How to Move Your Bill Tracker Spreadsheet Into an App
July 31, 2026 · 5 min read
A spreadsheet is a perfectly reasonable place to start tracking shared bills. You know what everyone owes, you can see the due dates, and it took about ten minutes to set up.
The problem is that spreadsheets are passive. Your roommates do not check the spreadsheet. Nobody gets a reminder when rent is due. And every month, you end up sending the same texts asking the same people for the same money.
If your spreadsheet has the basic information already -- bill names, amounts, due dates -- you can move it into ExpenDiv in a few minutes using the CSV import. This guide shows you exactly how.
What the Import Supports
ExpenDiv can import two CSV formats:
- ExpenDiv template format -- a simple five-column CSV you fill in directly
- Tricount export format -- if you are coming from Tricount, you can export your expenses and upload them directly
If you are coming from a custom spreadsheet, Google Sheets, or Excel, use the ExpenDiv template. It takes about two minutes to copy your data across.
Step 1: Get Your Bills into the Template
From your ExpenDiv dashboard, click the Import button in the top right, then click Download ExpenDiv template. Open the file in Google Sheets or Excel.
The template has five columns:
| Column | What to put here | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The bill name | Rent |
| Monthly Cost | Amount in dollars | 1200 |
| Billing Day | Day of month it is due (1-28) | 1 |
| Notes | Optional note | Venmo @alex |
| Solo | true if just for you, false if shared | false |
Copy each row from your existing spreadsheet into the template. If a bill varies month to month (like electricity or gas), use the typical amount -- you can update the actual amount each cycle from the bill detail view.
The Solo Column
The Solo column is worth a quick note. If you track personal bills alongside shared ones in your spreadsheet -- your own Spotify, a gym membership nobody else uses -- set Solo to true for those. Solo bills show up in your dashboard for tracking purposes but skip the participant and reminder features entirely.
Set Solo to false for anything you split with other people.
Step 2: Upload and Review
Save your filled-in template as a CSV. Back in ExpenDiv, click Import, then Choose CSV file, and select your file.
Before anything is saved, you will see a preview screen showing every row. Valid rows show the bill name, cost, and billing day. Any rows with problems (missing name, invalid cost) are highlighted in red and labeled as skipped.
Review the list, then click Import to confirm. Your bills are added to the dashboard immediately.
Step 3: Add Participants
Imported bills start with no participants. Click into each bill, hit Add participant, and link the people splitting it with the amount each person owes.
Once participants are added, ExpenDiv creates a billing cycle for the current month and starts sending automatic email reminders on the due date. Your roommates will get a reminder with your payment link included -- no more follow-up texts.
Coming from Tricount
If you have been using Tricount to track group expenses, you can export your data directly from the Tricount app and upload the export file to ExpenDiv. The importer detects the Tricount format automatically.
One thing to know: Tricount is designed for one-off trip expenses, not recurring monthly bills. All Tricount imports come in as Solo bills (since there is no recurring billing concept in Tricount exports). After importing, you can edit each bill and add participants if you want ExpenDiv to send reminders for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will importing overwrite my existing bills?
No. The import only adds new bills. Nothing existing is changed or deleted.
What if I have duplicate bills after importing?
The importer does not check for duplicates, so if a bill already exists and you import it again, you will end up with two. Just delete the duplicate from the bill detail view.
Can I import participants as well?
Not yet -- the import creates bills only. You add participants manually after importing. This usually takes about a minute per bill.
What if my billing day is the 29th, 30th, or 31st?
The import accepts billing days from 1 to 28. If your bill falls later in the month, set it to 28 for now and edit it after importing.
Do my roommates need to do anything?
Nothing. Roommates never need to create an account. Once you add them as participants, they will receive reminder emails automatically on the due date.
Import your bills in minutes and stop chasing payments manually.
Import your spreadsheet