General
How to Use the Planner
Establish Your Baseline: Enter your current checking and savings balances to ensure an accurate 12-month forecast from the very beginning.
Input Income & Savings Goals: Enter your income from all sources and select your primary income source (this should be your bi-weekly take-home pay) which the calendar will be tied to. Then choose a savings strategy – either a Fixed Amount per check or an Annual Goal you want to achieve.
Expenses Timeline: List all of your recurring costs; everything from standard monthly rent to those infrequent quarterly or semi-annual payments that are often overlooked. You can also add things like food and gas to track on a bi-weekly, per paycheck basis. Each expense is set as Monthly (by day of the month), or use the date picker to chose the first occurrence for Bi-Weekly, Every 2 Months, Quarterly, Semi-Annual, and One-Time events to automatically plot upcoming expenses. If you choose an expense day between the 29th and 31st, the app will intelligently adjust for shorter months by using the last day of that month.
Smart Tags: Assign a category (like Housing, Food, or Utilities) to each expense to see a visual breakdown of your spending at the bottom of the page.
The Savings Shield (Protect Buffer): Input the minimum amount you want to maintain in your checking account as a buffer and select if you want the app to protect your buffer, meaning if your expenses are high in a particular pay cycle, the app will automatically reduce your savings transfer to ensure your checking account stays above your Minimum Balance Warning. If this is left unchecked the savings transfer will be shown as normal, even if it takes your checking balance below the minimum threshold.
Run 12-Month Forecast: The app calculates your 12-month outlook by creating 26 distinct pay cycles. It starts from your Next Pay Date and adds 14 days for each subsequent period, intelligently pulling in only the expenses that fall within those specific date windows.
What is the difference between “Monthly” and “Date-Based” expenses?
Monthly expenses occur every single month on the specific day you choose (e.g., Rent on the 1st). Bi-Weekly, Every 2 Months, Quarterly, Semi-Annual, and One-Time expenses use a specific start date to ensure they only trigger exactly when they are due.
Why does the terminology use “Expenses” instead of “Bills”?
A true budget tracks everything, not just your monthly bills. By using “Expenses,” the app encourages you to track not just fixed bills, but also debt payments (Credit Cards/Loans), groceries, and entertainment, in addition to expenses that occur less frequently like car maintenance and property taxes, to give you a 100% accurate net worth forecast.
Where can I find more tips and tricks for managing a bi-weekly budget?
Check out our blog for more helpful tips, product reviews, and recommendations: www.bi-weekly-budget.com
Privacy & Security
Where is my financial data stored?
We believe your financial business is your business. That’s why we built the Bi-Weekly Budget App in a way that your data never leaves your computer.
Zero Server Storage: This app does not transmit, store, or “cloud-sync” your income or expense data to any external server.
Local Control: All data processing happens directly within your web browser.
Your Master Record: Because we do not store your data, the Export Budget File (.json) feature is the only way to save and restore your work. If you lose your file and clear your browser cache, your data is gone forever.
Is it safe to use on a public computer?
Yes—provided you use the “Public Computer?” toggle. When enabled, this shield ensures that as soon as you close the browser tab, all entered data is wiped clean so the next user cannot see your finances.
How do I move my data to a new device?
Export your data and move the .json file to your new device. You can then import that file to pick up editing where you left off. You can also download your 12-month forecast as an Excel or pdf file for later viewing.
Smart Features & Math
What is the “Safety Shield” (Protect Buffer)?
This is a dynamic protection engine for your checking account. If your scheduled savings transfer would cause your checking account to drop below your Minimum Balance Warning, the Shield will automatically reduce the transfer. It will only save what is “safe” to ensure you can still cover your essential expenses.
How is “Net Worth” calculated?
The app uses a simple formula to calculate your total “liquid wealth” (cash on hand) at any given point in the 12-month forecast.
Why is my “Running Balance” different in each cycle?
Unlike a basic spreadsheet, this app uses Rollover Logic. Any money left over at the end of Period 1 is carried over as the starting balance for Period 2. This continues for each subsequent period over the 12-month budget, which allows you to see the “compounding effect” of your spending habits over time.