Do I need a separate app to track money someone owes me?

No. A receivable loan does the same job (original amount, remaining balance, repayment history) inside the ledger you already use for expenses and budgets.

How do partial repayments work?

Each repayment you record reduces the remaining principal by that amount. It also posts as an Income transaction in the account it landed in, so it shows up in your month's statement too.

Can I track money I lent to a friend and money I lent to a small client the same way?

Yes. The direction (receivable) and the fields (amount, remaining, note) work the same regardless of who owes you.

What if I never get paid back?

You can close the loan without a payment if you'd rather stop tracking it than keep chasing the balance. History stays; nothing forces a resolution.

Does a repayment count toward my monthly budgets?

Only if you give the Income an income category you're tracking, the same rule as any other income transaction.

Guides

Track money someone owes you — in one ledger

July 21, 2026

IOU apps track a debt balance in isolation. A receivable loan keeps it in the same books as your expenses, income, and budgets.

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In short

The short answer

To track money someone owes you, record it as a receivable loan: original amount, running remaining balance. Each partial repayment posts as a real Income transaction in the account it lands in. That keeps the informal debt in the same books as your expenses and budgets, not in a separate app that only knows about the debt.

What IOU apps get right, and where they stop

You Owe Me is explicit about its lane: "not a bank, lender, debt collector, or accounting system." It's built for "personal IOUs, borrowed money, family reimbursements, roommate costs, partner balances, and small client paybacks." It tracks a running balance and lets you log partial repayments as they happen, plus reminders for payback dates and overdue balances.

Who Owes Me (MWM) covers the same job. Mark debts as paid, see an overview of money lent, support for 155+ currencies.

Both are good at one thing: the number. Neither answers the question that shows up the moment someone actually pays you back. Where did that money go? Which account? Does it count toward this month's income?

What "track money someone owes you" actually means

It's a receivable loan, not an account. The principal someone owes you isn't a balance sitting in one of your accounts. It's a separate figure that starts at the amount you lent and counts down as they pay you back.

Two things have to stay true at once:

The remaining balance — how much is still outstanding, updated by every part-payment.
The cash side — when they pay you back, that money lands in a real account (checking, cash, whatever you deposited it to). It should show up in your month the same way any other income does.

An IOU app that only tracks the first number leaves you re-entering the second one by hand in whatever budget app you actually use.

A routine for lending without the awkwardness

Record the loan when you lend it. Name it after the person and set the original amount. If the cash actually left one of your accounts, log that as an expense too, so your balance reflects reality.
Log repayments as Income, linked to the loan. Each part-payment reduces the remaining principal and posts to your ledger like any other income, in whatever account it landed in.
Let the remaining balance do the reminding. You don't need a separate notification system if the number is sitting where you already check your month.
Close it when it's paid off, or abandon tracking if you'd rather write it off. Either way, the history stays. You're not stuck re-explaining the story from old messages.

How expenie does it

expenie loans can be payable (you owe someone) or receivable (someone owes you): same model, opposite direction. A receivable loan tracks original and remaining principal. When someone pays you back, you record it as an Income transaction linked to the loan. That reduces the remaining balance and posts to your statement, and to your budgets if you've categorized it.

There's no separate "IOU app" balance disconnected from the rest of your month. The receivable loan and the repayment sit in the same private workspace as your expenses, income, and budgets. Open loans are unlimited during the trial and on Pro. No bank link, ever. The loan only knows what you enter.

FAQ

Do I need a separate app to track money someone owes me?: No. A receivable loan does the same job (original amount, remaining balance, repayment history) inside the ledger you already use for expenses and budgets.
How do partial repayments work?: Each repayment you record reduces the remaining principal by that amount. It also posts as an Income transaction in the account it landed in, so it shows up in your month's statement too.
Can I track money I lent to a friend and money I lent to a small client the same way?: Yes. The direction (receivable) and the fields (amount, remaining, note) work the same regardless of who owes you.
What if I never get paid back?: You can close the loan without a payment if you'd rather stop tracking it than keep chasing the balance. History stays; nothing forces a resolution.
Does a repayment count toward my monthly budgets?: Only if you give the Income an income category you're tracking, the same rule as any other income transaction.

Sources

You Owe Me — App to track money owed (2026-07-02)
Who Owes Me — IOU Tracker (MWM) (2026)

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