> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dishink.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Split Bills

> Split a table's bill three ways: equal shares, by items, or custom amounts — with cross-device locking.

## 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:

| Mode         | When to use it                                  | How it works                                                                                                           |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Equal**    | Group agrees to divide the bill evenly.         | Enter number of guests → DishInk divides Net + Tax + Service into equal parts (last part absorbs any rounding kwacha). |
| **By Items** | Everyone pays for what they had.                | Assign each line item (with its share of tax and modifiers) to a guest bucket.                                         |
| **Custom**   | Someone offered to cover more than their share. | Type each guest's amount manually. Must add up to the bill total (a live tally shows overshoot/undershoot in red).     |

## 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).

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## 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](/pos/creating-sales#payment-method-flows))
* A **Paid ✓** badge once their part is settled

You can charge in any order — Guest 3 can pay first, then Guest 1, then Guest 2. The receipt for each part prints immediately after its charge.

Once every guest is Paid, the session closes automatically and the ZRA Smart Invoice is submitted per split part (each split gets its own fiscal invoice number).

## Step by Step

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Bill">
    From **Table / Quick Sale Checkout**, pick the table in Active Tables. The Bill View shows in the middle column.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap Split">
    The **Split Configure** panel opens. Other terminals now see the *Split in progress* toast.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a mode">
    Equal, By Items, or Custom. Add guests (default 2) using **+ Add Guest**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Commit the split">
    Tap **Continue to Charge**. The panel switches to per-guest Charge buttons.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Charge each guest">
    Tap **Charge** on any guest card → pick payment method → confirm. Repeat for every guest.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Session closes">
    When the last guest is Paid, the session auto-closes and the table returns to Available.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Frame caption="Split Configure panel showing three guest cards with a live balance tally.">
  <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/dishink/images/pos/split-bills.png" alt="Split bills placeholder" />
</Frame>

## 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**.

## Related Pages

* [Creating Sales](/pos/creating-sales)
* [Partial Payments](/pos/partial-payments)
* [Discounts](/pos/discounts)
* [Terminal Setup](/pos/terminal-setup)
* [Refunds](/pos/refunds)