Live. The assistant splits and chases on WhatsApp today.
Bill splitting for sharehouses
Homerun splits a house bill between housemates and then does the part that actually takes the time: chasing whoever has not paid. Send it the bill, it works out the shares, and it keeps a running tally the whole house can see.
Last updated
At a glance
- What it is
- A bill splitter for Australian sharehouses that also chases the housemates who have not paid.
- Status
- Live. The assistant answers on WhatsApp.
- Which bills
- Electricity, gas, internet, water and anything else the house pays for together.
- What it costs
- Free during private beta. AU$0.
- Where it works
- Australia.
- What you need to start
- WhatsApp and a phone number. There is no app to download and no account to create before your first message.
- Who can see the tally
- Every housemate, not only the person who paid the bill.
- What it does not do
- Homerun does not hold, move or process anyone's money. It works out the shares and keeps the record.
Splitting the bill takes ten seconds. Collecting it takes three weeks.
Every tool on the market solves the ten seconds. You point it at a number, it divides by four, and it hands back a figure you could have worked out in your head.
Then it stops, and the actual job starts. Someone has to post it in the chat. Someone has to ask again on Sunday. Someone has to decide whether thirty eight dollars is worth being the person who keeps bringing it up. That is the part that wears houses down, and it always lands on whoever paid.
How it works
Send Homerun the bill
Message the assistant on WhatsApp with what the bill is and what it came to. There is nothing to install first.
It works out the shares
Homerun splits it across the house and posts what each housemate owes, so the number comes from the assistant rather than from one housemate.
It does the chasing
Homerun tracks who has paid and nudges whoever has not, and any housemate can ask it where things stand.
What Homerun does with a house bill
Works out each share
Homerun splits the bill across the house and posts what each housemate owes.
Chases whoever has not paid
Homerun nudges the housemates who still owe, so the person who paid the bill is not the one doing the asking.
Keeps a running tally
Ask Homerun who owes what and it comes back with the current position, visible to the whole house.
Covers the shared bills
Electricity, gas, internet, water and anything else the house pays for together.
Keeps the record in one place
What was billed, how it was split and who has settled, rather than four people scrolling their own bank apps.
Works from a message
Adding a bill is a message on WhatsApp, so nobody has to open an app or log in to do it.
Splitting bills by hand, and splitting them with Homerun
| The job | By hand or in a spreadsheet | With Homerun |
|---|---|---|
| Working out the shares | One housemate does the maths | The assistant splits it and posts each share |
| Telling the house | A message that has scrolled away by Wednesday | Posted by the assistant, with the tally kept |
| Chasing whoever has not paid | Falls on the housemate who paid the bill | Homerun nudges them |
| Knowing where things stand | Everyone has a slightly different idea | One running tally anyone can ask for |
| Doing it again next month | The whole thing from scratch | The same message, and the assistant already knows the house |
The running tally, and the remind button
Balances and reminders
Bills and shares
Screens from the Homerun app. Names and figures are examples.
From the housemate who always paid first
We had used a splitting app before. It was great at telling me I was owed forty dollars and useless at getting me forty dollars.
Ruby C.Sharehouse of 4, Leichhardt The maths was never the problem. Asking three times was the problem.
Ash V.Sharehouse of 5, Kelvin Grove I had stopped putting bills in the group chat because it felt naggy. Now it is not me doing the asking.
Leo M.Sharehouse of 3, Footscray
Common questions
How do you split bills with housemates?
Agree how the bill is shared, tell everyone what they owe, then track who has actually paid. Homerun does all three: message the assistant with the bill and it works out the shares, posts them and chases whoever has not paid.
Does it chase people, or only do the maths?
It chases. Homerun tracks who has paid and nudges whoever has not, which is the part that takes the time.
Which bills can Homerun split?
Electricity, gas, internet, water and anything else the house pays for together.
Does Homerun handle the money?
No. Homerun works out the shares and keeps the record of who has paid. It does not hold, move or process anyone's money.
How much does it cost?
Splitting bills with Homerun is free during private beta, at AU$0. There is no fee per bill and no fee to settle up.
Do I need to download an app?
No. You add a bill by messaging the assistant. There is a Homerun app as well, where the running tally and the settle-up history live.
Can a bill be split unevenly?
Yes. Shares do not have to be equal, so a bill can be split by room, by who was actually home for the quarter, or by whatever the house has already agreed.
Stop being the one who asks.
Message the assistant on WhatsApp with your next house bill and let it do the chasing. There is nothing to install.
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