Fri, Oct 30
Covered · £315.00 spare
Salary £2,600.00
Bills £1,245.00 from £1,560.00 bills money
- Rentdue Nov 1£950.00
- Council taxdue Nov 1£160.00
- Energydue Nov 15£110.00
- Phonedue Nov 20£25.00
Finances & BudgetingFree budget tool
Salary Split Calculator
Paid once a month? Split your salary into needs, savings and wants, then check the bills due before your next payday. With one payday a month, last month's salary pays for everything due before this one arrives.
Highlights
- Monthly salary
- Last working day
- Every world currency
- Saved in your browser
How to plan bills by paycheck
This planner splits every paycheck (or monthly salary) into buckets, such as bills, savings and spending. Then it gives each bill to the payday that has to pay it.
If a later paycheck can't cover its bills, it tells you how much to keep back from an earlier one. It works with any pay schedule, more than one income, and every currency in use around the world.
What you'll see
- Your split — how one paycheck divides into your buckets.
- Every payday this month — its bills, its bills money, and whether it's covered.
- Hold-back amounts — what to keep from one paycheck for a later one that falls short.
- Month notes — a bills bucket that's too small, money to carry in, and extra paydays.
The example below is already filled in. Change the income in Step 1, the buckets in Step 2 and the bills in Step 3. The results in Step 4 update as you type.
ExampleExample figures loaded. Change anything.
Step 1 of 4 Done
Your income
Add every income you get paid from.
Paid on the last weekday (Monday to Friday) of each month.
Step 2 of 4 Done
Buckets
Fixed amounts first, then percentages. "What's left" takes the rest.
Per paycheck £1,560.00
Per paycheck £520.00
Per paycheck £520.00
Quick start · Popular splits
Step 3 of 4 Done
Bills
Monthly bills and the day they're due.
Paying ahead
A buffer for slow transfers. A bill due just after a payday is paid from the paycheck before it.
Your split
One paycheck, split
Salary: £2,600.00, last working day of the month
- Needs60%£1,560.00
- Savings20%£520.00
- Wants20%£520.00
Step 4 of 4 Done
Paycheck by paycheck
Each bill goes to the latest payday before its pay-by date.
October 2026
- Paydays
- 1
- Bills per month
- £1,245.00
- Bills money this month
- £1,560.00
Salary budgeting guide
Splitting a monthly salary
One payday a month makes budgeting simpler, but it raises one question: is there enough left from this salary for everything due before the next one? This calculator splits your salary and gives each bill to the payday that has to pay it.
Paid weekly, every two weeks or on irregular dates? Use the paycheck split calculator.
Worked example
This month's salary pays next month's rent
The example in the calculator: a salary of £2,600 on the last working day, split 60/20/20.
Rent of £950 and council tax of £160 are due on the 1st. Energy is due on the 15th and the phone on the 20th. October 31, 2026 is a Saturday, so the salary arrives on Friday, October 30.
That salary has to pay November's rent and council tax two days later, and every other bill until the November salary. Needs gets 60%, which is £1,560, against £1,245 of bills, so there's £315 to spare.
The same works in any currency. A salary of KES 80,000 split 60/20/20 puts KES 48,000 toward needs. If rent of KES 30,000 is due on the 5th and you're paid on the 28th, the previous month's salary pays it.
| Payday | Needs money | Bills | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30 | £1,560 | £1,245 | Covered · £315 free |
Monthly pay
What to check with a monthly salary
With one payday, timing problems come from the dates around it.
- Bills just before paydayA bill on the 27th when you're paid on the 28th comes out of last month's salary, nearly a month earlier.
- Weekend paydaysEmployers often pay on the Friday before. Tick the weekend option in Step 1 so the dates match.
- Short and long monthsWith last-working-day pay, the gap between salaries varies from four to five weeks. Keep a small buffer.
- Savings on paydayMove savings out the day your salary lands, so the month's spending can't use it first.
Popular splits
Popular ways to split a salary
Not sure where to start? Load one of these into the planner, then adjust the percentages to fit your bills.
50/30/20
Half of each paycheck for needs such as rent, bills and food, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and paying off debt. The most widely used starting point.
Needs 50% · Wants 30% · Savings & debt 20%
70/20/10
70% for living costs, 20% for savings and 10% for debt or giving. Suits higher-cost cities, where needs alone take more than half.
Living costs 70% · Savings 20% · Debt or giving 10%
60/20/20
60% for needs, 20% for savings and 20% for wants. A middle ground when 50% for needs is too tight.
Needs 60% · Savings 20% · Wants 20%
80/20 (pay yourself first)
Move 20% to savings the day you're paid, then pay bills and live on the other 80%. The simplest split to stick to.
Savings 20% · Everything else 80%
How a 2,000 paycheck splits
The same for any currency: 2,000 dollars, pounds, euros or rand.
| Split | Each bucket gets |
|---|---|
| 50/30/20 | Needs 1,000 · Wants 600 · Savings & debt 400 |
| 70/20/10 | Living costs 1,400 · Savings 400 · Debt or giving 200 |
| 60/20/20 | Needs 1,200 · Savings 400 · Wants 400 |
| 80/20 (pay yourself first) | Savings 400 · Everything else 1,600 |
Method
How the numbers are worked out
The same rules apply to every plan, so you can check any result by hand.
- Splitting a paycheckFixed amounts come out first (from your first income only), then each percentage of the payment. "What's left" gets the rest, never less than zero.
- Which payday pays a billEach bill goes to the latest payday on or before its pay-by date: the due date, minus the days early you choose.
- Hold-backsWorking back from the last payday of the month, any shortfall is covered from spare bills money on earlier paydays. Anything left over is shown as free.
- Rounding and datesAmounts are worked out in whole cents (or your currency's smallest unit), and dates are calendar days, so time zones never move a payday.
This is a planning tool, not financial advice. It uses the take-home figures you enter and doesn't work out tax. Last reviewed .
Common questions
Salary split FAQ
Common questions about splitting and budgeting a monthly salary.
How should I split a monthly salary?
Start from a popular rule such as 50/30/20 or 60/20/20 and adjust it to your bills. Move savings out on payday, keep enough in your bills bucket for everything due before next payday, and spend what's left. The planner shows how a single salary covers a month of bills and whether anything is short.
Which bills does my salary have to cover?
Everything due from this payday until the next. If you're paid on the last working day and rent is due on the 1st, this month's salary pays next month's rent, which arrives only a day or two later. Bills due before payday, such as on the 25th when you're paid on the 28th, belong to the previous month's salary.
What does "last working day of the month" mean in the planner?
The last Monday to Friday of each month. If the 31st is a Saturday, the planner puts payday on Friday the 30th. Choose "Once a month, same date" instead if you're paid on a fixed date such as the 25th, and tick "Weekend paydays move to the Friday before" if your employer pays early.
Can I use the salary calculator in my currency?
Yes, in every currency in use today, including pounds, euros, Kenyan shillings, Nigerian naira, South African rand and Indian rupees. Amounts are rounded to each currency's smallest unit, so shillings and yen use whole amounts.
What if I'm paid monthly but my partner is paid weekly?
Add both incomes in Step 1, each with its own schedule. Put the monthly salary first, because fixed amounts come out of the first income only. The planner merges both into one timeline and gives each bill to whichever payday comes before it.
Ready-made plans
Plan by the way you're paid
The same planner with a different starting plan. Your saved plan comes with you to each one.
- Paycheck Split CalculatorAny pay schedule and any split. Start here if you're not sure which page fits.
- 50/30/20 Budget CalculatorHalf for needs, 30% for wants, 20% for savings and debt.
- 70/20/10 Budget CalculatorFor high-rent cities: 70% living costs, 20% savings, 10% debt or giving.
- 60/20/20 Budget CalculatorWhen 50% for needs is too tight: 60% needs, 20% savings, 20% wants.
- 80/20 Budget CalculatorPay yourself first: save 20% on payday, live on the other 80%.
- Biweekly Budget PlannerPaid every two weeks: which paycheck pays rent, and the months with three paychecks.
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