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Biweekly Budget Calculator

“I think budgeting is broken for people paid biweekly.” Monthly bills, paychecks every two weeks, and the month overlap is super annoying. Enter your take-home pay and your monthly bills to see how much each check has to cover, a fair split of bills between your two checks, and which months bring a third paycheck.

1. Your pay

2. Your monthly bills

Each paycheck

Monthly bills
–
Set aside per check
–
half of your bills
Left per check
–
for food, gas, savings

A fair split: which bills each check pays

Biggest bill first, each one into whichever check has less so far. Rent often has to sit alone on one check. Check due dates with the Bill Due Date Planner.

Your 3-paycheck months

How to budget biweekly paychecks

  1. Use take-home pay, the amount that actually lands in your account.
  2. List your monthly bills. Rent, utilities, phone, insurance, car payment, minimum debt payments, subscriptions.
  3. Each check covers half. Most months have 2 paychecks, so each one needs to carry half your monthly bills. What's left is for groceries, gas, savings and everything else.
  4. Split the bills between check 1 and check 2 so neither one gets wiped out. If one check carries rent, put the smaller bills on the other.
  5. Plan the 3-paycheck months. 26 paychecks a year means 2 months get a third check. If you set yourself up the right way you can view the 3rd paychecks as bonus: savings, debt, or a buffer.

FAQ

How many paychecks do I get a year if I'm paid biweekly?

26 in most years. Every 11 years or so, the calendar lines up so you get 27. With 26, ten months have 2 paychecks and two months have 3.

How do I know which months have 3 paychecks?

Enter any recent or upcoming payday above. The calculator counts forward in 14-day steps for the next 12 months and lists every month that gets a third payday, with the dates.

Should I budget my monthly bills on 2 paychecks or 2.17?

Budget on 2. A biweekly year averages about 2.17 checks a month, but you can't pay rent with an average. Planning on 2 means the third check in a 3-paycheck month is extra instead of already spent.

What should I do with a third paycheck?

Your bills are already covered by the other two, so it's free to use: build an emergency fund, pay extra on a debt (see the debt snowball calculator), fund a sinking fund, or get a paycheck ahead on bills.

What if one paycheck has to cover rent and it's too much?

That's very common. Set aside part of rent from the check before it, move smaller bills to the other check, or ask the landlord or company if they'll change a due date. Many companies will.

Is my data saved anywhere?

Only in your own browser (localStorage), so it's still there next time. Nothing is sent to a server.

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