Current cash
Available money you can use
A pending deposit already included as future income
Check what a loan payment would leave you
A payment is not affordable just because it is smaller than your next paycheck. Check what will remain after the bills due before that payment—and keep a buffer for expenses that cannot wait.
Bottom Dollar Payday is not the lender. This page helps prepare and compare decisions; it does not submit an application or access accounts or application records.
Confirmed income
Net money expected before the due date
Gross business revenue needed for business costs
Essential spending
Housing, food, medicine and necessary transport due in the period
Bills already deducted from current cash
Will the payment fit before your next income?
Use one period ending on the proposed payment date. Count only money available by then; enter zero where an expense genuinely does not apply. [F01]
Method, privacy and limits
Room before payment = cash + confirmed income − essentials − existing debt payments − protected cash. Remaining = room − proposed payment. A negative result stays negative; the tool does not replace it with an approval. Values are rounded to cents. This browser calculation sends no form data, uses no bank connection and stores no inputs in local storage. It does not calculate interest, taxes, benefits eligibility or an entire loan schedule.
Choose the period that matters
One payment on your next payday
End the worksheet on that due date, not at the end of the month. Money arriving afterward cannot cover an earlier debit. Include a rent or utility payment only once, in the period when it must be paid.
An installment loan with several payments
Run the worksheet for the first payment, then repeat it for a tight later period. A comfortable first month does not settle whether the whole schedule fits. Use the repayment calculator for the balance and interest schedule.
Income varies or might arrive late
Start with confirmed take-home income. Keep a potential bonus, new gig or reimbursement out of the base case. Then rerun the numbers with a smaller or later income amount; compare the shortfalls, not only the best result.
Enter money you can actually use
A cash-flow budget aligns income and expenses in time. It is different from adding everything you expect to earn during a calendar month. Build the period around the payment date and avoid counting the same paycheck in both current cash and future income. [F02]
| Input | Include | Leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Current cash | Available money you can use | A pending deposit already included as future income |
| Confirmed income | Net money expected before the due date | Gross business revenue needed for business costs |
| Essential spending | Housing, food, medicine and necessary transport due in the period | Bills already deducted from current cash |
| Protected cash | A buffer you deliberately leave untouched | The same buffer counted again as an expense |
Read a negative result as a funding gap
The worksheet does not shrink essential spending to make a loan appear affordable. If the result is negative, the scenario needs a change. That may mean a lower payment, a different due date agreed with the provider, or help with the underlying bill—not another unconfirmed loan.
In the example, $200 in cash plus $1,200 of confirmed income gives $1,400. Essentials of $950, other debt of $100 and a $150 reserve leave $200 before the new payment. A proposed $250 payment leaves −$50, not $200 of spare cash. All amounts are illustrative.
Compare a workable adjustment, not a larger borrowing limit
Keep the same budget when comparing changes. Otherwise a smaller payment can look better simply because the second calculation forgot a bill.
| Scenario using the example | Payment | Cash afterward | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original proposal | $250 | −$50 | Shortfall remains |
| Lower proposed payment | $150 | $50 | Later payments and total cost |
| Income falls by $100, original payment | $250 | −$150 | Income uncertainty compounds the gap |
A positive $50 is a narrow margin, not a recommendation. A longer term may lower payments while increasing overall cost; compare the actual contract rather than accepting the lower payment alone.
Check the date as carefully as the amount
Record when money becomes available, not only the date an employer initiates payroll. Also identify whether the lender plans to collect before or after that incoming payment. The funding-time worksheet can compare a provider-supplied arrival window with your bill deadline, but it cannot promise either transfer. Do not assume a weekend moves a contractual due date.
When the payment does not fit
Contact the biller or creditor before the due date where possible and ask what arrangement is available. An existing payday lender may offer an extended repayment option, but access, conditions and charges vary. Obtain the proposed terms in writing. A debt counselor can also help organize the full budget. [F10]
Do not enter hoped-for assistance as confirmed cash until its amount and availability are known. If the loan would leave rent, food or medicine unpaid, the worksheet has identified a constraint to resolve, not an instruction to reduce those essentials.
Take the result to the actual offer
Before accepting, compare the payment amount, debit dates, net proceeds, total repayment and any optional services with the written offer. Rerun this worksheet using that actual payment. Keep a private note of assumptions and dates; do not send bank login details or identity documents through an unverified message. The local result is preparation for your decision, not a lender assessment.
Questions before continuing
Does a positive result mean I qualify?
No. It only means the entered cash covers the entered outflows in one period. It does not check a lender’s requirements, your state, the accuracy of inputs or the rest of the repayment schedule.
Should I include the money from the new loan as income?
Do not treat borrowed proceeds as recurring income. For this payment-fit test, use money available to repay after the financed expense has been accounted for; counting the proceeds without the expense can manufacture a surplus.
Is a zero reserve wrong?
The tool accepts zero because circumstances differ. It shows what you entered, not a universal emergency-fund rule. Run a second scenario with a buffer to see how sensitive the result is.
Related decisions
Ready for your next step?
Continue to the online application. Review the terms of any offer before you accept.
Sources and scope
Sources describe rules and resources; they do not endorse Bottom Dollar or certify listed businesses. Numerical examples are calculations, not offers.
