Couple budget template with shared and personal columns
Quick answer
A couple budget template lists each cost once, with three money columns: Shared, Mine and Theirs. Divide each take-home by the combined total to get an income share, then apply it to the Shared column. With take-homes of $5,200 and $3,800 and $2,700 of shared bills, the shares are 57.8% and 42.2%, so the bills split as $1,560 and $1,140.
Key points
- Each line has three money columns (Shared, Mine, Theirs), so shared bills and one-person costs sit side by side.
- Income share is each take-home divided by the combined total: $5,200 and $3,800 give 57.8% and 42.2%.
- On $2,700 of shared bills, those shares are $1,560 and $1,140, against $1,350 each for an equal split.
- Each partner gets a personal amount to spend without asking, and a quarterly review line recalculates the shares.
How to use this template
Fill in the income-share table first, then the plan, then use the review table every three months. The tables copy into a Google Sheets or Excel couple budget spreadsheet, or print as they are. Work in this order.
- Write each take-home. Use the same pay period and the same meaning of take-home for both people.
- Work out the income share. Divide each take-home by the combined total. In the example, 5,200 divided by 9,000 is 57.8%, and 3,800 divided by 9,000 is 42.2%.
- List the shared bills in the Shared column, and the costs that only one person covers in Mine or Theirs.
- Apply the share to the Shared total. 2,700 times 5,200 divided by 9,000 is $1,560. 2,700 times 3,800 divided by 9,000 is $1,140. The two add up to $2,700.
- Set a personal amount for each person, money spent without questions from the other.
- Fill in the review table on a date you both agreed to.
The example is hypothetical. Mine is Alex, who takes home $5,200. Theirs is Sam, who takes home $3,800.
The template
Income share
Alex carries 57.8% of anything shared and Sam carries 42.2%. These two percentages turn the Shared total into each person’s part.
| Take-home | Share of combined | |
|---|---|---|
| Mine (Alex) | $5,200 | 57.8% |
| Theirs (Sam) | $3,800 | 42.2% |
| Combined | $9,000 | 100% |
Plan for one month
Shared bills come to $2,700. Applying the income share makes that $1,560 for Alex and $1,140 for Sam, where an equal split would be $1,350 each.
| Line | Shared | Mine | Theirs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills you share | |||
| Rent | $1,500 | ||
| Utilities | $220 | ||
| Internet | $80 | ||
| Groceries | $650 | ||
| Subscriptions | $50 | ||
| Household and other | $200 | ||
| Total shared | $2,700 | ||
| Costs each person covers alone | |||
| Student loan | $350 | $0 | |
| Car payment and fuel | $0 | $320 | |
| Own phone and gym | $90 | $60 | |
| Savings transfer | $900 | $600 | |
| Total covered alone | $1,340 | $980 | |
| Share of the Shared total | $1,560 | $1,140 | |
| Total committed | $2,900 | $2,120 | |
| Personal spending | $350 | $350 | |
| Take-home | $5,200 | $3,800 | |
| Left over | $1,950 | $1,330 |
Left over is take-home minus the total committed minus personal spending. For Alex that is 5,200 minus 2,900 minus 350, or $1,950. For Sam it is 3,800 minus 2,120 minus 350, or $1,330.
Quarterly review
Fill this in on the date you agreed to look again. If either take-home has changed, redo the income-share table before anything else.
| Question | Mine | Theirs |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home now | ||
| Share of combined | ||
| Personal amount still right (yes or no) | ||
| Anything to move between Shared and alone |
What to agree on
The personal amount
The personal spending line is money each person can spend without explaining it. It is not divided by income share, and it does not have to be the same for both people. In the example both have $350, which is a choice the couple made, not a rule. Write the number you each pick and leave it alone until the review.
The same basis for both
Take-home pay can mean after tax only, or after tax and payroll deductions. Pick one meaning and use it for both people, because the shares come from comparing the two numbers and a mix of the two gives a wrong share.
The review date
Income changes, rent changes and a new subscription arrives. The share only stays accurate if it is recomputed, so put the next review date in the table before you leave the conversation. How to talk about money with your partner has a 30-minute agenda for the first session, and the income split calculator does the share arithmetic for any pair of numbers.
Keeping the Shared column current
EvenOut does not build budgets, so the plan stays on paper or in a sheet. What it can do is track the Shared column through the month: add each shared bill as an expense with your partner on the Friends tab (no group needed), type each person’s amount under “Exact amounts”, and the partner’s page shows who owes whom, with “Settle up” to record a payment once one of you has paid the other. Rent can be set to “Repeat” monthly. If you want actual spending logged row by row, the couple expense tracker template is the companion sheet.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set this up in Google Sheets or Excel?
Put the two take-homes in B2 and B3, then type =B2+B3 in B4 for the combined total. Each share is the take-home divided by B4, such as =B2/B4. Your part of the shared bills is the Shared total times that share. Use the unrounded fraction rather than a rounded percent, so the two amounts add up to exactly the Shared total.
How do we decide what is shared and what is mine?
A cost is shared when both people use it, such as rent, internet or groceries. It belongs to one person when only that person benefits, even if the other pays part of it, such as a car or a student loan. Write the line where it belongs and settle borderline ones at the quarterly review.
What if one partner has no income for a few months?
The formula still runs, but it gives 0% and 100%, because it divides by the combined take-home. If you want something different for those months, type the agreed amounts straight into the Mine and Theirs columns and write down the date you will look at them again.
How is this different from the couple expense tracker?
This template is the plan for the month ahead: what each person should put toward each line. The tracker logs what actually happened, one row per purchase, and works out who owes whom. Make the plan first, then use the tracker to see how the month went.
Keep reading
- Template Couple expense tracker template (who paid, who owes) A printable couple expense ledger with who paid, share percent and what is owed, plus a filled 8-row month in which one partner ends up owed $657.60.
- Comparison Best budget apps for couples in 2027 Honeydue, Monarch and YNAB compared for two people: what each partner sees, what a couple pays per year, and how EvenOut works out who owes whom.
- Guide How to talk about money with your partner: a 30-minute plan A 30-minute plan for talking about money with your partner: four numbers to bring, five things to decide, opening lines, and a one-page note filled in.
- Calculator Income-based split calculator Enter a bill and each person's income to see each share in dollars and percent, and how far it sits from an equal split. Shares add up to the cent.