Why split by family size
An even split charges a couple the same as a family of five for the same house. Splitting by headcount charges each family for the beds, food and tickets it actually uses.
Take a $4,200 beach house shared by three families:
| Family | Adults | Children | Even | Per person | Children at half |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family A | 2 | 3 | $1,400 | $2,100 | $1,837.50 |
| Family B | 2 | 0 | $1,400 | $840 | $1,050 |
| Family C | 2 | 1 | $1,400 | $1,260 | $1,312.50 |
Per person, that's 10 people at $420 each. With children at half a share, it's 8 shares at $525, so each child costs $262.50.
Children: full, half or free?
There's no standard answer, so agree on it before the trip rather than after. Common choices: babies and toddlers free, older children at half for food-heavy costs, and everyone counted fully once they need their own bed or ticket.
What to split by headcount, and what not to
- By headcount: lodging, groceries, shared meals, park and event tickets.
- Evenly between families: costs that don't grow with people, like a cleaning fee or a boat charter priced per boat.
- Each family's own: their flights, their own car, anything only they used.
Keeping track during the trip
Costs come in from different people all week. In Call It Square each family is one member with a party size. Anyone can add an expense as it happens, any one expense can be split among just the families who were in on it, and at the end it shows the fewest payments that settle everyone up.
For half shares there, count everyone double: adults as 2 and children as 1. It's invite-only for now.
Another calculator
Split bills by income: for rent and household bills when one person earns more than the other.