Group gift calculator: cost per person
Quick answer
Add the gift price, tax and shipping, and the card to get the total. Divide it by the number of people you expect to say yes, not by everyone you ask, then round up to the next dollar or $5. For a $240 gift asked of 12 coworkers, with 70% expected to chip in, 8 people give $30 each.
Key points
- Divide the total by the people likely to say yes, not by everyone invited, or the gift will fall short.
- Round the ask up, never down, so a rounded amount still covers the total.
- In the example, if all 12 coworkers say yes at $30, the pot is $360, which is $120 more than the $240 needed.
- Check the smallest turnout you can live with: 6 people at $30 raise $180 and leave $60 to find.
On this page
Ask each person for $30.00
Total to raise $240.00
People expected to chip in 8
Collected if everyone you ask pays $360.00
Left over for a card or a better gift $120.00
Collected if only the fewest pay $180.00
Still short if only the fewest pay $60.00
Show the formula
- Total to raise = gift price + tax and shipping + card and wrapping
- Expected givers = people you will ask × share who say yes ÷ 100, rounded down, and at least 1
- Ask per person = total to raise ÷ expected givers, rounded up to the cent and then up to the next step you chose
- Collected if everyone you ask pays = ask per person × people you will ask. Left over = collected minus total to raise
- Collected if only the fewest pay = ask per person × fewest people who must pay. Still short = total to raise minus that, if it is above 0
When to use this calculator
Use it before you send the first message about a gift. The number to avoid is the total divided by everyone invited, because not everyone invited will chip in. The calculator works from the people you expect to say yes, so the amount you ask for covers the gift even when some people stay quiet.
How the calculator sets the ask
Enter the three costs, how many people you will ask and the share you expect to say yes. The calculator does five things:
- Total to raise. The gift price, tax and shipping, and the card and wrapping, added together.
- Expected givers. The people you will ask times the share who say yes, rounded down, and never fewer than 1.
- Ask per person. The total divided by the expected givers, rounded up to the cent.
- The step. The ask is then rounded up to the next dollar or the next $5, whichever you chose (any whole dollar from 1 to 20 works), so it is a number people can send.
- The checks. It shows the pot if everyone you ask pays, and the pot if only your minimum number pays.
The 70% in the box is a starting guess, not a typical turnout. Use what you know about the group.
Worked example: a $240 gift for 12 coworkers
Say the gift costs $210, tax and shipping are $20, and the card and wrapping are $10. The total is $240. You will ask 12 coworkers and expect 70% to say yes: 12 × 70% = 8.4, which rounds down to 8 givers. $240 ÷ 8 = $30, which is already on a $5 step.
The ask falls as you ask more people, because more people are expected to pay.
| People asked | Expected to pay | Ask at the $1 step | Ask at the $5 step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 5 | $48 | $50 |
| 10 | 7 | $35 | $35 |
| 12 | 8 | $30 | $30 |
| 15 | 10 | $24 | $25 |
| 20 | 14 | $18 | $20 |
Each row uses the same $240 total and 70% share. Rounding to the $5 step adds $2 at most in this table.
What the leftover and the shortfall tell you
Whatever turnout you get, the pot is the ask times the number who pay. At $30 for the $240 gift:
| People who pay | Collected | Compared with $240 |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | $360 | $120 over |
| 8 | $240 | Covered exactly |
| 6 | $180 | $60 short |
The $120 over is the extra you collect when all 12 say yes at $30. It can go toward a better gift or a larger card, or be handed back at $10 each ($120 ÷ 12). If you would rather not collect extra, send a first message asking who is in, then divide the total by the real count. With 10 yes answers that is $24 each.
The $60 short at 6 payers is what you or those 6 people would have to cover, which is $10 more each ($60 ÷ 6).
Common mistakes
- Dividing by everyone invited. $240 ÷ 12 is $20, but if only 8 pay $20 you hold $160 and are $80 short.
- Leaving out tax, shipping and the card. In the example they add $30, which is $3.75 for each of the 8 givers.
- Rounding the ask down. A $26 ask from 9 people raises $234 against $240. The calculator only rounds up.
Tracking who paid in EvenOut
EvenOut does not collect money, but it can keep the record. Once you know who chipped in, the person who bought the gift adds it as one expense in a group, split equally, and taps anyone who did not chip in to leave them out. A coworker who is not on EvenOut can be added as a guest, so their share is tracked now and they can claim it later. When someone pays you back, you record it with Settle up. EvenOut does not move the money.
The plan for the asking itself, including what to say, is in how to collect money for a group gift. For an office, office gift collection etiquette covers caps and envelopes, and how to ask coworkers to chip in for a gift has wording you can copy. For a wedding, see how to split the cost of a group wedding gift.
Frequently asked questions
Do I count myself when I organize the gift?
Yes, if you are chipping in. Count yourself among the people you will ask. Asking 12 coworkers and giving yourself makes 13 people, which at 70% means 9 expected givers instead of 8.
When is the $1 step better than the $5 step?
When you expect the turnout to land close to your guess. With 13 people asked and 9 paying, the $1 step asks $27 and leaves $3 over, while the $5 step asks $30 and leaves $30 over. The $5 step leaves more room if fewer people pay.
What if fewer people say yes than I guessed?
Run it again with the real number. Set people you will ask to the number who said yes and the share to 100. For the $240 gift and 6 yes answers, the ask comes to $40 each.
Keep reading
- Guide How to collect money for a group gift Five ways to collect money for a group gift: EvenOut tracking, Venmo or Apple Cash requests, Cash App and PayPal Pools, and cash, with the fees and rules.
- Guide Office gift collection etiquette: rules, ranges, envelopes Keep a gift collection at work voluntary and private: suggest a range, use an envelope, give the boss a group gift, and know what to do when someone can't pay.
- Guide How to ask coworkers to chip in for a gift (with messages) Ready-to-send chat and email messages to ask coworkers to chip in for a farewell, birthday, baby or wedding gift, plus a reminder, a close-out and a timeline.
- Guide Group wedding gift: how to split the cost Split a group wedding gift by dividing the price by the people giving: $200 or $300 across 4 to 12 givers, who buys it, and the coworker version.