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Bill Organizer

Weekly routine · 5 minutes

Bill payment checklist: paying the bills due this week, step by step

Late fees rarely come from not having the money. They come from a bill nobody looked at until it was overdue. This eight-step checklist, run once a week, catches every bill due in the next seven days, and the printable below keeps a record of each payment.
  1. 1Look 7 days aheadList every bill due before next week's check, including autopay ones.
  2. 2Check each amountCompare with last month. A jump of more than 10% deserves a look at the bill.
  3. 3Check the moneyIs there enough in the paying account for everything due before payday?
  4. 4Pay manual bills 3 business days earlyBank bill pay can take days; biller sites usually post faster.
  5. 5Confirm autopaysMake sure the card or account each autopay uses is still valid and funded.
  6. 6Record itDate paid, amount and confirmation number, on the checklist or in the app.
  7. 7Mark it paidSo it drops off your list and the month's total is right.
  8. 8Note what's nextAny bill changing next month, any promo rate ending, any renewal coming.

Bills due this week: how to see them at a glance

The checklist starts with one question: what's due between today and next payday? Answering it takes a list of every bill with a due date, sorted by date. On paper that's a monthly bill checklist. On a computer, the free online bill tracker sorts bills into overdue, due today, due soon and upcoming and totals what's left this month. On the phone, the bill reminder app does the same and shows the week's bills in a home-screen widget.

Before you pay: the three checks

  • Amount. Bills that creep up are the ones people overpay for years. If a bill rose, the bill increase calculator shows what the change costs per year.
  • Payee and account. Billers change payment addresses after mergers. A payment sent to an old address can be returned weeks later, after the late fee.
  • Funds. Add up everything due before payday, autopays included. If it's more than the balance, use the order in which bills to pay first.

Paying: timing that avoids late fees

A bill is on time when the biller receives it, not when you send it. Bank bill pay can take up to five business days if it mails a check, so schedule those at least three business days early. Card and utility payments made on the biller's own site usually post the same or next business day. Paying after the due date but within a grace period may avoid a fee and still count as late for the biller's records, so don't rely on grace periods. If one paycheck keeps coming up short, move the due dates to match payday.

After paying: record it

Write the date paid and the confirmation number, then tick the bill off. That record answers "we never received it" in one sentence and helps at tax time for bills like medical costs. In the app, tapping Paid stores the date and moves a repeating bill to next month automatically.

Printable bill payment checklist

Print the monthly checklist for a list with paid boxes and dates, or the by-paycheck sheet if you plan each pay period separately.

  • Free printable monthly bill checklist (blank PDF preview)

    Monthly bill checklist

    18 rows for bill, due date, amount, a paid box, date paid and notes, with total due, total paid, income and left over.

    Free PDFCustomise & print
  • Free printable bills by paycheck (blank PDF preview)

    Bills by paycheck

    Two columns, one per paycheck, each with its own bill list, total and "left from this paycheck" line.

    Free PDFCustomise & print

Frequently asked questions

What should I check before paying a bill?

That the amount matches what you expect (compare it with last month), that the due date hasn't changed, that the payee and account number are right, and that the account you're paying from has enough in it after any other bills due before payday.

How do I know which bills are due this week?

Keep every bill with its due date in one list sorted by date, and look seven days ahead once a week. Bill Organizer does this for you: it groups bills into overdue, due today, due soon and upcoming, and its widget shows the week's bills on your home screen.

How many days before the due date should I pay?

Pay at least 3 business days early when you pay through your bank's bill pay, which may mail a check or send an electronic payment that takes days to arrive. Payments made on the biller's own website or app usually post the same day or the next.

Should I keep proof of payment?

Yes, for at least a year: the confirmation number or a screenshot, the date and the amount. Write the date paid on your checklist. It settles disputes about late payments and helps at tax time for deductible bills.

What if I can't pay every bill due this week?

Pay housing, utilities, insurance and secured loans first, then minimum payments on cards and unsecured loans, then everything else. Call any biller you'll miss before the due date; many will move the date or set up a plan. The guide on which bills to pay first explains the order.

Prefer paper? Bill organizers and budget planners

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