The Missing Dollar Riddle

$10 paid - $1 refunded = $9 paid X 3 people = $27

The bill should be $25 so as a group they overpaid by $2

Management owes the three guests another $2 refund. (67c each)

The bellboy owes management the $2 he didn't deliver.

ACTUALLY All answers in this thread are wrong.


The real solution:

-Each person paid $10 at the beginning
-Each person was refunded $1 which brings their total to $9 out of pocket, which is a combined total of $27
-The thief has $2 in his pocket, which the combined total out of pocket is $29

How can this be?

The solution is simple, the bill cannot be divided into 3 (using common currency), thus, someone in the group must pay more, so the "missing dollar" is the extra one person must pay to settle the bill.

It fell through a glitch in the matrix. The undeniable proof we are living in a computer simulation. How many more dollars do you want to lose before you realise you are in the matrix.

reply to post by darkoperative

ACTUALLY All answers in this thread are wrong.

ACTUALLY you are wrong!

FrankJaeger got it right!

Room cost $25 (+)
Bellhop has $5 (+)
Gives $3 (-)
Keeps $2 (-)
Total cost of room $25
Total asset $30

There is no dollar.

Its called a Logical Fallacy, we learned it in 10th grade.

reply to post by redbarron626


I edited my original post to give you the solution.. You (and the answer frankjaeger provided) are solving the wrong equation, not what the question is asking (which are the first three bulleted lines below)..

The real solution:

-Each person paid $10 at the beginning
-Each person was refunded $1 which brings their total to $9 out of pocket, which is a combined total of $27
-The thief has $2 in his pocket, which the combined total out of pocket is $29

How can this be?

The solution is simple, the bill cannot be divided into 3 (using common currency), thus, someone in the group must pay more, so the "missing dollar" is the extra one person must pay to settle the bill.

reply to post by darkoperative


PLease please PLEASE look up Logical Fallacy!

You should be a banker!

reply to post by darkoperative


It's a riddle. There is no extra dollar. Your trying to solve an equation that doesn't exist. It's not even an equation. It's a simple income expenditure problem. Take it from someone with a masters degree in business