Budget by paycheck. See what each payday has left after its bills.
Put in when you’re paid and what you owe. Every bill lands on the paycheck that has to pay it, so you can see a tight paycheck before it arrives.
- Coming soon to theApp Store
The app is free for one pay schedule and 5 bills. No bank link, no account, no ads.
Your paychecks
$443.00left on your tightest paycheck, the one from Nov 23 (covers Nov 23 to Dec 6)
Paycheck of Mon Oct 12
Covers Oct 12 to Oct 25
$1,850.00- ElectricThu Oct 15$96.00
- Car insuranceFri Oct 23$142.00
Left after bills$1,612.00
Paycheck of Mon Oct 26
Covers Oct 26 to Nov 8
$1,850.00- RentSun Nov 1$1,200.00
- PhoneTue Nov 3$65.00
- InternetSat Nov 7$55.00
Left after bills$530.00
Paycheck of Mon Nov 9
Covers Nov 9 to Nov 22
$1,850.00- ElectricSun Nov 15$96.00
Left after bills$1,754.00
Paycheck of Mon Nov 23
Covers Nov 23 to Dec 6
$1,850.00- Car insuranceMon Nov 23$142.00
- RentTue Dec 1$1,200.00
- PhoneThu Dec 3$65.00
Left after bills$443.00
Paycheck of Mon Dec 7
Covers Dec 7 to Dec 20
$1,850.00- InternetMon Dec 7$55.00
- ElectricTue Dec 15$96.00
Left after bills$1,699.00
Paycheck of Mon Dec 21
Covers Dec 21 to Jan 3
$1,850.00- Car insuranceWed Dec 23$142.00
- RentFri Jan 1$1,200.00
- PhoneSun Jan 3$65.00
Left after bills$443.00
A paycheck covers every bill due from its payday to the day before the next one. Only the bills you list are counted.
Keep this current without retyping it.
BillsClear keeps your paychecks and bills lined up on your phone, reminds you at 6 pm the day before a bill is due, and keeps one number in view: what’s left. Free for one pay schedule and 5 bills. No bank link, no account, no ads.
- Coming soon to theApp Store
Your pay
Your bills
Repeat monthly, weekly, every two weeks, yearly or once. A monthly bill uses only the day of the month.
- Enter an amount like 65 or 1,200.50.
- Enter an amount like 65 or 1,200.50.
- Enter an amount like 65 or 1,200.50.
- Enter an amount like 65 or 1,200.50.
- Enter an amount like 65 or 1,200.50.
Saved in this browser only. Nothing you type leaves this page.
How each paycheck is counted
The same rule the BillsClear app uses, so the numbers here match the app.
- A paycheck pays the bills due before the next payday. Rent due on the 1st belongs to whichever paycheck lands before the 1st, not to a calendar month.
- Left after bills is the paycheck minus those bills. Nothing else comes off, so add groceries or fuel as a weekly bill if you want them counted.
- Every common pay schedule works. Weekly, every two weeks, twice a month (the 1st and 15th, or the 15th and the last day) or once a month.
- Bills repeat the way they do in real life. Monthly, every two weeks, weekly, yearly or once.
- It assumes each bill is paid on its due date. The app goes a step further and carries an unpaid bill into the next period, flagged as overdue.
One example, two very different paychecks
$1,850 every other Monday and the five bills in the planner above.
The same pay and the same five bills give very different paychecks, depending on which bills each one has to cover.
- Paycheck of Mon Oct 12Electric, Car insurance: $238.00 in bills$1,612.00
- Paycheck of Mon Oct 26Rent, Phone, Internet: $1,320.00 in bills$530.00
- Paycheck of Mon Nov 9Electric: $96.00 in bills$1,754.00
- Paycheck of Mon Nov 23Car insurance, Rent, Phone: $1,407.00 in bills$443.00
A monthly budget says $3,700.00 came in and $1,558.00 went out, so $2,142.00 is spare. The paycheck view shows that the checks carrying the rent leave $530.00 and $443.00, and the ones that don’t leave $1,612.00 to $1,754.00. That tells you which payday to keep money back from.
Paycheck or month?
Both are fair ways to budget. They answer different questions.
| Question | By paycheck | By month |
|---|---|---|
| Fits best when | You’re paid weekly, every two weeks or twice a month, and bills land at different points in the month. | You’re paid once a month, or nearly every bill falls due just after payday. |
| What you see | What each payday has left after the bills it has to cover. | One total for the whole month. |
| What it can hide | A third paycheck in some months. The biweekly budget page shows yours. | Timing. Rent can fall due before the paycheck that pays for it and the month still looks fine. |
If you’re paid once a month, a paycheck and a month are the same thing. Choose “Once a month” in the planner and it works the same way.
Paper, spreadsheet or app
What each is good for, and where each one leaves you doing the work.
Printable planners and spreadsheets do this by hand. You sort the bills under each paycheck yourself, and redo it whenever a due date or a payday moves. This planner does the sorting for you and doesn’t ask for an email address. It doesn’t track groceries or savings; it only sets bills against paydays.
The BillsClear app does the same sorting on your phone. It also remembers which bills you’ve paid and reminds you before the next one is due. Neither the app nor this page links to your bank.
Questions
Anything else? Email support@billsclear.com.
Should I budget by paycheck or by month?
If you’re paid once a month, they’re the same thing. If you’re paid weekly, every two weeks or twice a month, budgeting by paycheck shows which payday has to cover which bills, and a monthly total hides that. In the example above the same five bills leave $1,754.00 on one paycheck and $443.00 on another.
What is the budget by paycheck method?
Each paycheck is given the bills, spending and savings that come due before the next payday. This planner does the bills part: it drops every bill onto the paycheck that pays it and shows what’s left.
Does it save what I type?
In this browser on this device, using local storage. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, and clearing your site data removes it. The other planner pages on this site use the same saved bills, so you enter them once.
What if my paycheck is different every time?
The planner uses one take-home amount for every paycheck. If yours varies, enter the smallest one you expect, so what’s left errs on the safe side.
Is there a budget app that works by paycheck?
BillsClear does the bills half of it. You enter your pay schedule and bills once, and it shows each pay period’s bills, a paid checklist and what’s left. It doesn’t link to a bank or track spending by category. It’s free for one pay schedule and 5 bills.
What does the app do that this page doesn’t?
It remembers which bills you’ve paid, carries an unpaid bill into the next period flagged as overdue, reminds you at 6 pm the day before a bill is due, and sends a summary on payday morning. It also handles bills and pay in different currencies.
More free tools
They share the bills you typed, so you only enter them once.
Bills lined up against your paydays, on your phone.
Free for one pay schedule and 5 bills. Pro adds unlimited bills and four extras.
- Coming soon to theApp Store