# Track your expenses in El Salvador, in dollars

> Your spending in dollars in El Salvador: pupusas by voice, internet as a recurring bill, the aguinaldo. With Apple Pay (Pro), payments log themselves.

_By [Gonzalo Nahmías](https://getkesef.app/en/gonzalo-nahmias) · Updated on 2026-11-06_

**104 people in El Salvador have used Kesef** (number 17 of 132 countries, as of 2026-11-09).

**In short:** Kesef is a free iPhone and Android app to track your spending in El Salvador in dollars: you dictate the pupusas, add the internet bill once as recurring and log the aguinaldo when it arrives, by December 20. And if you pay with Apple Pay on your iPhone, Kesef Pro records it without you lifting a finger.

This page explains how Kesef works in El Salvador: how it handles the US dollar, what logs itself and what's worth logging on the spot.

## The US dollar in Kesef

People in El Salvador pay in dollars. In Spanish, Kesef writes the dollar as US$ (US$ 1,250.50) so nobody mistakes it for a peso; in English you see it as $. When you start, Kesef asks for your main currency: pick the US dollar, which is on the list, and change it later from your Profile if you need to.

If you buy in another currency, on a trip or online, that expense stays in its currency and Kesef adds it to your dollar totals at the day's international rate.

## Apple Pay in El Salvador: payments that log themselves

Apple lists El Salvador among the countries with Apple Pay, so with Kesef Pro, on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later, every Apple Pay payment logs itself with its amount and merchant. You turn it on once from the Shortcuts app. Mercado Pago isn't offered in El Salvador: whatever you pay by transfer or in cash, dictate it or log it with a receipt photo.

## The aguinaldo, by December 20 at the latest

In El Salvador the Labor Code sets December 20 as the deadline to pay the aguinaldo, and the amount depends on how many years you've been with the company. An employer can pay it earlier, but not later.

Log it as income on the day it arrives. It comes in the most expensive month of the year, so check your upcoming movements first for the installments and fixed bills due in January, and set that part aside in a savings goal.

## Examples in El Salvador, in dollars

- **Example (Saturday pupusas):** Saying "pupusas, 12" is enough: the account is already in dollars, so the expense is $12.
- **Example (The home internet bill):** You add it once as a $35 monthly recurring expense, and it shows up in your upcoming movements before the bill arrives.
- **Example (A fridge in 10 installments):** A $650 fridge in ten card installments: you log the total and the next ten months show $65 each.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Kesef work in El Salvador?

Yes. Kesef is a free download in El Salvador on the App Store and Google Play and tracks your spending in dollars. How many people use it from El Salvador is at the top of the page, with the day's count.

### Can I track my expenses in dollars?

Yes, and they look like this: $1,250.50. When you start, pick the US dollar as your main currency.

### Do my Apple Pay payments log themselves in El Salvador?

Yes, with Kesef Pro on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later. There's no Apple Pay on Android.

- [Your Apple Pay payments, logged on their own](https://getkesef.app/en/features/apple-pay)

### Does Kesef have Mercado Pago in El Salvador?

No. Mercado Pago is offered in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. What logs itself, on iPhone, is Apple Pay.

### Can Kesef help me keep the aguinaldo from vanishing in December?

It helps you see it before you spend it. Log it as income, check your upcoming movements for what's due in January and set that part aside in a savings goal. Kesef doesn't move your money: the goal is a record of what you set aside.

## Sources and review date

Data checked on 2026-11-06.

- [Apple: countries and regions that support Apple Pay](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102775)
- [El Diario de Hoy: el aguinaldo y su fecha límite, 2026](https://www.eldiariodehoy.com/?p=95103)
- [Bloomberg Línea: el aguinaldo en El Salvador y cómo se calcula](https://www.bloomberglinea.com/2022/12/05/aguinaldo-de-el-salvador-cuando-empezara-a-pagarse-y-como-sera-la-exencion-del-isr/)

## Your dollars, in plain sight

Download it free on iPhone or Android and log your first expense by voice.

## Download

- iPhone (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/app/id6758053806
- Android (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kesef.app

## Keep reading

- [Your Apple Pay payments, logged on their own](https://getkesef.app/en/features/apple-pay)
- [Track spending across currencies without doing the maths yourself](https://getkesef.app/en/features/multi-currency)
- [Log the whole day's expenses by talking, in one go](https://getkesef.app/en/features/voice-expense-tracking)
- [Savings goals: set the amount and Kesef tells you whether you'll make it](https://getkesef.app/en/features/savings-goals)
- [Is it better to pay in instalments or in cash?](https://getkesef.app/en/tools/instalments-vs-cash-calculator)
- [Kesef or Splitwise: which one fits how you split expenses](https://getkesef.app/en/compare/kesef-vs-splitwise)

---

Esta página en español: https://getkesef.app/el-salvador.md
HTML: https://getkesef.app/en/el-salvador