# Co-parenting expenses app: what to look for Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/co-parenting-expenses-app Updated: 2026-10-06 A co-parenting expenses app should apply a fixed percent split, attach a receipt photo, allow comments, let you delete and restore, search by name, category or amount, repeat monthly costs, and limit who can edit. EvenOut has all seven, though the group owner can still change anything. It has no edit history, does not move money, and is not a messaging or calendar app. Key points: - Check seven things: a fixed percent split, a receipt photo, comments, delete with restore, search, a monthly repeat and edit limits. - In EvenOut the edit limit, 'Only their own', is a group setting, and the group owner can still change anything in it. - EvenOut has no edit history and no data export, and it records payments without moving money. - It is a shared ledger, not a legal record. A court order or written agreement always comes first. ## What should a co-parenting expenses app do? It should apply the agreed percentage every time, keep the proof, let both parents add context, and show what is still owed. The seven checks below cover that, each with what EvenOut does, so you can compare any app against the same list. ## What are the seven checks? 1. **A fixed-percent split.** Both parents should pay the same share every time, such as 60/40 on camps and 50/50 on clothing. In EvenOut the split is chosen per expense: open "How to split", choose "Percent" and type each parent's percent. The status pill reads "Adds up to 100%" and each parent's dollar share shows under their name. 2. **One receipt photo per expense.** A receipt photo answers "what did this cost and where" without anyone digging through email. In EvenOut, "Photo, repeat, pending or note" holds "Photo", with "Take photo" or "Library". The photo shows as "Receipt photo" on the expense page. You can add it only while creating the expense, not when editing, and uploading needs a connection. 3. **Comments.** Context such as "Size change, old ones were too small" belongs next to the expense. EvenOut has "Add a comment" on every expense and payment, and both parents see it. 4. **Delete with restore.** Mistakes happen, and a deleted expense should be recoverable. EvenOut asks "Delete this expense?" and says it stops counting toward balances. The expense then shows as "This expense was deleted" with a "Restore" button. 5. **Search by name, category or amount.** In a long record you will look for "dentist" or "$45". EvenOut's search works offline and tolerates typos. Typing "45" finds $45.00 to $45.99, and "45.50" finds that exact amount. 6. **A monthly repeat.** Tuition and daycare come every month. Set "Repeat" to "Monthly" and EvenOut adds each later expense with the same payer and split. Setting it up needs a connection, there is no end date, and a changed amount means stopping the repeat and starting a new one. 7. **Limits on who can change what.** If each parent should edit only their own entries, look for a permission setting. In EvenOut, group settings have "Who can edit", with "Everyone" or "Only their own", where people change only what they added or paid for. Only the group owner can set it, and the owner, who is whoever created the group, can still change any expense. Whatever app you use, each of the seven should map to a real screen you can open, not a line on a features page. ## Should you use a friend page or a two-person group? Use a two-person group when you want "Only their own", and a friend page when you want the simplest setup. The edit limit is a group setting, so it is not available on the friend page. In a group the limit runs one way: the other parent can change only what they added or paid for, while whoever created the group can change everything, so decide who creates it. A friend page shows one running balance, and when it comes from more than one place it lists "Where it comes from". A group has its own members, a "Group history" page and "Spending charts" by category, person and month. Charts and search are free in both. ## How do you set it up in EvenOut? 1. **Connect.** In the Friends tab, tap "Add a friend" and share "Your EvenOut code" or "Share invite link". The invite link lasts 30 days. 2. **Choose the container.** For a group, create one from the Groups tab with the type "Other" ("Anything else"), then use group settings, "Members" and "Add people" to add the other parent. 3. **Set the edit limit.** In group settings, open "Who can edit" and choose "Only their own". 4. **Add the first expense.** Tap "Add expense", type the amount, describe it, choose "Paid by you" or the other parent, and set the split to "Percent". 5. **Attach the receipt and repeat.** In "Photo, repeat, pending or note", add the photo and set "Repeat" for fixed monthly costs. 6. **Settle up.** When one parent pays the other, tap "Settle up" and "Record payment". For the arithmetic behind each percentage, [how to split daycare and childcare costs between parents](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-childcare-costs-between-parents) works one bill three ways, and the [percentage split calculator](https://www.evenoutapp.com/tools/percentage-split-calculator) checks a split before you enter it. ## What should each entry hold? An entry that stands on its own saves a conversation later. Four habits do most of the work: - **A description you would search for.** "Dentist copay, Oct" is easier to find than "stuff". Search reads the description, the category, names and the amount, and nothing else. - **The real date.** The date chip shows "Today", "Yesterday" or a date, and the "When was this?" sheet is where you change it for a purchase from last week. - **A category.** EvenOut has 33 built-in categories, including Kids, Health and Education, and it guesses one from the description on the phone. - **"Pending payment" for a hold.** A deposit or hold that may settle for a different amount can be marked pending. It shows in a "Pending" card and is not counted in balances. Once the final charge is known, "Confirm expense" asks for it and re-splits everyone's share to match. ## What does EvenOut not do? Know the gaps before you rely on any app for a shared record. - **No edit history.** There is a "Group history" page showing what happened in a group, but EvenOut does not keep earlier versions of an expense. - **No money movement.** "Settle up" records a payment. EvenOut has no payment links and does not move money, so the transfer happens in your bank or payment app. - **No messaging or calendar.** Comments sit on expenses and payments. A reminder is an email or a shared message, limited to one per person per day. - **No data export.** You cannot save the record as a file. - **Not a legal record.** It is a shared ledger of who paid and who owes. Nothing in it replaces your court order or written agreement. ## What should you do next? Agree the percentages, and which costs need a yes before anyone buys, with the other parent before you pick a tool, since any app only applies what you tell it. The [co-parenting shared expenses list and reimbursement log](https://www.evenoutapp.com/templates/co-parenting-expense-list-template) gives you a printable table for that conversation, and then you can enter the same percentages in whichever app you choose. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can the other parent see everything I add? Yes. An expense belongs to the two of you, so both of you see it, along with its comments and any receipt photo. People appear by name, photo and username. EvenOut never shows or sends another person's email address. ### What if the other parent will not use the app? Make a group and add them as a guest. A guest is someone who is not on EvenOut yet, and you track their share now and invite them later. A guest cannot receive reminder emails, so you share a message instead, and only the person who made the guest can send the claim link. ### Does searching find what is written in a comment or a note? No. Search matches the description, the category, people's names, the group or friend name and the amount. Notes and comments are not searched, so put the word you will look for in the description, such as 'Camp deposit' or 'Dentist copay'. ### Can I show someone the whole record? You can open the friend page or group and show it on your screen. EvenOut has no data export, so there is no file or printout to hand over. If you need a copy of the record, keep your own.