Features — Shared ledger & balance

One shared ledger, one live balance

Stop reconstructing the month from bank apps and screenshots. Every shared expense lands in one ledger, and one number tells you where you stand.

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SharedNest Joint Ledger showing shared expenses, settlements and the live household balance — The Joint Ledger keeps shared expenses, private context and settlements easy to review. Demo data shown.

In short

A shared ledger is a single record of everything the household spends together, with each person's share attached. SharedNest keeps that record live: as expenses and settlements go in, one balance updates to show who owes whom and how much. A You / Household toggle switches between the shared picture and your own share.

What does the household balance actually show?

One signed number per person: what you have paid for the household, minus what your share came to, plus or minus any settlements. Positive means the household owes you; negative means you owe it.

Because every expense carries its own split rule, the balance is not an estimate. It is the arithmetic of what happened, and it holds up when somebody asks how it was calculated.

How do you settle up?

Open Settle, move the slider to the amount you are transferring, and record it. The settlement enters the ledger, the balance drops accordingly, and both people see the same history afterwards.

Partial settlements supported — you do not have to clear the whole balance
Every settlement is dated and attributed, so history stays auditable
Optional reminders when a balance sits above a threshold you choose

Can you see only your own money?

Yes. The You / Household toggle appears on Pulse, the Monthly Snapshot, the ledger and Insights. In You mode every figure narrows to your own share and your private spending, which is what makes SharedNest usable as a personal finance app as well.

What about filtering, editing and exporting?

Filter by period, category, payer or member; edit or delete an entry with an undo window; then export a clean report when you need one for taxes, a co-parenting conversation or your own records.

A worked example: a month in the ledger

Two people, a 60/40 split rule, one month of shared spending.

Alex paid: rent €1,200 + groceries €320: €1,520
Sam paid: utilities €180 + household items €140: €320
Total shared: €1,840
Alex's share (60%): €1,104
Sam's share (40%): €736
Balance: Sam owes Alex €416

Sam transfers €416 and records it in Settle. The balance returns to zero and the month closes with a record both people can check.

Questions people ask

Do we need a joint bank account?

No. SharedNest tracks who paid and what each share was, whatever account the money came from. Many households keep separate accounts and settle once a month.

Can both people edit the ledger?

Yes, every member of the household can add and edit shared entries, and every change is attributed so nothing is anonymous.

What happens to private expenses?

They appear in your own You view and in your personal insights, but never in the shared ledger or the household balance.

Can I export the ledger?

Yes. Filter to the period and categories you need and export a report — useful for tax season or a documented conversation about child costs.

Does it work on a phone?

The mobile view is deliberately narrow: Pulse, add expense, ledger, recurring and settle. Deeper analysis and settings are better on desktop or tablet.