YOUR FIRST 10 MINUTES
Enter the plan in this order.
- Select the month. Use the planning month that contains the bills and paychecks you are reviewing.
- Enter cash on hand. Use money actually available for the plan; do not count unavailable credit.
- Add expected paychecks. Enter the amount and expected date for each check.
- Protect a cash buffer. Choose money that should remain untouched.
- Add every required bill. Include due day, amount, status, and category.
- Add debt minimums. Minimum payments belong in the plan before extra payoff ideas.
- Review lifestyle commitments. Approve only optional expenses the plan can carry.
- Return to Overview. Read alerts, timing, and safe to spend; then save.
THE CORE CALCULATION
Understand what safe to spend means.
Payday Control adds cash on hand and expected pay, then subtracts every open or pending bill, debt minimum, protected cash buffer, other planned spending, and committed lifestyle item.
The dashboard cannot see pending card charges, bank holds, forgotten bills, incorrect entries, or payments that failed. A positive result is only as reliable as the plan you entered.
EVERY DASHBOARD TAB
Know where each decision belongs.
Overview
Review safe to spend, bills still open, debt minimums, buffer, cash-flow order, alerts, and upcoming commitments. Use this tab to make the decision; edit the underlying numbers in the specialized tabs.
Paycheck plan
Enter cash on hand, expected paychecks, protected buffer, and other planned spending. The result estimates what remains after the commitments currently in the plan.
Bills & cash flow
Add each bill, amount, due day, category, status, and auto-pay setting. Open and pending bills reduce safe to spend; paid bills remain visible but are no longer counted as still due.
Lifestyle spending
Set a monthly lifestyle limit, then classify one-time and recurring wants. Approved or purchased items affect the plan; waiting, paused, or cut items show potential savings without pretending the charge has already stopped.
Debt strategy
Track balance, APR, minimum payment, and an optional extra-payment scenario. The estimate is educational and depends completely on the values entered.
Payment calendar
Bills and approved lifestyle commitments appear by date. A due day beyond the last day of a shorter month is placed on that month’s final day.
Monthly close
Review bill statuses, debt minimums, lifestyle decisions, cash buffer, and the final save. The checklist keeps the next month from starting with stale data.
Account & privacy
Export an editable Excel workbook, print or save a PDF summary, maintain a technical JSON recovery backup, or permanently delete the account and private plan.
RECOMMENDED ROUTINE
Use the dashboard at three moments.
Rebuild the decision
Update available cash, add the new paycheck, check bills due before the next payday, and review safe to spend.
Keep statuses honest
Mark bills paid, approve or cut lifestyle items, and save whenever a commitment changes.
Close cleanly
Complete Monthly Close, export a summary if wanted, and prepare the next planning month.
SAVING, EXPORTS, AND BACKUP
Use the right format for the right job.
Encrypts and stores the current plan so it returns after sign-out. Save after meaningful changes.
Use Excel to work with editable tables. Use PDF for a clean, printable household summary.
Use only for technical recovery and restoration. It is not the customer-readable report.
Exports contain private financial information. Store them securely and avoid sending them through unsecured messages.
PRIVACY AND SUPPORT
Keep sensitive details out of support reports.
Use Report a problem for access, saving, display, payment, or privacy issues. The report automatically includes basic technical context, but your household plan is not attached.