Do both parents need to use the app?
It works best when both do, since the ledger is then genuinely shared. One parent can also track alone and export a report to send.
Use cases — Co-parents
Child costs, clear across two households
Separated parents do not need a relationship app. They need a neutral record that makes the money part unremarkable.
In short
For co-parents, SharedNest acts as a shared ledger for child-related costs across two homes: each expense is logged with a receipt and a share, the balance shows who is owed, and a report can be exported whenever a written record is needed.
Why do child expenses cause friction?
Because they are frequent, unevenly paid and easy to forget. School trips, shoes, a dentist visit and a birthday present arrive from both directions, and by the time anyone tallies them the details are gone.
A neutral ledger changes the tone of the conversation. Instead of two recollections competing, there is one dated list with receipts attached.
How does SharedNest handle two homes?
One household in the app can hold both parents. Each expense records who paid, which child-related category it belongs to, and the agreed share — 50/50, income-weighted, or a fixed percentage set by an agreement.
- Categories for school, childcare, medical, clothing and activities
- Receipts attached to each entry as evidence
- A single balance rather than two competing tallies
- Exportable reports by period or category
- Reminders when a balance passes the threshold you set
What about privacy between parents?
Only expenses you mark as shared are visible. Your own spending stays private and never enters the shared ledger, so the app covers the overlap without opening your personal finances.
Can it help with a formal agreement?
It gives you the documentation: a dated, categorised, receipt-backed record you can export. SharedNest is not legal advice, but it is the evidence a mediator or solicitor will ask for.
A worked example: one school term
Costs split 60/40 by income, paid unevenly across three months.
- School fees and materials
- €480
- After-school care
- €360
- Medical and dental
- €145
- Clothing and shoes
- €190
- Total
- €1,175
- Parent A paid
- €900
- Parent B owes
- €430 (after their €470 share less €40 paid)
One transfer closes the term. Both parents keep the same record, and neither has to relitigate a receipt from October.
Questions people ask
Can we split costs other than 50/50?
Yes. Income-weighted or fixed custom percentages are both supported, which matters when a court order or agreement sets the ratio.
Is the other parent able to see my personal spending?
No. Only expenses marked as shared appear to the other member. Everything else stays yours.
Can I get a report for mediation?
Yes — filter by date range and category and export a clean report with the receipts recorded against each entry.
Does it handle two currencies?
The household has one base currency from euro, dollar or pound, and each parent can choose how figures are displayed.
Keep reading
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