Plans, Goals, and Spending Targets

Set up category plans for every paycheck, monthly contributions, savings goals, bills, and spending targets.

Plan types

Category settings separate its type, funding plan, and paycheck-planning options. Available choices depend on whether it is Standard Spending, Savings Funding, or Bill Payment. Plans describe intended funding; they do not automatically assign money.

No funding plan: No automatic funding target is calculated for the category.
Monthly funding amount: A target contribution for the selected calendar month.
Annual / Irregular expense: Prepare for a known irregular or annual cost.
Savings target by date: Build toward a target amount and date.
Minimum available balance: Maintain a chosen category balance.
Spending allowance: Plan flexible spending where supported by the category type.

Paycheck planning separately offers By due date, Every paycheck, Spread assigned amount, or Hidden from paycheck cards. Include in current plan controls future funding need; hiding a paycheck card is a separate choice.

Every Paycheck

Every paycheck is a paycheck-planning setting that gives a category a recurring funding need. It connects the category to the pay schedule without automatically assigning or receiving money.

Per-paycheck allowance

Set the intended allowance for each paycheck, such as $150 for Groceries. The plan shows the amount needed for each eligible occurrence. Money reaches the category only when you explicitly assign available funding.

Expected Income target

Categories with an Every Paycheck plan appear in Expected Income's Needs From This Paycheck view until they are fully funded for the current window. The target shown is the configured per-paycheck allowance.

Date-specific override

If one paycheck's allocation should differ from the default — for example, putting extra money toward Groceries when hosting a dinner — you can set a target override for that specific paycheck date without changing the default going forward.

Spending during the paycheck window

For Every Paycheck categories, Expected Income tracks not just the assigned amount but also spending within the window. If $150 was assigned and $40 was spent, the category shows $110 remaining for the period.

Monthly contribution

A monthly contribution plan sets a target amount to assign during the calendar month — regardless of how many paychecks arrive in that month.

Current-month contribution

The plan tracks how much has been assigned so far this month. If you have a $300/month contribution target and have assigned $100, the plan shows $200 still needed.

Contribution progress

The Plans and Goals section shows a progress indicator for each contribution plan — how far along you are toward this month's target.

Contribution vs. total Available

The contribution target is about how much you assign this month, not about the total balance in the category. A category could have $800 Available from prior months even if you have not yet met this month's $300 contribution target.

Rollover and contributions

Unspent money from prior months rolls over normally. A monthly contribution plan does not reset or remove prior rollover — it only tracks new assignments made in the current month.

Savings goals

A savings goal (target balance plan) lets you save toward a specific dollar amount. This is useful for emergency funds, vacation savings, a new car, or any other target.

Target amount

Set the amount you want to reach. For example, $1,000 for an emergency fund. InfinitelyZero tracks how much Available the category currently has and how far you are from the target.

Progress

The Plans and Goals section shows a progress bar for each savings goal. As you assign money to the category each month, the progress bar fills toward the target.

Savings account money vs. savings category money

These are different things. Your savings account is a real bank account with a balance. A savings category is a label in your budget for what money is designated for. Money in your savings account can be assigned to any category — it does not automatically appear in your savings goal category just because it is in a savings account.

Tip: To track an emergency fund, create an Emergency Fund category, assign money to it each month, and set a target balance goal. The category's Available tells you how much of your total money is designated for emergencies — wherever that money physically sits.

Plans & Goals in Planning Hub

This screen collects the funding plans, savings goals, spending allowances, minimum balances, and annual or irregular targets already configured on categories. Use it to review progress and edit supported plan settings; assigning money still happens in Budget.