Splitting holiday costs fairly with children
Published on Sun, 18 October
How much should children pay on a group trip? A fair children's share, nights instead of heads and a worked example for two families in a holiday home.
On every holiday with several families, the question comes up sooner or later: do children count fully? Splitting everything by the number of heads is easy – and unfair to families with small children. Leaving children out entirely is unfair to the couples without kids. A fair way lies in between.
The children's share: a percentage instead of a debate
The simplest approach is a children's share: a child pays a fixed percentage of what an adult pays. At 50 percent, a child counts as half an adult. It takes seconds to explain and matches surprisingly well what children actually "use".
Values that work well:
| Category | Typical children's share | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 30–50 % | children often sleep on an extra bed or share a room |
| Groceries | 50 % | children eat less, but not nothing |
| Eating out | 40–50 % | kids' meals are cheaper |
| Rides | 100 % or 0 % | a seat is a seat – or the car drives anyway |
| Excursions | real price | tickets usually have their own child prices |
Note: a children's share of 100 percent isn't unfair, it's simply a decision. The point is that everybody knows beforehand how you calculate.
Count nights, not just heads
The second lever is nights. If one family arrives two days later, it should pay less for the accommodation. For a holiday home, that means each person brings as many "person nights" as they stay – children with their share.
Try it with your own numbers:
Who pays the children's share?
Children don't transfer money to anyone – their share goes to the parents. If a child lives with separated parents, split it 50:50, for example. Grandparents who invite the grandchildren simply take the whole share. What matters is that the settlement is right per family: whoever paid for the family gets back exactly what the other families owe.
Common pitfalls
- Discussing afterwards. Agree on the children's share before the first bill arrives. Afterwards every number gets personal.
- One value for everything. Tickets have real child prices – use them. For rides, the car often counts, not the seat.
- Forgetting teenagers. A 15-year-old eats like an adult. Many groups count teenagers from about 14 fully.
- Guests of honour. Grandma, who comes for the weekend and is invited, pays nothing – the settlement should show that as clearly as everything else.
How Tripkitty does it
In Tripkitty you set the children's share once per category, children are assigned to their parents, and for the accommodation Tripkitty calculates by nights automatically. At the end you see per family who transfers how much to whom – with the IBAN ready to copy.
Frequently asked questions
Do children pay a full share on a group trip?
Usually not. A children's share of 30 to 50 percent of an adult works well for accommodation and groceries, and similarly for eating out. For tickets with their own child price, simply use the real price.
From what age does a child pay like an adult?
There is no fixed rule. Many groups count teenagers from about 14 as adults because they eat as much and need their own beds. What matters is that you agree beforehand.
Who pays the children's share?
The parents. The children's share is added to the parents in the settlement – for separated parents, for example, half each.