Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started · Sharing · Mistakes · Settling up · Currencies · Your data · Organiser Pass

Getting started

Where do I find things?

Most things are in the event's menu. On the event card, tap ⋮ (••• on iPhone). Everything else, like Currency settings and Manage my data, is in the main menu at the top of the screen.

How do I create an event?

From the home screen, tap “+ Event”. Add an event name and description. Add your friends, enter their name and choose their Tallykins. Save the event and then you can start adding transactions.

Need to group friends? Drag friends on to each other to create a group. Really useful for settlements later.

What types of transactions can I add?

You can add three types of transactions:

• Add expense - Tap “+ Expense” on the event card to enter expense details (on a collapsed card, it's in the event's menu). Tap the friends that paid, or tap TallyCash if it was paid from the cash kitty. Tap friends twice to exclude them from the transaction - one more tap to add them back in - easy 😁. Long press any friend to adjust amounts and shares.
• Tally up - Open the event's menu and choose Tally up to record payments between friends.
• Add cash - Manage a cash kitty using TallyCash. Tap the + button on TallyCash to add cash to the kitty. Then record an amount and log friend contributions.

How does Tallykins work out who owes what?

Each friend is represented by a fluffy Tallykins, with their balance displayed below so everyone knows what they owe 🤗.

Example expense transaction

Three friends had dinner and Clare paid the £300.00 bill. They shared the expense equally, so each benefitted £100.00.

Clare is owed £200.00. Jon and Fred each owe (Clare) £100.00. In this simple example the benefit is shared evenly. The default is an even share, and if the total doesn't divide evenly Tallykins will automatically add the extra pennies to one or more of the friends.

If Fred “didn't have the Calamari, and doesn't want to pay for the Calamari”... don't worry, you can manually adjust the benefit to allow for that!

Simple, fair expense tracking in action

Does Tallykins like emojis in the app?

Go for it, in event names, friend names and transaction descriptions!! 😀😁🤣😗🥰

Sharing and joining

Can I share an event with friends?

Yes, and it's free. Open the event's menu and choose Share with friends, the first option. If you haven't already, you'll be asked to sign in with Google or Apple, so your event can be recovered if you change phones and deleted if you ask.

You'll get a 6-character code. Tap it to copy, or tap Share invite to send it to your group. Friends can then check balances and add expenses from their own phones.

Once it's shared, the menu has Invite friends to get a new code, and Friend access to see who's joined or remove someone.

Asked to buy a Pass to share? Update the app: free sharing needs Tallykins 1.8.0 or later.

How do my friends join?

They install Tallykins, tap “+ Event”, then Use a share code, and enter the code. It's always free, with no email, no password to join a shared event. The name they chose in the app is shown to the group.

My share code doesn't work

A code lasts for one hour, and the time it runs out is shown under the code. If yours has expired, ask the organiser for a new one.

I've joined an event. What can I do?

You can check balances, add expenses and record payments, and edit or delete the expenses you added. The organiser adds a Tallykins for each person, so look for yours by name.

You can leave at any time from the event's menu. That removes it from your device only.

How do I change the name the group sees?

Open the main menu and choose My Tallykins, then update your name there.

An event I joined has gone. What happened?

If the organiser removed you or deleted the event, it won't come back unless they share it with you again.

If the event needed the organiser's Pass (more than 4 people, or an extra event) and their Pass has ended, it's paused until they renew, so ask them. Paused events are tucked away: tap Show expired on the home screen to see them.

Who can change what in a shared event?

Everyone in the event can add expenses. Only the organiser can edit the event's details, manage who's in it, or delete it.

Can I just send a summary instead?

Yes. Open the event's menu and choose Share snapshot to send a picture of the event - we use a WhatsApp message to our event group. Users with the Organiser Pass can also share a detailed PDF report - a great way to give everyone the low-down on a fun weekend away ✈️😎🏖️.

Fixing mistakes

I made a mistake, can I edit a saved transaction?

Yes, of course. Open the event's menu, choose View activity, find the transaction and tap to edit.

How do I delete a saved transaction?

Open the event's menu and choose View activity. Find the transaction you want to delete and tap the bin icon delete.

Can I get a deleted transaction back?

Yes. In View activity, tap Show history to see deleted transactions, then tap the restore button on the one you want back.

Note: To delete or edit a transaction, you must be the organiser, or the person who created it.

How do I edit an event?

On the event card, tap the ⋮ menu (••• on iPhone) and choose Edit event. You can update the event name and description, add or remove friends and edit groups.

How do I delete an event?

On the event card, tap the ⋮ menu (••• on iPhone) and choose delete Delete event. This is permanent: the event and its expenses are removed, and if it's shared, it's removed for everyone in it.

Note: To delete or edit an event, you must be the organiser. If you joined a shared event, only the organiser can make changes to the event details. You can leave a shared event at any time from the event's menu.

Settling up

How do we settle up at the end?

Open the event's menu and choose Tally up. Tally up works out the fewest payments needed. Tap a suggested payment to record it, or open Custom payment to do things your way. Tallykins records the payment; the money itself moves however you like, by cash or a payment app, for example.

Currencies

Does Tallykins support different currencies?

Sure! You have access to up to 29 exchange rates, which are normally updated each weekday.

Can I change my display currency?

Yes, in Currency settings in the main menu. All summaries are shown in your display currency. Transaction details are always displayed in the selected transaction currency.

What does "Recorded in" mean on an event?

When an organiser creates an event, its currency is set to their display currency. Every expense is recorded in that event currency, at the exchange rate when it's added, so the amounts between friends don't drift as rates move. If your display currency is different from the event currency, your balances and settlements are converted at the latest rates, and the event card shows a "Recorded in" note to say so.

Your data and your phone

Do I need an account to use Tallykins?

No — you can use Tallykins, and join shared events, without signing in. Signing in with Google or Apple is optional and free: it backs up your events and lets you share them with friends. No passwords are shared with Tallykins.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Keep adding expenses with no signal, and shared events sync when you're back online. Signing in and joining an event need a connection.

I've got a new phone. How do I get my events back?

If you have previously signed in on your old phone using Google or Apple, install Tallykins on your new phone, choose I've used Tallykins before, and sign in with the same account to restore your events.

If you never signed in, your events were only on your old phone, so they can't be restored. For a shared event, ask the organiser for a new code and join again.

Sign-in uses Apple on iPhone and Google on Android, so a backup can't move between the two.

How do I delete my data or my account?

Open the main menu and choose Manage my data. You can delete all your data there, on your device and on our servers. This can't be undone. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for details.

Organiser Pass Features👑

What's free?

• One event at a time, for up to 4 friends, including you
• Sharing that event with friends
• Cloud backup when you sign in
• Joining as many shared events as you like

What do I get extra with the Organiser Pass?

• Run multiple events (up to 20)
• Groups of up to 20
• PDF event summary

Is the Organiser Pass a subscription?

No. It's one payment with no auto-renewal, for 30 days or a year. The app shows the price for your region.

What happens when my Pass ends?

Your one free event stays shared. Bigger and extra events are paused for friends until you renew. To share a different small event for free, delete your other events.

Is the Organiser Pass required?

No. You can use the free version of Tallykins as long as you like, including sharing an event with friends.

Still stuck?

Email us at support@tallykins.com and we'll help.