Paycheck
allocator.
Enter all essential spending before allocating the remainder. Include groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare, minimum debt payments and monthly amounts for irregular essentials. The prefilled amounts are examples; replace them with your own costs.
Do not count existing 401(k) or insurance payroll deductions again. Change take-home pay if you change those deductions. The optional other-goal bucket uses a percentage of entered take-home pay; it does not calculate an employer match. The IRA example uses the 2026 $7,500 base annual limit, divided by 12, without testing eligibility, catch-ups or contributions made elsewhere.
The question it answersWhere should each dollar of my paycheck go after I cover essentials?
Rules: United States. Tax year: models 2026 figures; check the assumptions before using it for another year. Privacy: runs in your browser. What you enter stays on your device.
STEP 1Your essential spending floor
Include variable and irregular essentials as well as recurring bills.
STEP 2Take-home pay
What hits your bank account each month after taxes and pre-tax deductions.
STEP 3Allocate your margin
These are adjustable examples, not a required order. Set completed or inapplicable goals to zero.
Where every dollar goes
Monthly & annual breakdown
| CATEGORY | MONTHLY | ANNUAL |
|---|
What this tool assumes
- Enter actual take-home pay after payroll deductions. This tool does not estimate taxes or infer gross pay.
- Priority order reflects the recommended Personal Finance Order of OperationsOrder of operationsA default sequence for spare money after essentials and minimum payments: a starter emergency fund, any employer retirement match, high-interest debt, a full emergency fund and tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, Roth IRA, more 401(k)), then taxable investing. Vesting, unstable income and near-term goals can shift it.Full definition.
- Bitcoin allocation is treated as a separate bucket funded after tax-advantaged savings.
Not financial advice. Adjust allocations to fit your personal situation.
HOW THIS IS CALCULATED
This tool runs entirely in your browser: no data is sent to any server. The assumptions and default values behind the result are listed under “What this tool assumes” on this page. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.
Where to go from here
Calculators are educational estimates, not financial advice. Disclosures · How pages are reviewed