How Couples With Different Incomes Split Bills

23.

And finally, “When my partner and I moved in together in 2003, he made $40,000 a year, and I made $12 an hour. We decided to split shared expenses based on take-home pay, and we have a spreadsheet with all our shared bills including rent, utilities, groceries, a shared phone family plan, Netflix, and a joint savings plan for home expenses.

“We each enter our monthly income, and the spreadsheet tells us how much money we each owe into a shared account that we use for bills.

“For a few years, he contributed more, and it was, like, 60/40, but we both have had fluctuations in pay, so sometimes, I have covered 90/10 with no bitterness or blame. 

“Now, I make $80,000 at a job I love, and we agreed he should quit his high-paying job to pursue his dreams, so he only makes $20,000 now. We’ve always felt it’s fair, because we take the changes life throws at us together.”

—nicetrymason