Splitting one bill across properties or businesses (shared expenses)

Some costs cover more than one property or business at once, such as a vehicle, a phone, or use of your home. Shared expenses let you record that bill a single time and divide it across the entities it relates to, so each one keeps its own correct figures.

What shared expenses are for

A shared expense is one bill that covers more than one property or more than one self-employment business. Instead of typing the same cost several times and working out each slice by hand, you enter the bill once, choose how to divide it, and the app writes a separate, ordinary expense onto each property or business you picked.

That last point matters: every slice is saved as a real transaction on the entity it belongs to, exactly like one you typed in directly. There is no spreadsheet-of-totals sitting outside the app. Because each slice is a genuine recorded transaction, it flows through your quarterly updates, your ownership split, and the Reconciliation screen unchanged.

Who can use it

Shared expenses are part of MTD Lite.

• Splitting across properties needs MTD Lite and at least two properties you actively own.
• Splitting across self-employment businesses needs MTD Lite (which includes both income types together) and at least two self-employment businesses.

The Free plan does not include shared expenses. See Plans and pricing for what each plan covers.

Split one bill across properties

1. Go to Transactions (/transactions).
2. Click the Shared expense button in the toolbar, next to Add Transaction. (It shows when your plan includes it and you own at least two properties.)
3. On the Add shared expense page, enter the Total amount (the whole bill, greater than zero, to at most two decimal places).
4. Pick the Date on receipt.
5. Choose an HMRC category. A sensible default is pre-selected, and you can change it. The picker lists the quarterly expense categories.
6. Add a Description (optional) if you want one. This is not required.
7. Under Properties to split across, tick the properties to include. You need at least two, and all eligible properties are ticked for you to start with.
8. Under How to split, choose Equal or Custom (see below).
9. Check the breakdown card reads Splits sum to the total exactly.
10. Click Save shared expense. You are returned to Transactions with a confirmation, and one expense has been added to each property you chose.

Split one bill across self-employment businesses

The flow mirrors the property one but lives under self-employment.

1. Go to Self-employment transactions (/self-employment/transactions).
2. Open the Add shared expense page (/self-employment/transactions/new/shared).
3. Enter the Total amount and pick the Date on receipt.
4. Choose an HMRC category. Consolidated Expenses is deliberately not offered here, because it cannot be combined with itemised entries at submission.
5. Add a Description (optional) if you want one.
6. Under Businesses to split across, tick at least two businesses (all are pre-selected to start).
7. Choose Equal or Custom, then click Save shared expense.

Equal or Custom split

You decide how the bill is divided:

• Equal spreads the total evenly across every entity you ticked. The app works in whole pence and hands any odd penny to the first entities, so the slices always add back up to the total.
• Custom lets you type the amount each entity bears. Use Distribute equally to seed an even split as a starting point, then adjust. The amounts must add up to the total exactly.

The breakdown card shows each entity's amount and percentage as you go, and confirms Splits sum to the total exactly. before you can save. If they do not match, it tells you how much you are over or under.

Tip: All amounts, including the total, must be in whole pence (at most two decimal places). If you see "Amounts must be in whole pence", round the figures to two decimals.

Viewing or removing a shared expense

Each slice appears in the transactions list with a shared-expense badge. Opening one shows a Shared expense panel with the total, date, category, split method, and the per-entity breakdown with percentages, plus a link to the receipt if one exists.

There is no edit-the-split flow. To change how a bill is divided, click Delete shared expense, confirm, and create a new one. Deleting removes the parent and every slice in one go. If you only need to tweak a single entity's figure, you can edit that one child entry from the transactions list instead.

Important: Apportioning a mixed cost for tax (how much of a vehicle, phone, or use of home is allowable, and on what basis) is a judgement the app does not make for you. It records only the split you enter. Check the correct treatment with HMRC guidance or your accountant.

If something goes wrong

• No "Shared expense" button on the Transactions page. Your plan does not include it (the Free plan is excluded), or you do not actively own at least two properties. Both conditions must hold for the button to appear.
• Opening the shared page bounces you elsewhere. With fewer than two eligible properties, the page sends you to add another property, or to the self-employment shared flow if you have two or more businesses instead.
• The Save button stays disabled, or "Select at least two..." You have ticked fewer than two entities, the total is empty or zero, or (in Custom) the amounts do not add up to the total. Tick at least two, enter a positive total, and use Distribute equally to balance a custom split.
• "Amounts come to ... over/under the total." A custom split does not sum to the bill total. Adjust until the card reads Splits sum to the total exactly.
• "Quarter already submitted" with an "Open amendment flow" link. The date you chose falls inside a quarter you have already sent to HMRC, so it cannot be added or removed directly. Pick a date outside that quarter, or correct the submitted figures through the amendment flow. See The cumulative model and corrections.
• "You do not have access to one or more selected properties." Only properties you actively own (as owner), and businesses that are yours, can be included. Remove any you no longer own.
• Deleting is blocked. If a slice sits in a quarter already submitted to HMRC, the bulk delete is blocked. Use the amendment flow to handle the submitted figure instead.

Frequently asked questions

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