Joint account maths question!

Rich1976

There shouldn’t be any maths involved. 

You paid from the wrong account therefore you just need to transfer £30 from your own account to the joint account to put it back where it should be.

sheramber

If you only pay back half then the joint account is £15 short, and you have only paid £15 for your purchase.

Your money paid into the joint account is no linger 'your' money, it is joint account money and needs replaced in full.

fourmarks

I suggest you ask Liz Truss, she'll know.

born_again

MIZZ12 said:

Hi, am trying to wrap my head around this and would appreciate your input please!!
Myself and my husband have a joint account for household bills which we pay into in equal amounts each month.  If I make a purchase for myself, say for £30 and accidentally pay using the joint account, do I reimburse the joint account by the full £30, or do I just need to pay back £15 (on the basis that half of the money in the joint is mine and half is my husband's)?
Hopefully you would see what I am getting at !
Thanks so much in advance!

You have answered the question yourself.

Reminds me of one of the MSE ethical questions....

Jami74

MIZZ12 said:

 If I make a purchase for myself, say for £30 and accidentally pay using the joint account, do I reimburse the joint account by the full £30, or do I just need to pay back £15 (on the basis that half of the money in the joint is mine and half is my husband's)?

What does your husband think? 

Does he usually pay for half of your personal spends?

pridehappy

Simply, if it was something for you and your partner or for the household, you’d put back £15.

If it was for you personally, you’d put back £30.

warby68

The joint account money is already allocated to bills so effectively no longer yours or your partner's.

If you make a purchase from that account which is personal rather than a bill then it needs reimbursing in full.

Anything less and you're spending the bill money on yourself.

ColdIron

This sounds like the greatest wheeze ever. Page 1 of 'Housewife Cunning Plans' Vol I

badger09

pridehappy said:

Simply, if it was something for you and your partner or for the household, you’d put back £15.

If it was for you personally, you’d put back £30.

Erm why would you put back anything if you’d bought something joint, from the joint account🤔
Unless of course that purchase might push the account towards being overdrawn, in which case, I agree OP should put back £15, but so should her husband. 

pridehappy

badger09 said:

pridehappy said:

Simply, if it was something for you and your partner or for the household, you’d put back £15.

If it was for you personally, you’d put back £30.

Erm why would you put back anything if you’d bought something joint, from the joint account🤔
Unless of course that purchase might push the account towards being overdrawn, in which case, I agree OP should put back £15, but so should her husband. 

I based it on the basis that the account was used exclusively for bills, in which case it might be budgeted accurately and could push the account overdrawn as suggested.