Paycheck Planner
Allocate bills, savings, debt and spending before your next payday.
Paycheck planner
Give this paycheck clear jobs, with no amount counted twice.
Updates as you typeYour numbers
Start with the example. Change it to fit your plan.
Amount in US dollars.
Amount in US dollars.
Amount in US dollars.
Amount in US dollars.
Amount in US dollars.
Amount in days.
Use expenses due in this pay period. Enter each amount once: savings and debt are separate from essential bills.
Your result
From your flexible spending, for each of the 14 days until your next paycheck.
The daily cap rounds down to a cent, leaving $0.02 of flexible spending undistributed across 14 days.
Where this paycheck goes
- Bills$90050.0%
- Savings$20011.1%
- Debt$1508.3%
- Flexible spending$40022.2%
- Unallocated$1508.3%
Daily spending uses only the flexible allocation. Unallocated money is shown separately. No changing income or expenses assumed.
Keep a copy of your plan
Excel and PDF use the numbers above. Google Sheets opens a separate example in your Drive; to bring your own numbers, import the downloaded Excel file.
Saved only in this browser.
Files are created in this browser. Financial inputs are not sent to our server.
Results are educational estimates from your inputs and the assumptions shown, rather than a guarantee or individual financial advice. About our estimates.
Make this plan work for you
This planner allocates your paycheck before you spend it. Enter take-home pay, bills, savings, debt payments and days to payday to see a safe daily spending figure.
- Enter your take-home pay for this paycheck and the days until your next paycheck.
- Fill in essential bills excluding debt payments, savings, debt payments and flexible spending.
- Check the unallocated amount row to see whether anything is left after your allocations.
- Use the safe to spend each day figure as your daily spending limit until payday.
A filled example
Example inputs: Take-home pay: $1,800.00; Essential bills, excluding debt: $900.00; Savings: $200.00; Debt payments: $150.00; Flexible spending: $400.00; Days until next paycheck: 14
| Plan | Result |
|---|---|
| Total allocated | $1,650.00 |
| Unallocated amount | $150.00 |
| Safe to spend each day | $28.57 |
| Flexible spending left after equal days | $0.02 |
These results use the example inputs shown above. Change the inputs in the calculator to explore your own plan.
Interpreting the daily spending number
The example plan starts from a paycheck and splits it into essential bills, savings, debt payments and flexible spending, which are separate allocations. Total allocated shows how much of the paycheck is committed, while the unallocated amount shows what remains unplanned. Safe to spend each day divides the flexible spending evenly across the days until your next paycheck, and the flexible spending left after equal days row captures any rounding remainder. If the unallocated amount is positive, decide where it goes before payday instead of leaving it unassigned. If it is negative, your allocations exceed this paycheck, so cut flexible spending or savings first and keep bill and debt amounts intact. Remember the bills input excludes debt payments, so enter debt separately to get an accurate daily figure.
When to adjust the plan
Enter the number of days until your next payday for each pay period; that count determines the daily amount. Recalculate whenever a bill due date, debt payment or savings goal changes, or when your take-home pay varies between checks. If you get paid weekly or biweekly, run the planner once per paycheck with that check's income only. Pair the planner with the sinking fund calculator when a large seasonal expense is coming, then include that deposit in the savings allocation before setting flexible spending. Update the bill list before each payday so nothing from the previous cycle carries over.
Frequently asked questions
Does the planner upload my paycheck details?
No. It runs in your browser and no financial inputs are uploaded. Results update as you change the inputs.
Should debt payments go in the bills field?
No. Essential bills exclude debt payments, and savings, debt and flexible spending are separate allocations. Enter each category in its own field so the totals stay accurate.
How do I keep a copy of my plan?
Download the Excel or PDF version, which contains your current browser inputs. Google Sheets opens a copy of the master example with a Google account but does not transfer your inputs.
Keep your plan moving
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