# How to split rent with your partner: three rules with real numbers

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-split-rent-with-partner
Updated: 2026-10-06

Partners can choose between three rules for rent: 50/50, by take-home pay, or equal money left after rent. On a $2,150 rent with take-homes of $3,900 and $2,600, those are $1,075 each, $1,290 and $860, or $1,725 and $425. Test each against what is left after rent, then write the rule down.

Key points:
- 50/50 on $2,150 is $1,075 each. That is 27.6% of a $3,900 take-home and 41.3% of a $2,600 one.
- By income gives $1,290 and $860. Each partner pays 33.1% of take-home, so the split scales with pay.
- Equal leftover keeps $2,175 for each partner after rent. The higher earner pays 50/50 plus half the income gap, and it only works when the rent is bigger than the gap.
- A $150 rent increase adds $75 each under 50/50 and equal leftover, and $90 and $60 under income.

## What are the three ways partners split rent?

Partners on one lease can choose between 50/50, a split by take-home pay, and a split that leaves each person the same money after rent. Say Priya and Sam pay $2,150 a month. Priya takes home $3,900 and Sam takes home $2,600, so together they take home $6,500.

| Rule | Priya pays | Sam pays | Left after rent (Priya / Sam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50/50 | $1,075 | $1,075 | $2,825 / $1,525 |
| By income | $1,290 | $860 | $2,610 / $1,740 |
| Equal leftover | $1,725 | $425 | $2,175 / $2,175 |

Each row adds to $2,150. The choice changes what each partner keeps by up to $650 a month.

## How is each amount worked out?

Each rule is a short calculation.

- **50/50.** $2,150 ÷ 2 = $1,075 each. Priya hands over 27.6% of her take-home and Sam 41.3%.
- **By income.** Priya's share is $3,900 ÷ $6,500 = 60%, and Sam's is 40%. Priya pays $2,150 × 60% = $1,290 and Sam pays $2,150 × 40% = $860. Each pays 33.1% of their own take-home. The method has its own page: [how to split bills based on income](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-bills-based-on-income).
- **Equal leftover.** Combined take-home of $6,500 minus the $2,150 rent is $4,350, and half of that is $2,175. Each person keeps $2,175, so Priya pays $3,900 minus $2,175, which is $1,725, and Sam pays $2,600 minus $2,175, which is $425.

Equal leftover is 50/50 with a transfer added. The income gap is $1,300, and half of it is $650. Priya pays $1,075 + $650 = $1,725 and Sam pays $1,075 minus $650 = $425.

## When does equal leftover stop working?

It stops working when the income gap is bigger than the rent. With take-homes of $4,500 and $1,500, the gap is $3,000. The lower earner's share is $2,150 ÷ 2 minus $3,000 ÷ 2, which is $1,075 minus $1,500, or negative $425. The formula would have the higher earner pay $2,575, more than the whole rent, and hand $425 to the other partner. Past that point, the lower earner pays nothing toward rent and the partners need another rule for the rest.

## What happens when the rent or an income changes?

Re-run the rule with the new figure, and note what each rule does to a change. Say the rent rises $150 to $2,300 a month.

- **50/50.** Each pays $75 more, so $1,150 each.
- **By income.** Priya pays 60% of the rise, $90, so $1,380. Sam pays 40%, $60, so $920.
- **Equal leftover.** Each pays $75 more, so Priya pays $1,800 and Sam pays $500.

If Sam's take-home drops to $1,400 for 3 months, an income split on the original $2,150 rent becomes 3,900 ÷ 5,300 = 73.6% for Priya. She pays $1,582.08 and Sam pays $567.92. Put an end date on the temporary split, so it does not become permanent by default.

## How should the rent reach the landlord?

One partner pays the landlord, and the other sends their share on a set day before the due date. If the rent is due on the 1st, the 28th is a safe date to have the other share arrive. Alternatively, both of you can move a fixed amount on payday into a bills account that pays the rent, which [a joint bills account](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/joint-account-for-bills-only) covers.

## How do you set it up in EvenOut?

Make a "Household" group with your partner, or add the rent as an expense with them as a friend. Then:

1. Tap "Add expense", type $2,150, and set "Paid by" to whoever sends the money to the landlord.
2. For an income split, open the split sheet, choose "Percent" and type 60 and 40. The sheet shows $1,290 and $860 under the names. For equal leftover, choose "Exact amounts" and type $1,725 and $425. The pill reads "All assigned".
3. Under "Photo, repeat, pending or note", set "Repeat" to "Monthly". EvenOut adds each later one for you. Setting it up needs a connection.

When the rent changes, open "Repeating expenses" and tap "Stop repeating" before the next date. Then add the new amount as an expense for the first month at the new rent, with "Repeat" set to "Monthly" again. Record each transfer with "Settle up". EvenOut records the payment, and you send the money yourselves.

## What should you do next?

Run your own numbers through all three rules, compare what each of you keeps, and send one message that states the rule, the amounts and the date you will review them. The [rent split calculator by income](https://www.evenoutapp.com/tools/rent-split-calculator-by-income) does the percent version for you. If one of you is moving into the other's home, [how to split rent and bills when moving in together](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/split-expenses-when-moving-in-together) covers the first months.

## Frequently asked questions

### Should you split rent with your boyfriend or girlfriend?

There is no single right split. What matters is what each option costs compared with take-home pay and what each of you keeps after rent. Use the table to see both for your own numbers, then write down the rule and a date to look at it again.

### How should you split a security deposit with a partner?

Treat it as its own line, not part of monthly rent, and use the same rule. On a $2,150 deposit, an income split is $1,290 and $860. Write down who receives it back at the end, and how any deduction from it is shared.

### What if only one partner is on the lease?

The lease decides who the landlord deals with, and your split decides who pays whom. Record the other partner's share the same way, and send lease questions, such as extra occupants, to the landlord. The split between the two of you is a separate agreement.

### How often should you revisit the rule?

At each lease renewal, after the first 3 months, and whenever either take-home changes by more than a figure you pick, such as 10%. Put the date in both calendars so the review happens on schedule rather than after a bad month.