Take the money you have today, subtract the payments due before payday and whatever you want to save, and divide what's left by the days until payday. Example: $300,000 − $120,000 − $30,000 = $150,000; with 15 days to go, you can spend about $10,000 a day.
The date that matters isn't the end of the month: it's the day money comes in again. This calculator counts the days to your next payday, takes out what's already committed and tells you how much you can spend each day without hitting zero. It runs in your browser, with no account: the numbers aren't stored anywhere.
The calculator
Enter the money you have today to see how much you can spend per day.
Educational tool. The result depends on the numbers you enter; they aren't stored and don't leave your browser.
How it's calculated
Available = the money you have today − the payments due before payday − what you want to save. Days = from today, included, to the day before payday: on payday new money comes in. Per day = available ÷ days. And per week, the daily figure times seven.
Worked example. You have $300,000; before payday $120,000 is due between rent and the card, and you want to set aside $30,000. That leaves $150,000 to spend. If you get paid in 15 days, that's about $10,000 a day, or about $70,000 a week.
If the available amount comes out at zero or less, the maths isn't wrong: payments and savings already take everything you have. Look at which payment could move, or how much to save this month, before spending more.
Why count to payday and not to the end of the month
If you're paid on the 5th, the 31st tells you nothing: that day you still have five days to go on the same money. Counting to payday makes the daily figure the one you actually have to stretch, so you don't have too much at the start of the month and too little at the end.
The same goes if you're paid mid-month, or in two parts: the count runs to the next time money comes in. If you're paid on two dates, count to the first one and do it again that day.
In Kesef
In Kesef, Budgets does this maths for you and updates it with every expense you log: the summary says "About $10,000 a day until the 4th", and each category shows what's left and how much you can spend per day. It's free, with up to 3 budgets per month; unlimited with Kesef Pro.
And your month starts whenever you want: if you set it to start on payday, the "per day" runs until your next payday rather than the 31st.
- Category budgets that tell you how much you can spend per dayHow budgets work: statuses, alerts and the per-day figure.
- Your month, payday to payday: pick the day it startsHow to make your month start on payday.
- Does Kesef tell me how much I can spend per day?What Kesef tells you about how much you can spend per day.
- Credit card instalments, spread across the monthsInstalments, logged in the month they're due.
Frequently asked questions
How is the daily spending amount calculated?
From the money you have today you subtract the payments due before payday and what you want to save, and divide what's left by the days remaining, from today to the day before payday. With $150,000 available and 15 days, that's $10,000 a day.
Do I include card instalments?
Yes, the instalment due before you get paid: that money is already committed. The ones for later months don't go into this count. In Kesef, each instalment is already logged in the month it's due, so the budget counts it on its own.
What if I'm paid mid-month?
The maths is the same: enter your next payday and the calculator counts the days to it. If you're paid on the 15th, on the 3rd you have 12 days to go on that money, not 28.
Does Kesef work it out for me?
Yes. In Budgets, Kesef tells you how much you can spend per day until the period closes and recalculates it every time you log an expense. If your month starts on payday, the count runs to your next payday. It's free, with up to 3 budgets per month.