For co-parents
Sharing your children's costs with your ex, without the friction.
After a separation it is rarely about the amount itself, but about what was or was not agreed. Here is where it usually goes wrong, what co-parents often share and which agreements are worth making up front.
halvr helps you keep track and settle up. Free to start.
A month for Alex and Sam
They share the children's costs 60/40, as their parenting plan says.
| School trip, paid by Alex | €45.00 |
| Swimming lessons, paid by Sam | €85.00 |
| Winter coat, paid by Alex | €70.00 |
| Total | €200.00 |
| Alex's share (60%) | €120.00 |
| Sam's share (40%) | €80.00 |
Alex paid €115 and Sam €85. Alex transfers €5 to Sam, and the month is settled.
Where it usually goes wrong between co-parents
Four moments almost every co-parent recognises, and what helps.
- 1
An expense you knew nothing about
What helps
Agree on a limit. Anything above, say, €100 you discuss first. Below it, the parent who has the children at the time decides.
In halvr: Still unsure? Ask about it on the expense itself. Whoever added it is notified and can explain it, adjust it or take it off.
- 2
A payment request for every school trip
What helps
Settle at one fixed moment, for example on the 1st of each month. Then money comes up once a month, not every week.
In halvr: On the day you choose, each of you sees one amount and who pays whom. Skipping a month is fine: the balance rolls on.
- 3
"I never saw that receipt"
What helps
Keep everything in one place you can both see, not each in your own drawer or chat.
In halvr: Every expense and every change is in an audit log, with who and when. Nobody can quietly remove anything, and it prints as a report.
- 4
Child support and extra costs mixed up
What helps
In the Netherlands, child support is calculated with the alimentatienormen (the Trema norms), usually by a mediator or lawyer. Agree which costs it already covers and which you share on top. Otherwise one of you pays twice.
In halvr: halvr does not calculate child support. It keeps track of what you share on top, in the ratio you agreed, for example 60/40.
The children's regular costs: set up once
Club fees, music lessons, the phone contract and the school contribution come back every month or every year. You never have to enter them again.
- On your statement?
- Mark the charge as recurring once. On your next statement halvr recognises it and it is already ticked, with the right category.
- Or let it book itself
- Set it up as a scheduled charge, with the amount and how often: every week, month, quarter or year. halvr books it by itself, even if it is on no statement at all.
- Does it ever stop?
- Give it an end date, or stop it whenever you like. If it runs without an end date, halvr asks now and then whether it is still right.
Regular costs are part of the €4.99 a month subscription.
Scheduled charges
Football club fees
every month
€32.50
books itself
Phone contract
every month
€12.00
books itself
Music lessons
every quarter
€195.00
books itself
School contribution
every year
€60.00
books itself
Five agreements to write down
The more specific, the less there is to discuss later.
- 1
The ratio you share in
Equal, or according to means, for example 60/40. If your parenting plan already says, stick to that.
- 2
Which costs are shared
A list like the one above. Anything not on it, each of you pays yourself.
- 3
The amount above which you check first
For example €100. Below it, nobody needs to ask.
- 4
When you settle
One fixed moment a month, and within how many days it is paid.
- 5
How you ask about an expense
In one place and to the point, not between messages about pick-up times.
One subscription for both of you
Free to start. Every feature for €4.99 a month or €34.99 a year per halvr, with a 14-day free trial. Whoever creates the halvr pays, and the other parent joins for free.
Questions from co-parents
Does halvr calculate child support?
No. In the Netherlands child support is calculated with the alimentatienormen, usually by a mediator or lawyer. halvr keeps track of the costs you share on top of it, and settles them.
Do we both need a subscription?
No. One subscription covers both of you: whoever creates the halvr pays, and the other parent joins for free.
Can I show it to a mediator or lawyer?
Yes. The audit log lists every expense and every change, who made it and when, and prints as a report.
What if we disagree about an expense?
Ask a question on the expense. Whoever added it sees the question and can explain it, adjust the expense or take it off. Everything stays visible in the audit log.
Can we split other than half and half?
Yes. Each of you has your own share, for example sixty-forty. An expense that is one parent's alone under your arrangement can be charged to them in full.
Can a new partner or a grandparent join?
Yes. Invite them to the halvr and give them a share of their own, or start a second halvr.