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Money going both ways with a friend
Add a running balance. Record each time you give or get money, and Ahead keeps one balance that shows who owes whom.
When to use it
Use a running balance when money moves both ways with one person. You lend your friend Rohan ₹25,000. He pays it back. Next month he lends you ₹20,000. A loan closes when he pays you back, but a running balance stays open and keeps one balance.
Use a loan for one amount that is paid back over time, especially with interest or EMIs.
Adding one
The first time money moves
- Open Loans and press Add a loan.
- Choose Running balance, then You gave or You got.
- Enter the amount, and the person's name under Who is it with?
- Choose the account it was Paid from or Received into, and a Category. Press Add running balance.
Each time money moves
Adding an entry
- Open Loans and press the person's name.
- Press Add an entry, and choose You gave or You got.
- Enter the amount, the account and the category. Press Add entry.
Money you give needs a category, because it leaves your budget. Money you get can go back into a category. Or leave the category empty, and it goes to Left to assign.
What happens in Ahead
| What happens | Your bank | Balance with Rohan |
|---|---|---|
| Before | ₹60,000 | ₹0 |
| You give Rohan ₹25,000 | ₹35,000 | ₹25,000 |
| Rohan pays you back ₹25,000 | ₹60,000 | ₹0 |
| Rohan lends you ₹20,000 | ₹80,000 | −₹20,000 |
Before
- Your bank
- ₹60,000
- Balance with Rohan
- ₹0
You give Rohan ₹25,000
- Your bank
- ₹35,000
- Balance with Rohan
- ₹25,000
Rohan pays you back ₹25,000
- Your bank
- ₹60,000
- Balance with Rohan
- ₹0
Rohan lends you ₹20,000
- Your bank
- ₹80,000
- Balance with Rohan
- −₹20,000
A plus balance means Rohan owes you. A minus balance means you owe Rohan. At zero the screen says All square, and the balance stays open for next time.
If Rohan pays you back and lends you more in one payment, enter it once. ₹45,000 from Rohan moves the balance from ₹25,000 to −₹20,000.
Already added it as a loan
Open the loan, press the settings button next to Share, and choose Change loan type. On a phone it is in the ⋯ menu. Every entry stays, and your budget does not change. If the loan is shared, the other person is asked first. How changing a loan works.
Read next
- Lent money to someoneAdd a loan and choose I lent it out. The money leaves a category now, and goes back to that category as it is repaid.
- Borrowed from a friend: loan or liability?Add it as a loan, even if there is no schedule and no interest. Then you can record each repayment, and Ahead shows what you still owe.
- Sharing a loan with the other personIf the other person uses Ahead too, you can both keep the same record of the loan. Anything either of you records waits for the other to agree before it goes on their books.
Still stuck?
Write to us and a person answers. If you use Ahead, Support in the app is quickest.