utilities included' mean? 'Utilities included' means the landlord pays the services the lease lists. Here are three wordings, an eight-item checklist and what roommates still split.
• What is a roommate agreement? A roommate agreement is a written record between roommates of money, house rules and move-out. See how it differs from a lease, plus a five-line money clause.
• What is prorated rent? Prorated rent is rent for part of a month: rent × days you stay ÷ days in the month. $1,800 from the 12th of a 31-day month is $1,161.29, or $1,200 on 30 days.

Couples and family

• Proportional split: meaning and formula A proportional split divides a cost by a weight such as income, nights present or room size. The formula and three worked examples, from $1,800 to $240.

Friends and events

• Going Dutch: meaning and how it works at dinner Going Dutch means each person pays their own share. See a two-person dinner worked out by order, why Dutch treat is ironic, and how to suggest it.
• Service charge vs tip, and what 'gratuity included' means A tip is your choice. A service charge is a fee the restaurant adds. If the check says gratuity included, it is in the total: $148 of food becomes $189.44.
• Split check: what it means in a restaurant A split check can mean separate checks, one check on two cards, or one check divided equally. See each on a $187.00 bill, and what 'no split checks' means.
• Split the bill or go Dutch: which one do you mean? Split the bill and go Dutch overlap, and neither says whether shares are equal. On a $120 dinner for three, the choice is $40 each or $56, $40 and $24.
• Split the bill synonyms, and which ones mean equal shares Other words for split the bill: split the check, share the cost, go halves, go Dutch, chip in. Only some mean equal shares. See each on an $84 cost.

Subscriptions and bills

• What are concurrent streams? Concurrent streams are the screens that can play at once on one account. As of October 2026, limits run from 2 to 4 across Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and more.
• What is a water submeter? How its readings split a bill A water submeter measures one unit's use after the main meter. Split a $138 bill by readings of 4,000, 3,000 and 1,000 gallons: $66, $51 and $21.

Paying back and requests

• Creditor and debtor: what it's called when someone owes you money The person owed money is the creditor and the person who owes it is the debtor. See the words in a two-person example where a $30.00 debt flips to $16.00.

Apps and comparisons

• What is a bill splitting app? A bill splitting app records who paid for what and keeps a running balance of who owes whom. See its five split methods, each with the math.

Split methods and math

• Go Dutch: meaning and origin To go Dutch is to pay your own share of a meal or outing. On a $90 check it can differ from an equal split. Dictionary origin and wording included.
• IOU: meaning and examples An IOU is a written note that says I owe you. See what dictionaries say, three examples from a napkin to an app balance, and how it differs from shared bills.
• Settle up: meaning and what it does in expense apps To settle up is to pay what you owe. In an expense app it records a payment: owe $64.00, record $25, and $39.00 is still owed. Here is how it works.
• Split the bill: meaning and other ways to say it To split the bill is to divide what a group owes. A $60 bill for 3 is $20 each, or $28, $17 and $15 if you split by what each person ate.
• Split the difference: meaning, with money examples To split the difference is to agree on the midpoint of two numbers. $1,200 against $1,000 lands on $1,100, and a $60 dinner can land on $25 and $35.

Groups, clubs and teams

• Club dues: what they are and what they cover Club dues are the regular payments members make to the club. See four ways to set them with worked examples, and what dues usually pay for.
• What are shared costs? Fixed, variable and pooled Shared costs are expenses several people owe together. See how shared, split and pooled differ, and how fixed and variable costs move each person's share.