Enter your take-home pay and savings goal to see what to put in the savings and checking fields of a two-account payroll form.
Take-home paycheck
Use the amount deposited after taxes and deductions.
Savings goal
A monthly goal is spread evenly across the year's paychecks.
Enter your take-home pay and savings goal to see what to put on a two-account direct deposit form.
Enter the take-home amount of one paycheck and how often you are paid. For a per-paycheck goal, that goal becomes the fixed savings deposit. For a monthly goal, the helper multiplies by 12, divides by the number of yearly paychecks, and rounds up to the next cent.
On a two-account payroll form, choose a fixed dollar amount for savings and remainder for checking. The percentage alternative is a rounded estimate of the same savings target and may send a slightly different amount. If your paycheck changes, the fixed savings amount stays the same while a percentage changes with pay.
Choose a fixed dollar amount and enter the recommended savings amount per paycheck. Set checking to remainder so it receives the rest.
The helper treats a monthly goal as an annual average: 12 months of savings divided by 52, 26, 24, or 12 paychecks. The fixed amount is rounded up to the next cent so the annual total meets the goal.
If your form offers percentage allocations, you can use the displayed percentage with checking as remainder. It is approximate because the percentage is rounded and payroll systems may allow different precision.
A fixed savings amount stays the same. If a paycheck is too small to cover it, your payroll system may handle the split differently. Check your first deposit and your employer’s rules.