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The Paycheck Budget, a spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets. Plan every paycheck, know what remains. The Dashboard shows Safe to Spend, left after this paycheck, projected balance, next payday and the lowest point ahead, with charts for the next 12 months. Tabs: Start Here, Dashboard, Paychecks, Bills, One-time.

Paycheck Budget Spreadsheet: Biweekly & Semi-Monthly Pay

A monthly budget hides a problem that paycheck-by-paycheck budgeting shows: the rent and the car loan can fall in the same pay period, and the next paycheck arrives too late to help. The Paycheck Budget lays your bills out against your real paydays.

Enter your pay schedule, your bills and your one-time costs. The sheet places each bill on the last paycheck before its due date, shows what is left after every paycheck, carries the balance forward and tells you if a pay period will run short. Safe to Spend is the lowest planned balance still ahead, minus the buffer you set, and it never counts a paycheck before its payday.

Everything is based on your planned income, bills and expenses. It is a projection, not your bank balance, and it does not connect to your bank. It is a digital download for Excel and Google Sheets.

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Digital download. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. Nothing is shipped.

What this spreadsheet tracks

Weekly, every 2 weeks, twice a month (two days you choose) or monthly pay, with a plan for the next 12 months
Up to 60 bills with cycles from weekly to yearly, and up to 60 one-time costs
The paycheck that covers each bill, with an option to pay a bill earlier by one or more paychecks
Left after this paycheck, the projected balance and a status for every paycheck: OK, Uses carry-over, Below buffer or Short
Safe to Spend, calculated in date order from the as-of date
Variable paychecks, savings per paycheck and months with an extra paycheck flagged

Who it's for

People paid weekly, every 2 weeks, twice a month or monthly who budget by paycheck
Households with irregular paychecks or bills that cluster at the start of the month
Anyone who wants to see a tight pay period before it happens

How it works

Fill in Start Here: balance date, opening balance, pay schedule, paycheck, savings and buffer.
List your bills with category, amount, cycle and one due date, and add any one-time costs.
Read the Paychecks tab to see what each paycheck covers and what is left.
Open the Dashboard for Safe to Spend, the lowest point ahead and any alerts.

See it in action

See inside

Which bills does this paycheck cover? Every bill is placed on the last paycheck before its due date, and the Dashboard lists the bills of the selected paycheck with amount and due date. Pay a bill earlier with one number in the Bills tab. One-time costs are counted too.

How much will I have left? The Paychecks tab shows, for every payday of the next 12 months, the paycheck, savings, bills, one-time costs, the left after this paycheck, the projected balance and a status: OK, Uses carry-over, Below buffer or Short.

How much can I safely spend? Safe to Spend is the lowest planned balance still ahead, minus your minimum buffer. Future paychecks are never counted before they arrive, and bills are checked in date order. Based on your planned income, bills and expenses.

Warnings when a pay period runs short or dips below your buffer. The Dashboard watch list counts plan alerts ahead, extra-paycheck months, the amount saved in the plan and data checks, and the charts show the projected balance and the left after each paycheck.

Bills tab: one row per bill with category, amount, billing cycle from weekly to yearly, one due date and an optional pay-earlier number. Next due date, the payday that covers the bill, the 12-month total, a heads-up and a data check calculate themselves. Up to 60 bills.

A 12-month pay plan for any pay schedule: weekly, every 2 weeks, twice a month on two days you choose, or monthly. Paydays are listed from your dates, months with an extra paycheck are flagged, and each paycheck or savings amount can be changed individually.

The 5 tabs of the Paycheck Budget (Start Here, Dashboard, Paychecks, Bills, One-time) and what is included: a blank Excel workbook, an Excel file with a sample household, a PDF Quick Start Guide and a Google Sheets Make a copy link. No macros.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work in Excel and Google Sheets?

Yes. You get an Excel workbook and a PDF guide with a link to make your own copy in Google Sheets. The two versions are separate files and do not sync.

Is Safe to Spend my bank balance?

No. It is a projection from the opening balance, paychecks, bills and costs you enter. Update the balance date and opening balance to re-sync it with your account.

What if a bill is due before my first paycheck?

It is paid from your opening balance and shown in the first row of the Paychecks tab, so it never disappears.

Does it mark bills as paid or track transactions?

No. It is a planning tool without Paid or Unpaid tracking, and it does not connect to your bank.

Is there an example file?

Yes. A second Excel file is filled with example data (a household paid every 2 weeks, with 16 bills and 5 one-time costs), so you can see how everything works before using your own numbers.