Just need to split the carpool costs?
Carpool apps schedule drivers and message parents. If you already have a rota and only need the money side, a trip log is enough.
| Pooltally | Carpool scheduling apps | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Splits the cost of trips you already drove | Scheduling, reminders, messaging; some add cost splitting |
| Setup | A spreadsheet or CSV of trips; no accounts for the other parents | Every family joins the app |
| Privacy | Nothing uploaded — runs in your browser | Children's names and schedules on the provider's servers |
| Price | Free: every family's balance, the settle-up and every flag. Pro: $7 for 7 days, $9/month or $49/year, any number of carpools — one price, not per child. | Varies; some charge per family or per child each month |
Honest take: if you need scheduling and reminders, a carpool app is the right tool. Pooltally is for groups that already have a rota.
FAQ
Is my data uploaded?
No. Your files are read by JavaScript in your browser tab and never sent to us or anyone else. Trips aren't stored, so closing the tab clears them. The rate and split options can be saved in this browser if you ask; the carpool name never is.
What rate per mile should a carpool use?
Whatever the group agrees. Many use the IRS business standard mileage rate because it is public and covers the whole cost of a car: 72.5 cents a mile from January 1, 2026 and 76 cents from July 1, 2026 (70 cents in 2025). Gas money alone is gas price ÷ mpg, often 10–15 cents a mile.
Per child or per family?
Per child charges each family for the seats its children use, so a family with two kids riding pays twice the share of a family with one. Per family splits each trip equally between the households riding. Pooltally shows both.
How does the settle-up work?
Each family's balance is what the trips it drove are worth minus its share of every trip. The largest debtor pays the largest creditor, then the next, until everyone is even — at most one payment fewer than the number of families.
How are the cents handled?
Each trip's cost is rounded to the cent, then split among the riders by rounding every share down and giving the leftover cents to the largest remainders, so the shares always add up exactly to the trip.
Can I deduct carpool miles?
Generally no — driving your own and other people's children to school isn't business travel. Pooltally uses the IRS rate only as a fair price per mile. It is not tax advice.
What's free?
Every family's balance, the settle-up payments, the turns owed, every flag, 3 what-ifs and 12 trips on screen and in print (with a footer). Pro shows every trip and every what-if and adds a statement for every family, the Excel workbook and CSV exports.
Is this tax, legal or insurance advice?
No. Pooltally does the arithmetic on the trips you enter. Keep payments to the shared cost of driving; if you're unsure how your auto policy treats carpools, ask your insurer.