Which paycheck should pay each bill?

Give each bill to the last paycheck that lands at least a few days before it is due. Rent due on the first goes to the paycheck before the first, and a phone bill due on the twentieth comes out of the one on the fifteenth. Add up the bills on each paycheck, and that total is what the Fixed account keeps from it.

What if rent is too big for one paycheck?

Split it across two paychecks. The earlier paycheck holds its half in the Fixed account until the later one brings the rest. If one paycheck still carries much more than the others, ask to move a due date, since many companies will let you pick one.

What do I do with a third paycheck?

Paid every two weeks, you get 26 paychecks a year, so two months a year have three. Build your plan on a month with two. When the third one comes, your Fixed bills are already paid and Needs and Desires are already covered, so the whole paycheck goes to Unexpected and Stash, Unexpected first if you are still building it. Paid weekly, the same thing happens four times a year with a fifth paycheck.

Map Bills to Paydays: Which Paycheck Pays Each Bill?

Fixed keeps from each paycheck

$392.50 / $1,322.50

Built on your two paydays. Bills due early in the month come from the paycheck before.

What each paycheck keeps for Fixed and the other four funds
Paycheck	Fixed
The 1st	$392.50
The 15th	$1,322.50

The paycheck on the 15th keeps $930 more for Fixed than the one on the 1st. See how to even it out below.

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Your paychecks, bill by bill

Paycheck on the 1st
Fixed keeps $392.50
- Internet (due the 8th)$60
- Student loan (due the 12th)$150
- Insurance (due the 15th)$135
- Annual bills (builds for once a year)$47.50
Paycheck on the 15th
Fixed keeps $1,322.50
- Rent (due the 1st)$1,100
- Utilities (due the 18th)$90
- Phone (due the 22nd)$45
- Card minimum (due the 25th)$40
- Annual bills (builds for once a year)$47.50

Build your five funds first

The starting bills are the book's illustrative example. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. Education only, not financial advice.

How the map works

The rule: the last paycheck at least 3 days before it's due

Every number in your plan stays monthly. Your pay schedule only changes how the monthly amounts arrive. Give each Fixed bill to the last paycheck that lands at least a few days before it is due. This page uses 3 days, so a bill due on the 20th can come from a paycheck on the 17th or earlier.

Rent due on the 1st goes to the paycheck before the 1st, and a phone bill due on the 20th comes out of the one on the 15th. Add up the bills on each paycheck, and that total is what the Fixed account keeps from it.

When one paycheck carries most of Fixed

Try to get every paycheck carrying about the same Fixed total, so the other four funds can get the same amount every payday.

Split Rent across two paychecks

The paycheck on the 1st holds $550 in the Fixed account until the next one brings the rest. Fixed per paycheck would be $942.50 / $772.50.

Ask to move a due date

Many companies will let you pick one. A due date from the 4th to the 17th puts a bill on the paycheck on the 1st. If Utilities moved there, Fixed per paycheck would be $482.50 / $1,232.50.

Bills that don't come every month

Bills that come every other month, twice a year, or once a year become a monthly number first: the amount divided by the months it covers. Split that number across your paychecks like everything else, and let it build in the Fixed account. When the bill arrives, the money is already there.

Needs, Desires, Unexpected and Stash split evenly

Twice a month is the simplest, since each paycheck sends half of every fund's monthly amount. Every two weeks works the same way, as long as you build on a month with two paychecks. Weekly pay starts from four paychecks, with a quarter of each amount going out every payday.

If you're a Scrambler, this page is your fix

The 4 Money Types are Spender, Saver, Scrambler, and Strategist. A Scrambler doesn't need speed bumps. They need order and dates. Write down the actual dates, like rent on the 1st, insurance on the 11th, and phone on the 15th, then check them against the transfers you set for the day after payday, so the money is there before anything else can claim it.

Not sure which type you are? Take the free Money Type quiz.

Your next step

Same numbers, different next move

Two people can get this exact result and need totally different first steps. Your Money Type tells you which one is yours.

Find my Money TypeFree, about 2 minutes

Already know yours?

How It Works

01
Pick how often you get paid and enter a normal payday. Add your take-home per paycheck if you want to see what is left.
02
List your Fixed bills with the amount, the day each one is due, and how often it comes.
03
See which paycheck pays each bill, what Fixed keeps from every paycheck, and the even share for Needs, Desires, Unexpected, and Stash.

The 4 Money Types

The Math Is the Same. Your Next Move Isn't.

Spenders, Savers, Scramblers, and Strategists each need a different first fix. The free quiz tells you which type you are, so you know what to do with this number.

Find My Money Type

Common questions

: Give each bill to the last paycheck that lands at least a few days before it is due. Rent due on the first goes to the paycheck before the first, and a phone bill due on the twentieth comes out of the one on the fifteenth. Add up the bills on each paycheck, and that total is what the Fixed account keeps from it.
: Split it across two paychecks. The earlier paycheck holds its half in the Fixed account until the later one brings the rest. If one paycheck still carries much more than the others, ask to move a due date, since many companies will let you pick one.
: Paid every two weeks, you get 26 paychecks a year, so two months a year have three. Build your plan on a month with two. When the third one comes, your Fixed bills are already paid and Needs and Desires are already covered, so the whole paycheck goes to Unexpected and Stash, Unexpected first if you are still building it. Paid weekly, the same thing happens four times a year with a fifth paycheck.
: Bills that come every other month, twice a year, or once a year become a monthly number first. Split that number across your paychecks like everything else, and let it build in the Fixed account. When the bill arrives, the money is already there.

More Free Tools

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Map Bills to Paydays

Your paychecks, bill by bill

Paycheck on the 1st

Paycheck on the 15th