Divorce equalization payment calculator

Free, no sign-up · Nothing you type leaves your browser · By Just Divvy · Updated October 17, 2026 · How we write our guides

An equalization payment is the money one person pays the other so that, after dividing what you own and owe, both end up with equal shares. Add your items, choose who keeps each, and the calculator works it out. It's for quick, personal calculations; for your actual divorce, use Balance Sheet, our collaborative tool.

Go to the calculator

This is arithmetic, not advice. It assumes an equal split and uses the values you enter, with no adjustment for taxes or the costs of selling something. Some places use the term "equalization payment" for a different calculation; this one simply evens out an item-by-item split. Ask your attorney or mediator whether an equal split is the starting point for you, and how to value things.

First person Second person

Item	Asset or debt	Value	Goes to	Alex's %
House	Asset	$400,000	Alex
Mortgage	Debt	$250,000	Alex
401(k)	Asset	$120,000	Split	50
Car	Asset	$15,000	Taylor
Savings	Asset	$30,000	Taylor
Credit card	Debt	$6,000	Taylor

Alex's net share$210,000

Taylor's net share$99,000

Equal share each$154,500

Alex pays Taylor$55,500

For your actual divorce, use Balance Sheet

This calculator is a simple tool for quick, personal what-ifs. When it's time to divide things for real, Balance Sheet is our collaborative tool for exactly that: you and your spouse, with your mediator or attorneys if you have them, list everything, propose who gets what and agree item by item, with the equalization payment always up to date and a summary to take to your agreement. It's easy to use, and free to start with no sign-up.

Start a Balance Sheet free See how Balance Sheet works

How is the payment worked out?

Add up each person's net share, take the difference, and halve it. The person with the larger share pays that amount to the other.

Each person's net share is the value of everything they keep, minus the debts they take on. A shared item counts by the percentage each person gets.
The difference is the larger net share minus the smaller one.
The payment is half the difference. After it, both shares are equal.

Step	Example
First person's net share	$500,600
Second person's net share	$475,100
Difference	$500,600 − $475,100 = $25,500
Payment	$25,500 ÷ 2 = $12,750, from the first person to the second
Result	Each has $487,850

What if something is split, not given to one person?

Choose Split and enter the first person's percentage. Each share counts toward that person's total.

For example, a $120,000 401(k) split 50/50 adds $60,000 to each net share. Split 60/40, it adds $72,000 to the first person and $48,000 to the second.

What if one of us takes on more debt than assets?

Their net share is negative, and the payment still evens things out.

Say Alex keeps a $20,000 car and a $50,000 student loan (a net share of −$30,000), and Sam keeps $90,000 in savings. The difference is $120,000, so Sam pays Alex $60,000 and each ends at $30,000.

What counts as a debt?

Anything you owe: a mortgage, a car loan, credit cards, student loans, money borrowed from family.

A debt lowers the net share of the person who takes it on. If a debt goes with an asset, like a mortgage with the house, give both to the same person.

Is my information saved?

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or kept after you close the page.

To keep your numbers, use the free spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets), which works out the same payment; the marital balance sheet example shows a full one filled in. To work it out together, Balance Sheet lets you propose and agree item by item, with the payment always up to date.

Ask your attorney or mediator

Is an equal split the starting point for us, and what could change that?
What date should we use for values, and do we need appraisals?
How should taxes and selling costs be taken into account?

Start a Balance Sheet free

General information, not legal advice. Just Divvy provides general information for educational purposes only. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Divorce and property laws vary by state. Check your state's laws and talk to a licensed attorney in your state before making decisions.