To add a bill, go to the Bills page, click Add Bill, and fill in how much it costs, how often it charges, and what category it falls under. Beyond Payday uses that to track your recurring expenses, split them into needs and wants, and — if you link it to a debt or asset — keep the bill in sync with what you owe or own.
Steps
- Go to Bills (opens in a new tab) and click Add Bill.
- Enter a name and amount, then set What type of bill? to a category like Mortgage Payment or HOA / Condo Fee, grouped under headings like Real Estate, Transportation, Insurance & Protection, Taxes & Fees, Family, Subscriptions & Services, Food & Personal, Education & Activities, and Savings & Investments.
- Set How often is this charged? to Monthly, Every 6 months, or Yearly. For groceries, gas or medical, see Everyday spending for the weekday options.
- Under Need or Want?, choose Need if you can't live without it, or Want if it's nice to have but not essential. This drives your needs-vs-wants split elsewhere in the app. Some categories are always a need or always a want, so this choice doesn't appear for them. Rent, food, medical care and loan payments start as Needs; you can change that choice under More details when the category allows it.
- If the price is temporary — an intro rate, a promo, or a discount that ends — tick Promotional pricing below the amount and say when it ends and what the price becomes. See Track a promotional price.
- Set How do you pay this? to Account, Credit Card, Cash, or Varies.
- If the category matches something you're already tracking, link it — a Mortgage Payment bill can Link Mortgage Debt, a Car Payment bill can Link Auto Loan Debt, and a retirement, investment or savings contribution bill can Link Account to the account the money goes into.
- Click Add to save.
For an automatic review list, open Save money (opens in a new tab). It checks selected personal bills and possible duplicate entries, with current costs and practical next steps. With permission, you can update an amount, pause a saved bill, or remove its record from that page. These actions do not change your service with the provider, and the displayed costs are not promised savings.
Everyday spending
At the top of Bills (opens in a new tab), the Everyday spending card shows how your household handles food, gas, medical and other everyday costs. Choose Track them as bills if you will add them as bills. Choose Cover them from money left over if you won't enter them; Money left over is then read as what remains before everyday spending. Owners and spouses/partners with Bills edit access can use Change; everyone else sees it read-only. Changing it never adds, edits or deletes a bill. If nobody has answered yet, the question shows on the card, and the owner or a spouse with Bills edit access is asked once when they next open the app.
Repeat on weekdays
When your household tracks everyday spending as bills, a Food, Fuel or Medical bill can repeat on chosen weekdays. Set How often is this charged? to one of:
- Every week — on each day you pick.
- Every 2 weeks — on each day you pick, every other week. Set Starting the week of to the first week.
- Week of the month — pick 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or Last, such as the 2nd and 4th Saturday.
Then tap the day chips (S M T W T F S) under Which days?. The amount field reads Amount each time: enter one trip, not a total. A line under the chips shows the result, such as "Every Mon & Thu · about $737/mo".
Each trip shows on the Bills calendar and on its own day in This Month. If you change the category to one that can't repeat on weekdays, the bill becomes Monthly with the same monthly total. In the spreadsheet view, the schedule is shown but not edited; change it in the bill form.
How it works
- Category groups organize the picker and power the category breakdowns on the Bills page's Insights tab.
- Need or Want splits your bills on the dashboard. Money left over is what's left after taxes and all bills, needs and wants alike.
- Every bill has an on/off toggle. Turning it off excludes it from every calculation but keeps it in your list — useful for a subscription you've paused without losing its history. Its tooltip reads "Unchecked items won't be included in calculations."
- Linking a bill to a debt keeps them in sync — Beyond Payday uses that link elsewhere, like knowing which mortgage to pay off if you model selling your home in retirement.
Good to know
- Most bills repeat Monthly, Every 6 months, or Yearly. The weekly, daily and per-paycheck amounts you see elsewhere in the app are converted views of those. Food, Fuel and Medical bills can also really repeat on weekdays (see above), when you track everyday spending as bills.
- If your household has more than one member, Whose bill is this? assigns the bill to one person. A bill can also be split by percentage across your businesses (Pro), but it can't be split between family members.
- Money you set aside in your own account — a vacation fund, emergency fund or holiday fund — goes under Savings Transfer. In your health score, a must-have Savings Transfer (an emergency fund) counts toward the 20% saving goal, and a nice-to-have one (a vacation or holiday fund) counts as a want, since you'll spend it. If a bill's name sounds like savings (for example "Vacation Fund") and it's filed under another type, the form offers Switch to Savings Transfer.
- Adding a bill is free on every plan.
- A bill must cost more than $0 — unless you've ticked Promotional pricing, where $0 is a real price for a free period.
FAQ
What recurrence options does a bill have?
Monthly, Every 6 months, or Yearly. Food, Fuel and Medical bills can also repeat Every week, Every 2 weeks, or by Week of the month on chosen days, when your household tracks everyday spending as bills. Beyond Payday converts that into whatever frequency you view elsewhere in the app.
What's the difference between a need and a want?
It's how Beyond Payday splits your bills. Mark a bill Need if you can't live without it, or Want if it's nice to have but not essential.
Can I link a bill to a loan I'm tracking?
Yes — categories like Mortgage Payment and Car Payment let you link the bill to the matching debt, so the two stay in sync.
How do I track money I set aside, like a vacation fund?
Choose Savings Transfer as the bill type, not the thing you're saving for (like Travel). Link Account lets you pick the account the money goes into. In your health score, a Savings Transfer marked must-have (like an emergency fund) counts as saving; one marked nice-to-have (like a vacation fund) is saving up for a want, so it counts as a want.
What happens if I turn off a bill instead of deleting it?
Beyond Payday excludes it from your calculations but keeps it in your list, so you can turn it back on later without re-entering it.