🧠 What Are Balances?
A balance in Disteven represents how much someone owes or is owed in a group or friendship.
Each time someone pays for a shared expense, the amount is split among all involved. Disteven keeps track of how much each person has paid vs how much they should have paid.
💡 Example
Alex pays $60 for dinner for 3 people (Alex, Jamie, and Taylor).
Each person’s share is $20.
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Alex paid $60 but only owed $20 → they’re owed $40.
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Jamie and Taylor paid $0 but owed $20 → each owes $20.
🧮 How Are Balances Calculated?
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Total Paid by Each Person – How much they contributed to the group expenses.
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Total Share of Each Person – How much they should have contributed based on splits.
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Balance =
Total Paid - Total Share
This calculation is done automatically across all expenses in a group or between two friends.
📊 Where Can I See Balances?
You can view balances in multiple places:
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Group page:
Shows how much each member owes or is owed overall. -
Expense details:
See how the split worked for that individual expense.
🔄 How Settlements Work
Settlements are used to clear up balances when someone pays another person outside of Disteven (e.g. via cash, UPI, bank transfer, etc.)
You can record a payment in Disteven to update the owed balances without adding an expense.
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Go to the group or friend page.
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Click "Settle Up" with the person you’re settling with.
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Enter the amount paid and the method (optional).
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Confirm the settlement.
This won’t move real money, but it updates the internal balances in Disteven.
📘 Example Walkthrough
Let’s say your group looks like this:
Person | Paid | Share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
You | $100 | $50 | +$50 |
Sam | $0 | $50 | -$50 |
You settle up with Sam. They pay you $50 in real life, and you record that in Disteven as a settlement.
Now the group's balance is zeroed out for both parties.
⚠️ Notes About Settlements
🔒 Settlements are final – they don’t delete any expenses, but they do affect balances.
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You can see past settlements in the activity or history tab.
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If a settlement was made in error, you can delete it to reverse the balance change.
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Only the person who created a settlement can delete it.
✅ Best Practices
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Settle periodically to keep your balances tidy.
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Use comments in settlements to note payment methods (e.g. “Paid via UPI”).
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Encourage fairness: settle based on the actual balances shown in the group.
📌 Summary
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Balances = what you owe or are owed based on shared expenses.
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Settlements help you track external payments and clear up balances.
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Disteven does the math — you just focus on who paid, and for what!