Budget Periods Explained
Understand how OneBudget aligns your budget with your pay schedule
What is a Budget Period?
A budget period is the time frame OneBudget uses to track your income and spending. Unlike traditional apps that force monthly budgets, OneBudget aligns your budget period with when you actually get paid.
Why Pay-Aligned Budgeting?
If you get paid bi-weekly, a monthly budget doesn't match your cash flow:
- Some months have 2 paychecks, others have 3
- Your money situation changes every 2 weeks, not every month
- Monthly budgets make it hard to know what you can spend today
OneBudget solves this by budgeting paycheck-to-paycheck.
Supported Pay Schedules
OneBudget supports all common pay schedules:
| Schedule | Period Length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 7 days | Every Friday |
| Bi-weekly | 14 days | Every other Friday |
| Semi-monthly | ~15 days | 1st and 15th |
| Monthly | ~30 days | Last day of month |
How OneBudget Detects Your Schedule
When you connect your bank accounts, OneBudget analyzes your deposit history to automatically detect:
- When you get paid — The day of week or month
- How often — Weekly, bi-weekly, etc.
- How much — Your typical paycheck amount
You can always adjust this manually in Settings → Income.
Period Boundaries
Your budget period starts when you get paid and ends the day before your next paycheck. For example:
- Bi-weekly on Fridays: Period runs Friday to Thursday
- Monthly on the 1st: Period runs 1st to last day of month
What About Variable Income?
If your income varies (freelancers, gig workers, commission), OneBudget can handle it:
- Set a baseline income estimate
- Adjust each period as you receive payments
- Your Safe to Spend updates automatically
Changing Your Pay Schedule
Life changes—new job, different pay schedule. To update:
- Go to Settings → Income
- Update your pay frequency
- Adjust your next expected pay date
- Your budget will recalculate automatically