Overview
Splitting is done from the Bill View (middle column of the Table / Quick Sale Checkout tab). Tap Split — the Split Configure panel opens and takes over the table until the split is committed or cancelled. DishInk supports three split modes:The Split Lock
The moment a Split is opened, the session is marked split-active on the server. Every other device viewing that table gets a live toast: “Split in progress on Terminal X” and their Split and Charge buttons grey out. This prevents two cashiers on two terminals from taking overlapping partial payments and blowing the total. The lock clears automatically when:- The last split part is charged, or
- The cashier taps Cancel Split, or
- The session is transferred to another terminal (manager override).
If a device loses network mid-split, the lock persists for 5 minutes on the server, then auto-releases. This is a safety net — the recommended flow is to always tap Cancel Split if you need to abandon.
The Split Panel
Once Split is tapped, the Bill View is replaced with the Split Configure panel:- Mode toggle at the top: Equal · By Items · Custom
- Guest cards below (Guest 1, Guest 2, …) with editable names
- Live per-guest totals — Net, Tax, Discount, Grand Total
- + Add Guest and × Remove buttons
- Overall tally at the bottom: Sum of Splits vs Bill Total, with a delta indicator (green when balanced, red when off).
Charging Each Split
When splits are configured, the panel switches to Charge mode. Each guest card shows:- Their share
- A Charge button that opens the standard Charge Modal (Cash / Mobile Money / Card / Split Bill — see Creating Sales — Payment Method Flows)
- A Paid ✓ badge once their part is settled
Step by Step
1
Open the Bill
From Table / Quick Sale Checkout, pick the table in Active Tables. The Bill View shows in the middle column.
2
Tap Split
The Split Configure panel opens. Other terminals now see the Split in progress toast.
3
Choose a mode
Equal, By Items, or Custom. Add guests (default 2) using + Add Guest.
4
Assign or enter amounts
- Equal → set guest count.
- By Items → drag or tap items into guest cards.
- Custom → type each guest’s amount. Watch the tally at the bottom.
5
Commit the split
Tap Continue to Charge. The panel switches to per-guest Charge buttons.
6
Charge each guest
Tap Charge on any guest card → pick payment method → confirm. Repeat for every guest.
7
Session closes
When the last guest is Paid, the session auto-closes and the table returns to Available.
Split Configure panel showing three guest cards with a live balance tally.
Cancelling a Split
Tap Cancel Split at the top of the panel. Any splits already charged remain charged and receipted; the remaining balance rolls back into the main bill for a normal single-payer charge. If nothing was charged yet, cancelling is a clean reset — the session returns to normal.Tips & Best Practices
- Ask the group up front: “Same card, or splitting?” — saves punching items into guest buckets after the fact.
- For By Items, use short guest names (“John”, “Mum”, “Boss”) — they show on the printed receipt so guests can verify.
- Custom mode is the easiest when a corporate client says “Bill everything but the wine to the company card.” Assign the wine to Guest 1 (personal), everything else to Guest 2 (company).
- Always finalise splits at one terminal. If you need to move devices, cancel first.
Common Mistakes
- Charging the main bill mid-split. You can’t — the Charge button is greyed out. Cancel the split first.
- Custom split doesn’t balance. The panel highlights the delta in red. Fix the amounts until the tally shows green.
- Forgetting to charge the last guest. The session stays in Billing — check the Bill View for any unpaid split rows.
- Splitting after applying a full-bill discount. The discount is preserved and split proportionally; if you wanted it on only one guest, cancel the split, remove the discount, split, then re-apply per line via By Items.