Should the flat's rent post itself to the shared tab every month?

The flat's rent should not be added to the shared tab automatically every month. A repeating bill should come due, ask the person who set it up, and post only when they approve it. A repeating bill should ask before it posts, because a shared tab should not move without a person saying yes.

Rent, internet and the mess bill come back every month, and typing them in again each time is a chore. Setting them up once is the right idea. Letting them post with nobody looking is where it goes wrong.

What should happen when a repeating bill comes due?

A repeating bill that comes due should ask before anything is recorded. The person who set it up then has three answers: approve it, snooze it, or skip this one. A skip can be undone.

Say the rent is Rs 4,000 between four flatmates. When it is due, nothing changes in the tab until somebody approves it. Once it is approved, it posts as Rs 1,000 each, and three people owe the one who paid.

Why should a repeating bill not post itself?

A repeating bill should not post itself because the whole point of a shared tab is that a person confirms what goes into it. A setting that skipped the approval would quietly remove the one check the feature has. It is the same rule as a repayment, which counts only when the person who received it confirms it.

What if this month's rent or the people are different?

The rent for one month can differ from the usual without changing the usual. Change the amount or the people before approving, and next month starts from the original again. A flatmate away for a month, or a bill that went up once, is a change to one cycle and not to the arrangement.

What happens to rent due on the 31st in a shorter month?

Rent due on the 31st lands on the last day of a shorter month, so in a 30-day month it comes due on the 30th. The other choice would be to skip months without a 31st, and that would silently lose a month's rent, which is the worst thing a rent reminder can do.

Who should approve a repeating bill?

The person who set up a repeating bill is the one who should approve it. Anyone in the flat can set one up for a bill they pay, and the one who set it up decides each time it comes due. Nobody else, not even the person who started the group, has a special say over somebody else's bill.

HisaabFlow, the money app you text, sets up rent this way in a Room: set it once, and when it is due it asks. Nothing posts by itself. It is not open yet. See how Room events work, or leave your email for early access and try the Guru today, before it opens.