A budget that matches how your pay actually arrives.
NO SIGNUP · YOUR NUMBERS NEVER LEAVE YOUR DEVICE · DOWNLOAD IT WHEN YOU'RE DONE
HOW THIS WORKS
Most budget tools assume one paycheck a month. Military money doesn't work that way: active duty pay lands twice a month, drill pay comes and goes, and retired pay and VA compensation land near the 1st. This tool builds the budget around your cadence, then shows you the whole month and each paycheck side by side.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or stored anywhere but this device, and it clears when you close the tab unless you download a copy or choose to save it on this device for next time.
STEP 1 OF 5 · YOUR SITUATION
Who is this budget for?
This sets the pay cadence and the fields you'll see next. Nothing else changes.
Money coming in
Monthly amounts. Estimates are fine: you can change any number later.
Money going out
Monthly amounts. Skip anything that doesn't apply.
What are you working toward?
Pick anything that fits, or skip this. Each one you pick gets its own tracker on the next screen: the math on when you get there, and where on StandWatch to dig in.
Your month, in the open
These are your numbers doing the talking. Change anything and rebuild whenever you want.
COMING IN / MO
$0
GOING OUT / MO
$0
LEFT OVER / MO
$0
The month comes up short as entered. That's a fact worth knowing before it happens, not a judgment. If bills are the pressure point, the Money Resources directory lists emergency relief societies and free financial counseling for the military community, and every entry links to the official door.
Where it goes
EACH CATEGORY AS A SHARE OF MONTHLY INCOME
Take it with you
DOWNLOADS AS A SPREADSHEET FILE THAT OPENS IN EXCEL, GOOGLE SHEETS, OR NUMBERS
Keep going
FREE STANDWATCH TOOLS THAT PICK UP WHERE THIS LEAVES OFF
What this is, and what it is not. Budget Builder is a free educational tool. It does arithmetic on numbers you enter; it does not verify them, and it is not financial, legal, or tax advice. No output here is a recommendation, a verdict, or a rating. Pay dates: active duty pay generally arrives on the 1st and the 15th, and when those fall on a weekend or holiday, pay arrives the business day before (source: DFAS). Allowances like BAH and BAS are generally not subject to federal income tax; tax situations vary, so confirm your own on your LES or with a tax professional. StandWatch is a private, veteran-owned company, not a lender, insurer, or government agency, and not affiliated with the VA or DoD.
Where your numbers go. Nowhere. This page runs entirely in your browser and your entries are never sent to any server, ours or anyone's. By default they live in this tab only and are gone when you close it. If you tap SAVE ON THIS DEVICE, your budget and goals are kept in this browser on this device so they're here when you come back; DELETE SAVED COPY removes them whenever you want. The download is created on your device. Other StandWatch tools can hand amounts to this page through the link itself (category and dollar figure only, nothing else), and you review every number before anything is built. Full details: our Privacy Policy and Trust Center.