Record a settlement
Mark a payback as settled — amount, an optional method and note — see it land in settlement history, and undo it if you got it wrong. Limbo keeps the record; it never moves the money.
When someone actually pays back what they owe — cash at dinner, a Venmo transfer, whatever — you tell Limbo by recording a settlement. That clears the debt from the who-owes-whom list and logs it in history. Limbo keeps the record; it doesn't transfer any money.
Who can do what: every crew member can read the settlement history. Recording a settlement on a row is for that row's debtor, its creditor, or the trip owner — see Permissions.
Mark a payback as settled
In the who owes whom list, the green Settle pill opens the Mark as settled sub-sheet (✅).
- 1In Settle up, tap Settle on the row for the payback.
- 2Check the parties line — it reads payer → payee so you're settling the right debt.
- 3Confirm the Amount (USD) — it's prefilled from the suggested payback, but you can adjust it.
- 4Optionally type a Method (e.g. cash, Venmo) and a Note.
- 5Tap Record settlement.
The Method field is exactly what it says on the label: "Method (e.g. cash, Venmo) — for your records only." It's free text and purely a memory aid — Limbo doesn't read it, validate it, or do anything with it.
Heads up
Recording a settlement records that money moved between people — Limbo doesn't move money. As the confirm sheet puts it: "This records the payment in Limbo. It does not transfer any money." Send the actual cash or transfer yourself.
Settlement history and undo
Below the list, SETTLEMENT HISTORY logs every recorded payback, newest first:
- Alex → Sam, a meta line of the date plus any method and note, and the amount in green.
- An Undo button (red-outlined) on rows you're allowed to undo.
Empty, it reads "No settlements recorded yet."
To reverse one you recorded by mistake:
- 1Find the entry in SETTLEMENT HISTORY.
- 2Tap Undo.
- 3Confirm Undo in the "Undo this settlement?" alert.
Undo soft-voids the record and drops it from the ledger, so the balances spring back.
Note
Settlements are a permanent log — there's no edit, and you never enter a negative amount. If you settled too much, or someone refunds you, record a new settlement in the opposite direction (payee → payer) for the difference. Undo is only for an entry that shouldn't exist at all.
It works offline
Tip
Recording a settlement — and undoing one — works offline. Both apply instantly and queue in the sync queue, syncing automatically when you're back online; balances are derived on the fly, so they're never stale. Re-syncs are idempotent, so you won't see phantom "failed" entries after a long offline stretch. The same goes for setting who paid on an expense.
One limit: creating a brand-new expense offline isn't supported yet — that's coming in a later version. You can set who paid and record settlements offline, but adding a new budget item needs a connection. See Working offline.
Permissions
- Read the settlement history: every crew member on the trip. member
- Record a settlement on a row: that row's debtor, its creditor, or the trip owner. owner Recording also requires a verified account, like other writes.
- Undo a settlement: the person who is the from/to participant of that settlement, or the trip owner. owner
Related articles
Settle up: who owes whom
See your position at a glance, read the minimal "who owes whom" list, and settle a payback right from the row — balances stay honest because they're derived, never stored.
Record who paid for an expense
Set the "Paid by" field on an expense so the cost feeds your balances, then read the "Who paid what" summary and clear the no-payer nudge.
The Budget tab
A tour of the trip's Budget tab — per-person cards, the cost-per-person sheet, the multi-currency total, and the item list.
Split costs
Turn on cost splitting in the crew sheet, choose equal or custom percentages, and override the split per item.
Divvy up the work
Pitch In is your trip's shared to-do list — add the big jobs, watch the "X of N claimed" progress fill in, and see every task move from up-for-grabs to done.