Keep track of money you lend and borrow, without awkward reminders

Lending money to a friend is easy. Remembering it three months later is the hard part. A taxi fare here, half a concert ticket there, a bigger loan to help with rent, and soon you are not sure who owes whom, or how much. Asking feels awkward, and forgetting costs you money.

The fix is simple: keep a record of every loan, in both directions, the moment it happens.

Why small loans get forgotten

Most money between friends is not lost to bad intentions. It is lost to memory. Small amounts feel too small to mention, loans happen in a hurry, and a month later both people remember a slightly different number. When the amount finally comes up, the conversation is about whose memory is right rather than about the money.

A written record removes the guesswork. Nobody has to remember, and nobody has to argue.

What to record for every loan

Write down the same five things each time:

1. Who you lent to, or borrowed from.
2. How much, in the currency you used.
3. The date it happened.
4. What it was for, so both of you recognise it later.
5. Proof, such as a photo of the transfer receipt, the cash or a handwritten note.

That takes ten seconds, and it is enough to settle any question later.

Notes, spreadsheet or IOU tracker app?

Option	Good for	Where it falls short
A notes app	One or two loans	No totals, easy to lose
A spreadsheet	Many loans, if you like formulas	Slow on a phone, no proof attached
An IOU tracker app	Regular lending and borrowing	You need to install it

If you lend money more than once in a while, an app pays for itself in the first loan it helps you remember.

How to track money you lend in Half Tab

Half Tab is a bill splitter app with a personal ledger built in. Every record is between you and one person.

1. Add the person to your circle. Your circle is the small group of people you share money with. Add them once and reuse them everywhere.
2. Open the Personal tab and tap the plus button to start a new record.
3. Choose I lent or I borrowed, then pick the person.
4. Enter the amount and the date.
5. Add proof if you have it: a photo of the cash, the transfer or the note you wrote.
6. Save the record.

Half Tab adds it to your ledger with that person and updates your totals: how much you have lent, how much you have borrowed and the balance across your whole personal ledger.

See everything you owe each other in one place

Money between friends rarely lives in one place. You may share a flat with someone, go on a trip together and lend them cash on the side. Half Tab shows all of it on that person’s page: what they owe in your shared groups, and your personal records with them, side by side.

So if a friend owes you 496 from a trip and 3,000 from a personal loan, you see both numbers together instead of two separate stories.

How to ask for your money back, politely

• Pick a calm moment. Not in front of other people, and not when they have just paid for something.
• Be specific. “The 3,000 for rent on 15 September” works better than “that money you owe me”.
• Share the record. A screenshot of the entry with its date and proof does the explaining for you.
• Offer an easy way to pay. Mention the bank transfer or payment app you both already use.
• Agree on a date if they cannot pay right away, and write it down too.

Borrowed money? Be the friend who pays back

The same record works the other way. Note every amount you borrow, and you will never be the friend who forgot. Paying back on time, with the exact amount, is the easiest way to keep both the friendship and the trust.

Bills with groups, loans with people

For shared costs in a group, such as a trip, a flat or a dinner, use Half Tab’s group splits. See how a bill splitter app keeps every shared cost fair. For one-to-one loans, the personal ledger keeps every record, and the proof, in your pocket.