How to add a negative expense or refund in Splitwise
Quick answer
Splitwise adds a refund as an expense for the refunded amount with the Reimbursement split, which is available on the web app only. Add an expense, enter the amount, open the split options and click the dollar bill icon. On mobile, edit the original expense down to the new cost, or delete it if the whole amount was refunded.
Key points
- Splitwise handles a refund as a Reimbursement split. As of October 2026 that option is web only, and the mobile apps cannot add one.
- On mobile, edit the original expense to the new cost, or delete it when the whole amount was refunded.
- A $640 hotel bill with a $160 refund becomes a $480 expense, so each of 4 people owes $120 instead of $160.
- If payments were already recorded, leave them alone. After the edit the person who was paid may owe money back.
- EvenOut works like the Splitwise mobile app here: change the amount with Edit expense, or delete the expense and restore it later.
On this page
Can you enter a negative amount in Splitwise?
Splitwise’s own steps enter the refunded amount as an ordinary figure and switch the split type to Reimbursement. As of October 2026, Splitwise says refunds and reimbursements can be added from the web app and the feature is not supported on the mobile apps yet.
Splitwise’s article on canceled trips calls the same thing a “negative expense” and gives the same web-only steps. Its split-types list sums it up: Reimbursement is for refunds or reimbursements, when one person received a refund and needs to distribute it to others.
How do you record a refund as its own expense?
Use the web app, with the group or friendship open:
- Open Splitwise on the web, then open the group or friendship where the refund belongs.
- Click “Add an expense”.
- Enter the amount and the other details, such as a description like “Hotel refund” and the date.
- Click “equally” in the split line to open the split options.
- Click the dollar bill icon to switch the split method to “Reimbursement”.
- Enter the amounts each person should receive and save.
According to Splitwise’s canceled-trip article, the person who received the refund then owes each friend an equal share of it.
Say Priya booked a $640 hotel for 4 people, $160 each. The hotel refunds her $160 for a cancelled night. She adds “Hotel refund”, $160, with the Reimbursement split, which gives each friend a $40 share. Each friend’s debt to Priya falls from $160 to $120. Everyone’s final cost is $120, which is $480 divided by 4.
Should you add a refund or fix the original expense?
It depends on whether you want the original expense left as it is. Splitwise suggests three routes:
| The situation | What Splitwise suggests | The $640 hotel example |
|---|---|---|
| Refunded in full | Delete the original expense | $640 comes back, so delete the $640 expense |
| Refunded in part | Edit the original expense down to the new cost | $160 comes back, so edit $640 to $480 |
| You want the original left as it is | Add the refund as a separate Reimbursement entry on the web | A $160 entry gives each friend a $40 share back |
The first two routes work on mobile. Splitwise gives its own example of the edit: a $50 refund on a $150 expense means editing the cost down to $100.
To edit on mobile, tap the expense, tap the pencil icon to open the Edit expense screen, tap the amount field, enter the new cost and save. To delete, tap the expense and then the trash can icon, or “Delete expense” lower on the screen. Deleting or editing the original adjusts everyone’s balances so the new numbers display correctly.
What if payments were already recorded?
Leave them as they are. Splitwise says not to edit or delete payments already sent and recorded in the group. Changing the original expense adjusts the balances, and people who were paid may find they now owe some of that money back.
Say the three friends each paid Priya $160 under Settle up before the refund came in. After she edits the hotel to $480, each friend’s share is $120, so each of them overpaid by $40. Priya now owes each of them $40, and the group shows that balance without anyone touching the payments. The refund pays for it: she received $160 and owes back $120 in total.
How do you check the new balances?
Open the group’s balances and compare each person’s number with your own arithmetic. If a number looks wrong, why a Splitwise balance looks wrong lists the usual causes, and editing, deleting and restoring an expense covers the undo steps. The full list of split methods, including by shares and by adjustment, is in Splitwise split types.
How does EvenOut handle a refund?
EvenOut follows the same approach as the Splitwise mobile app. Open the expense, tap “Edit expense”, change the amount and tap “Save changes”. For a full refund, tap “Delete expense”. A deleted expense shows “This expense was deleted” with a “Restore” button, and the expense stops counting toward balances while it is deleted.
EvenOut does not keep an edit history, so add a comment that says what changed, such as “Hotel refunded $160, new cost $480”. The comment stays on the expense for everyone in the group to see.
Frequently asked questions
Can the refund be split unequally in Splitwise?
Yes. Splitwise's help article tells you to enter the amounts each person should receive before you save. Its article on canceled trips describes the default result differently: the person who received the refund owes each friend an equal share of it. Set the amounts yourself if the original split was not equal.
Does deleting an expense erase it for good?
No. On mobile, open the Activity tab, tap the record that says you deleted the expense, and tap Restore in the upper right corner. On the web, open Recent activity and click Undelete expense. Anyone who was originally included on the expense can restore it.
What is the difference between a refund and a payment?
A refund changes what the group owes. A payment records money moving between two people. If the hotel refunds you $160 and you hand each friend their share, you first record the refund so the balance shows what you owe, then record each payment under Settle up.
Which split types does Splitwise offer?
Equally, by exact amounts, by percentage, by shares, by adjustment, Reimbursement and itemized. Splitwise labels Reimbursement as web only. On the mobile app, Pro subscribers can itemize by scanning a receipt, and only that scanning step is marked as Pro.
Sources
Checked October 6, 2026.
- Splitwise Help Center: How do I add a refund or reimbursement?
- Splitwise: My trip was canceled! How to handle refunded expenses.
- Splitwise Help Center: What are different ways I can split an expense?
- Splitwise Help Center: How can I restore a deleted expense?
- Splitwise Help Center: Can I clear my recent activity?
Keep reading
- Guide Edit, delete and restore an expense in Splitwise On mobile, tap an expense and use the pencil to edit or the trash can to delete, then restore it from Activity. Anyone involved in it can do all three.
- Guide Split types in Splitwise: equal, exact, percent and shares How to split an expense unequally in Splitwise, with the exact taps, then one $120 dinner worked four ways: equal, exact amounts, percentages and shares.
- Guide Splitwise balance looks wrong? How to audit it step by step If a Splitwise balance looks wrong, run five checks in order: Activity, Simplify Debts, currency labels, the Totals screen, then a line-by-line export.
- Guide How to undo a Splitwise settle up (and what it can't cancel) Delete the payment record to undo a Splitwise settle up and put the balance back. It does not cancel a Splitwise Pay, Venmo or PayPal transfer.
- Guide How to split a hotel room cost between friends A hotel rate is per room, not per person. With 2 rooms, 3 nights and 5 people, a $1,452 bill is $290.40 each equally, or $275.00 and $313.50 by room.
- Article How to split expenses on a group trip A 5-person, 4-night trip worked line by line: who fronts what, each person's balance, and the 4 payments that settle a $1,810 trip, plus a two-currency leg.