Help & Support
Guides and answers for everything in OweMeter.
Quick Start
- Create a group (trip, home, couple, event, or other).
- Invite members (admins can invite).
- Add expenses as they happen (supports multiple payers).
- Choose how to split: Equal, Exact, Percent, or Shares.
- Use Settle Up to record a payment and keep balances accurate.
Expenses & Quick Entry
When you add an expense, you specify description, amount/date, who paid, and how to split.
- Quick Entry: add an expense in seconds, then fill details later from the expense list.
- Duplicate detection: if enabled, OweMeter warns you when a new expense looks similar to a recent one.
- Reactions: react to an expense (useful for "got it", "thanks", or a quick check-in).
Balance Breakdown
Get a detailed view of who owes whom across all your groups.
View Details Button
On your Dashboard, each balance card has a "View Details" button. Click it to open a breakdown showing:
- You Are Owed — People who owe you money, organized by group
- You Owe — People you owe money to, organized by group
- Net Balance — Your overall position across all groups
The amounts shown use OweMeter's debt simplification algorithm. Circular debts within groups are automatically optimized to minimize the number of transactions needed.
Settlements (one-tap & bulk)
- One-tap friend settlement: quickly settle what you owe a friend without hunting through old expenses.
- Bulk settlement: from the dashboard, pay multiple balances in one go. Each payment is recorded in your group activity.
- Undo payments (24 hours): right after you record a payment, you'll see an Undo option in the toast. You can also undo from Activity/Recent Activity for up to 24 hours (after that, Undo disappears).
- Admins: record external payments: group admins can record payments that happened outside the app (Venmo/cash/bank). Look for a Paid by selector when settling up.
- Celebrations: optional confetti/toasts appear after big moments like fully settling a group.
Smart Reminders
Automated settlement reminders help groups stay on top of payments. Group admins can configure scheduled reminders, and members can snooze if needed.
How It Works
- Admins configure reminder settings from Group Settings → Reminders tab
- System automatically sends emails to members who owe money on a schedule
- Members can snooze reminders; admins see who has snoozed
- All reminder events are logged for audit purposes
Setting Up Reminders (Admin Guide)
- Go to your group page
- Click the Settings tab (gear icon)
- Select the Reminders tab
- Toggle Enabled to turn on automated reminders
- Configure your options and click Save
Configuration Options
- Frequency: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, or Custom (set your own interval in days)
- Minimum Balance Threshold: Only send reminders when a member's balance exceeds this amount (e.g., $5.00)
- Last Sent / Next Scheduled: View when the last reminder was sent and when the next one is scheduled
Send Now (Manual Reminders)
In the Members Who Owe Money table, you can send immediate reminders:
- View all members with outstanding balances and their email status
- Click the Send Now button next to any member
- A confirmation dialog will appear showing the member name and outstanding amount
- Members without an email address will show a disabled button with a tooltip
Member Snooze Feature
Members who receive reminder emails can snooze them:
- Click the snooze link in the reminder email
- Choose to snooze for 3 days, 7 days, or 14 days
- Admins can see snoozed members in the Member Status → Snoozed Members table
- The system tracks snooze count per member
Overdue Flags
Admins can flag members as overdue for extra visibility:
- Select a member from the dropdown in Flag Overdue
- Add an optional note (e.g., "2+ weeks overdue")
- Flagged members appear in the Flagged Overdue table
- Quick actions: send reminder or clear the flag
Audit Log
Track all reminder events for your group:
- Filter by event type: Reminder sent, Manual reminder sent, Reminder opened, Reminder clicked, Reminder snoozed, Settlement from reminder, Config updated, Member flagged overdue
- View timestamp, affected member, event type, balance amount, and who triggered it
Admin Override
If a member has disabled payment reminders in their Settings:
- You'll see a prompt when trying to send them a reminder
- Click Send Anyway to override their preference
- The email will include a note explaining it was sent by an administrator
Tip: Go to a group → Settings → Reminders to configure.
Receipts (Receipt Vault)
Attach receipts to expenses so you have proof for reimbursements and disputes.
- Upload up to 5 receipts per expense (JPG/PNG/HEIC/PDF, max 10MB each).
- Receipts are stored securely and can be viewed in a group gallery or your personal gallery.
- You can download originals and (if you uploaded it) delete receipts.
Tip: open My Receipts to browse everything you’ve uploaded.
Recurring expenses
Automate repeat expenses (rent, subscriptions, utilities) using recurring templates.
- Create templates in a group, then enable recurring from Group Settings.
- Recurring expenses are created automatically on schedule.
- Optional notifications can be sent before the next run.
Go to a group → Settings → Recurring.
Settlements (one-tap & bulk)
- One-tap friend settlement: quickly settle what you owe a friend without hunting through old expenses.
- Bulk settlement: from the dashboard, pay multiple balances in one go. Each payment is recorded in your group activity.
- Undo payments (24 hours): right after you record a payment, you’ll see an Undo option in the toast. You can also undo from Activity/Recent Activity for up to 24 hours (after that, Undo disappears).
- Admins: record external payments: group admins can record payments that happened outside the app (Venmo/cash/bank). Look for a Paid by selector when settling up.
- Celebrations: optional confetti/toasts appear after big moments like fully settling a group.
IOUs with friends
Track quick “you owe me / I owe you” notes that aren’t tied to a group expense.
- Create an IOU from the Friends page.
- Mark it as settled when paid (optionally convert to a group settlement).
Smart features (learning & nudges)
- Category learning: OweMeter learns how you categorize expenses and suggests categories next time.
- Smart settle-up nudges: helpful reminders on the dashboard when balances stay open for a while.
- “Settle now” shortcut: when a nudge suggests settling, use Settle now to open the settle-up dialog with the amount prefilled.
- Monthly digest: opt-in email summary of your month’s activity.
Insights
Insights help you understand spending patterns and settle faster.
- Personal insights are available under Insights.
- Group-level reports and exports are available from each group.
Achievements & celebrations
- Earn badges for positive habits (logging, quick settling, adding receipts, fair splits).
- View your badges and streaks on the Achievements page.
- Optional celebrations can be turned on/off in Settings.
Settings & Notifications
Settings let you personalize OweMeter.
Preferences
- Theme: Light, Dark, or System
- Default Currency: Choose your preferred currency for new expenses
Feature Preferences
- Monthly digest: Receive a summary email of your balances and activity
- Settlement celebrations: Show confetti and toasts after settling up
- Smart settle-up nudges: Dashboard prompts when balances stay open too long
- Duplicate detection: Warn before creating similar expenses
- Streak notifications: Reminders about your achievements and badges
- Preferred payment method: Suggested in settle-up flows
Email Notification Preferences
Control which emails you receive:
- Email Notifications (Master): Turn off to stop all emails from OweMeter
- Expense Added: When someone adds an expense to your groups
- Settlement Updates: When someone settles up with you
- Payment Reminders: Automated reminders about outstanding balances (includes group scheduled reminders and friend reminders)
Note for disabling Payment Reminders: Group admins can still send you reminders using the admin override feature. You'll receive a notice that it was sent by an administrator.
Categories
- View default categories
- Create custom categories with your own name, emoji icon, and color
Category Learning
- OweMeter learns from your category choices and suggests better matches over time
- View and delete individual learned associations
- Reset all learning data if needed
Archiving groups
When a group still has outstanding balances, OweMeter helps you resolve them before archiving.
- Remind: send a quick reminder for an unpaid balance.
- Forgive: clear a balance without recording a payment (useful for small amounts).
- Record payment: if money was paid outside the app, record it so balances are accurate.
- Forgive all < $1: optionally clear very small balances automatically before archiving.
Troubleshooting
- If something doesn't look right, refresh and confirm you're in the correct group/account.
- If emails aren't arriving, check your digest/notification toggles in Settings.
- If receipts don't load, try signing out/in. Receipts are protected and require group membership.
Frequently Asked Questions
Balances & Settlements
Q: Why doesn't my balance match what I calculated?
A: OweMeter may be using debt simplification. This algorithm minimizes transactions by offsetting circular debts. You can enable/disable this per group in Group Settings → General.
Q: Can I settle up outside the app and record it?
A: Yes! When settling as an admin, you can select "Paid by" to record payments made via Venmo, cash, or bank transfer outside the app.
Q: What happens to balances when someone leaves a group?
A: Outstanding balances are preserved. We recommend settling up before removing members, or using the Forgive option if the amount is small.
Q: Can I undo a settlement?
A: Yes, for up to 24 hours. You'll see an Undo option in the toast immediately after recording a payment, or in Activity.
Reminders
Q: Why isn't my reminder being sent?
A: Check these possible reasons:
- Balance may be below the minimum threshold
- Member may have snoozed reminders
- Member may have no email address
- Member may have disabled payment reminders (use admin override)
Q: How do I stop getting reminder emails?
A: Go to Settings → Notifications and disable "Payment Reminders". Note: Group admins can still send reminders with an override.
Q: Can I change how often reminders are sent?
A: Only group admins can configure reminder frequency. Go to Group Settings → Reminders to adjust.
Q: What does "snoozing" a reminder do?
A: Snoozing pauses reminders for 3, 7, or 14 days. You won't receive scheduled reminders during this period, but admins can still send manual reminders.
Groups & Members
Q: What's the difference between Owner, Admin, and Member roles?
A:
- Owner: Full control, can delete the group
- Admin: Can manage members, group settings, and reminders
- Member: Can add expenses and settle up
Q: Can I be in multiple groups?
A: Yes! Create unlimited groups for different purposes (trips, roommates, couples, events, etc.).
Q: How do I invite someone who doesn't have an account?
A: Add them as a guest member with their email. They'll receive an invitation link to create an account and join your group.
Technical & Account
Q: Why can't I see my receipts?
A: Receipts require group membership. Try signing out and back in. If the issue persists, contact support.
Q: How do I change my profile picture?
A: Your profile picture is managed through your account provider. Go to Settings → Profile → Edit Profile.
Q: Is my data secure?
A: Yes. We use industry-standard encryption and store data securely. Read our Privacy Policy for details.
Q: Are my receipts stored securely?
A: Yes. Receipts are stored securely and optimized for fast loading. Image receipts are converted to WebP format for efficiency while maintaining quality.
Contact Support
Need help or found a bug? We're here to help!
Get in touch
- Contact Form — Send us a message directly through our website
- Email [email protected] — Include screenshots and what you were trying to do