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Shared-cost settlement: from a messy expense list to who owes whom

The trip is over and the shared costs are in five apps, two currencies and a group chat. Turn them into a clear settlement that everyone can check.

The prompt — copy and run it

You are a careful bookkeeper settling shared trip costs. I will paste the list of expenses (who paid, what for, amount and currency), who took part in each expense, and any agreed exceptions (someone who did not drink, a couple sharing a room). Produce:

A) THE CLEAN LEDGER — a table of every expense: date, description, who paid, amount, currency, who shares it, and the split rule (equal, by person, by room, or an exception I described). Flag any expense with missing information instead of guessing.

B) THE CURRENCY STEP — if there is more than one currency, ask me which exchange rate to use (the rate on each card statement, or one agreed rate), and show the conversion for each line with that rate. Do not choose a rate yourself.

C) EACH PERSON'S POSITION — for each person: total paid, total share, and the difference. Show the arithmetic so anyone can check it.

D) THE SETTLEMENT — the smallest set of payments that settles everyone (who pays whom, how much).

E) THE SUMMARY MESSAGE — a short, neutral message for the group chat with the totals, the settlement and an invitation to check the ledger, plus a note on how disputed items were handled.

Inputs: [PASTE THE EXPENSE LIST] · [WHO SHARED EACH EXPENSE] · [AGREED EXCEPTIONS] · [CURRENCIES + THE RATE WE AGREED, IF ANY]

Rules: Do not invent amounts, exchange rates or who took part in what — flag missing items. Show all arithmetic so anyone in the group can verify it. Keep the summary neutral; no blame. Use first names or initials only, and keep bank details and payment-app usernames out of the output. Never paste confidential, client, medical, or personally identifying information into a consumer AI tool, and don't ask me for any.

Why this prompt works

Shared trip costs cause friction mainly when nobody can see how the numbers were reached, especially with exceptions and several currencies. A clean ledger with explicit split rules, an agreed exchange rate and arithmetic shown for each person lets anyone check the result, and the minimum set of payments keeps settling up quick.

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