Budget by swing.
Your pay follows your roster. Your bills follow the calendar. This free calculator lines them up so you can see what's left each swing and each month.
How the maths works.
Everything is worked out per cycle. Cycle length is days on plus days off (a 2/1 or 14/7 is 21 days, an 8/6 is 14 days). We use 365 days a year and 12 months, so an average month is 365 ÷ 12 = 30.4167 days.
| Step | Formula |
|---|---|
| Pay per swing | Per swing: as entered. Per week: pay ÷ 7 × cycle days. Per fortnight: pay ÷ 14 × cycle days. Per month: pay × 12 ÷ 365 × cycle days. |
| Bills per swing | Monthly bills × 12 ÷ 365 × cycle days |
| Left per swing | Pay per swing − bills per swing |
| Left per month | Left per swing ÷ cycle days × 365 ÷ 12 |
Use your base pay for a normal swing and leave overtime out, so fixed costs are covered by money you can count on. "Left" is before your swing and R&R spending; give those their own amounts. Figures are averages, so a given calendar month can hold more or less of a swing.
Want it in a spreadsheet?
SwingSheet Lite is free: one swing, what's left per swing and per day, in Excel.
SwingSheet (A$19) tracks every swing, with buffer, debt payoff order and a dashboard. Excel; opens in Google Sheets.
Get SwingSheet Lite (free)See SwingSheet
Made by Autofold. We make SwingSheet, and we sell it.
FAQ.
Why budget by swing instead of by month?
FIFO pay follows a 14 or 21-day cycle that doesn't divide evenly into calendar months, so monthly budgets keep drifting. Working per swing matches how the money arrives.
Should I include overtime?
Many FIFO workers budget fixed costs on base pay and treat overtime as extra. That's a common approach, not a rule.
What about quarterly or yearly bills?
Convert them to a monthly figure first (quarterly × 4 ÷ 12, yearly ÷ 12) and add them to monthly bills.
Is my data saved or sent anywhere?
No. The page has no cookies or analytics and the calculation runs only in your browser.
Does this work for even time?
Yes. Choose Custom and enter your days on and off, for example 4 and 4.
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