Budgeting and pay day.
Most Australians are paid weekly or fortnightly, but most bills arrive monthly, quarterly or once a year. That mismatch is behind a lot of money stress.
These guides show how to turn every bill into a per-pay amount, what to do with a third pay and how big your buffers need to be.
Making pay day work
- How do I pay monthly bills when I'm paid fortnightly?
Why halving monthly bills doesn't work on fortnightly pay, the simple x 12 รท 26 rule, and how to set up a bills account that keeps up.
6 min read
- What's a three-pay month, and is 2026-27 a 27-pay year for me?
Which fortnightly paydays get three pays in a month in 2026-27, who gets 27 pays, and what the ATO tax tables say about the extra pay.
7 min read
- How do I budget when my pay changes every fortnight?
Find your baseline pay, run bills off the lean fortnights, and use a buffer to smooth casual and shift pay that changes every pay.
7 min read
Big bills and big months
- How do I save for rego, car insurance and other big yearly bills?
Turn rego, insurance and other yearly bills into a small amount each pay, plus how to catch up when a bill is only a few months away.
7 min read
- How much should I budget for Christmas, and how do I get through the January pay gap?
Work out a Christmas budget per pay from now, and count the days between your last December pay and first January pay so the bills still get paid.
7 min read
Buffers and safety nets
- How much buffer should sit in our bills account?
Why a bills account can still go negative with the right transfer, and a simple way to find your lowest point and set a buffer that covers it.
6 min read
- How much should be in my emergency fund?
Work out an emergency fund from your essential costs, not your income, with a $1,000 starter, a three month target and a plan to get there.
6 min read
Start with the free pay check.
Type in one fortnight's pay and bills and see where it all goes. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.