Cake Budget
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How to Setup a Funding Schedule

Automatically fund your budget slices when your paycheck arrives

Last updated: October 10, 2025

Funding schedules are Cake Budget’s smartest automation feature. They automatically detect when your paycheck hits your account and distribute money to your slices based on your budget plan—no manual transfers needed.

What You’ll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a funding schedule that automatically allocates your paycheck to your budget slices every time you get paid.

Prerequisites

  • ✅ A Cake Budget account
  • ✅ At least one bank account connected
  • ✅ At least one slice created (see How to Create Your First Slice)
  • ✅ Know your paycheck amount and schedule

What is a Funding Schedule?

A funding schedule is a smart automation that:

  1. Detects your paycheck using keywords and expected amount
  2. Matches the transaction when it appears in your account
  3. Automatically distributes money to your slices based on your allocation plan

Example: You get paid $3,000 biweekly. Your funding schedule automatically sends $500 to Groceries, $1,200 to Rent, $300 to Emergency Fund, etc.—all without you lifting a finger.

Funding Schedules vs. Auto-Contributions

FeatureFunding SchedulesAuto-Contributions
TriggerWhen paycheck arrivesFixed schedule (every Friday, 1st of month, etc.)
FlexibilityUses percentages or fixed amountsFixed amounts only
IntelligenceDetects early/late paychecksRuns on exact schedule regardless of income
Best ForIncome-based budgetingRegular savings goals
Balance CheckNo (allocating incoming money)Yes (requires available funds)

Recommendation: Use funding schedules for paycheck-based budgeting. They’re smarter and more flexible.

Step-by-Step: Create a Funding Schedule

1. Navigate to Funding Schedules

Click on “Funding Schedules” in the main navigation menu.

2. Click “New Schedule”

Look for the “New Schedule” or “Create Funding Schedule” button.

3. Fill in Basic Information

Name (Required)

Give your schedule a descriptive name.

  • Examples: “Biweekly Paycheck,” “Monthly Salary,” “Freelance Income”

Account (Required)

Select which bank account receives your paycheck.

  • This is the account Cake Budget will monitor for incoming transactions

Frequency (Required)

Choose how often you get paid:

  • Weekly: Every week
  • Biweekly: Every 2 weeks (most common for salaried employees)
  • Semi-Monthly: Twice a month on specific dates (e.g., 1st and 15th)
  • Monthly: Once a month

Start Date (Required)

Choose the date of your next expected paycheck.

  • The system uses this to calculate when to look for future paychecks
  • Uses your local timezone to avoid date confusion

Enter your typical paycheck amount (before or after taxes—your choice, just be consistent).

  • Helps the system confidently match your paycheck transaction
  • Example: $3,000 for biweekly gross pay, or $2,400 for net pay

Pro Tip: If your paycheck varies (like hourly or freelance), you can leave this blank and rely on keywords alone.

4. Add Detection Keywords

Keywords help Cake Budget identify your paycheck transaction automatically.

How Keywords Work: Cake Budget scans incoming transaction descriptions for these keywords. If a match is found (and the amount is close to your expected amount), it triggers the funding schedule.

Default Keywords We Suggest:

  • “Payroll”
  • “Direct Deposit”
  • “Salary”
  • “Gusto” (if you use Gusto)
  • Your employer name

How to Add Keywords:

  1. Type a keyword in the “Add keyword” field
  2. Press Enter or click the Add button
  3. Repeat for all relevant keywords
  4. Remove keywords by clicking the X next to them

Pro Tip: Check your past transactions to see exactly how your paycheck appears in your account. Use the exact wording for the best match.

5. Frequency-Specific Settings

Depending on your chosen frequency, you’ll see additional fields:

For Weekly Schedules:

  • Days of the Week: Select which day(s) you get paid (e.g., Friday)
  • You can select multiple days if your schedule varies

For Semi-Monthly Schedules:

  • First Paycheck Date: Day of the month for first paycheck (e.g., 1)
  • Second Paycheck Date: Day of the month for second paycheck (e.g., 15)
  • Use Last Day of Month: Toggle if your second paycheck is on the last day of the month

For Biweekly Schedules:

  • Start Date: This determines the recurring pattern
  • The system automatically calculates every 2 weeks from this date

6. Save Your Funding Schedule

Click “Create” to save your funding schedule. The form closes and your schedule appears in the list.

Now you need to tell Cake Budget how to distribute your paycheck across slices.

  1. Click on the funding schedule you just created (from the schedules list on the left)
  2. The funding schedule details appear on the right
  3. Click “Link Slice” button in the “Linked Slices” section
  4. A modal opens where you can configure slice funding:

For each slice you want to fund:

Select Slice:

  • Choose from dropdown (shows only slices not already linked)
  • Search by name if you have many slices

Contribution Type:

  • Fixed: Same dollar amount every paycheck (e.g., $500)
  • Percentage: Percentage of your paycheck (e.g., 15%)

Enter Amount or Percentage:

  • For fixed: Enter dollar amount (e.g., 500 for $500)
  • For percentage: Enter percentage (e.g., 15 for 15%)

Occurrence Type (for semi-monthly and biweekly):

  • Both/All: Fund on every paycheck (default)
  • First: Fund only on first paycheck of the period
  • Second: Fund only on second paycheck
  • Third: Fund only on third paycheck (biweekly 3-paycheck months)
  • First Two: Fund on first two paychecks (biweekly)
  • Last Two: Fund on last two paychecks (biweekly)

Click “Link Slice” to save the link.

Repeat steps 3-4 for each slice you want to fund from this schedule.

Important: Monitor that your total allocations don’t exceed 100% (for percentages) or your paycheck amount (for fixed amounts).

How Funding Schedules Work

Early & Late Paycheck Detection

Cake Budget is smart about real-world paycheck timing:

  • Up to 5 days early: Detects paychecks that arrive before the expected date (common for holidays)
  • Up to 1 day late: Catches paychecks delayed by banking processing
  • Prevents double-processing: Won’t fund the same paycheck twice

Example: Your biweekly schedule expects payment on Friday the 15th. If your employer processes early and it arrives Wednesday the 13th, Cake Budget still recognizes it and funds your slices.

What Happens When a Paycheck Arrives

  1. Transaction appears in your connected account
  2. Cake Budget scans the description for your keywords
  3. Amount check (if you provided expected amount): Is it close enough?
  4. Match confirmed: Funding schedule triggers
  5. Money allocated: Each slice gets its configured amount or percentage
  6. Notification sent: Email confirmation showing what was funded
  7. Next occurrence updated: Schedule calculates the next expected paycheck date

Managing Linked Slices

After linking slices to your funding schedule, you can manage them anytime:

View Linked Slices

  1. Click on the funding schedule from the schedules list
  2. Scroll to the “Linked Slices” section
  3. See all slices currently receiving funding from this schedule
  4. Each shows:
    • Slice name and emoji
    • Contribution type (Fixed or Percentage)
    • Amount or percentage
    • Occurrence type (Both, First, Second, etc.)

Edit a Linked Slice

To change the amount, type, or occurrence:

  1. In the Linked Slices section, find the slice you want to edit
  2. Click the Edit icon (pencil) next to that slice
  3. The Edit modal opens with current settings
  4. Modify:
    • Contribution Type (switch between Fixed and Percentage)
    • Amount or Percentage value
    • Occurrence Type (which paychecks to fund on)
  5. Click “Save Changes”

Use cases:

  • Got a raise? Increase allocation amounts
  • Income decreased? Switch to percentages for flexibility
  • Want to save 3rd paycheck? Change occurrence type

Add More Slices

To link additional slices later:

  1. Click on the funding schedule
  2. Click “Link Slice” button
  3. Select the new slice and configure
  4. Click “Link Slice” to save

Use cases:

  • Created a new slice that should be funded
  • Realized you forgot to allocate to savings
  • Want to add seasonal slices (holiday fund, summer vacation)

To stop funding a slice from this schedule:

  1. In the Linked Slices section, find the slice
  2. Click the Trash icon next to that slice
  3. Confirm the unlink action
  4. The slice is removed from the funding schedule

What happens:

  • Future paychecks won’t fund this slice
  • Historical funding is preserved
  • The slice itself is NOT deleted (just unlinked from this schedule)
  • You can re-link it later if needed

Use cases:

  • Paid off a debt (no longer need to fund)
  • Reached savings goal
  • Changing budget priorities

Managing the Schedule Itself

Edit Schedule Settings

To change keywords, expected amount, or frequency:

  1. Click on the funding schedule
  2. Click “Edit” button in the top right
  3. Modify schedule settings (name, keywords, frequency, etc.)
  4. Click “Save”

Note: Changing frequency doesn’t affect already-linked slices. They’ll continue with their current settings.

Pause a Schedule

To temporarily stop a schedule without deleting:

  1. Edit the funding schedule
  2. Toggle “Active” to OFF
  3. Save

Use cases:

  • Job change or layoff
  • Extended vacation
  • Temporary leave of absence

When paused:

  • Paychecks won’t be detected
  • Slices won’t be funded
  • Can reactivate anytime

Delete a Schedule

To permanently remove:

  1. Click on the funding schedule
  2. Click “Delete” button
  3. Confirm deletion

What happens:

  • Schedule is permanently removed
  • Linked slices are unlinked (slices themselves remain)
  • Historical funding data is preserved for records

Use cases:

  • Left the job
  • Switching to different funding strategy
  • No longer need this income source

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Biweekly Salary Employee

Scenario: You earn $3,000 every 2 weeks (net pay) and want to automate your entire budget.

Funding Schedule Settings:

  • Name: Biweekly Paycheck
  • Account: Chase Checking
  • Frequency: Biweekly
  • Start Date: Friday, October 18, 2025 (next payday)
  • Expected Amount: $3,000
  • Keywords: “Payroll,” “Direct Deposit,” “Acme Corp”

Slice Allocations:

  • Rent: $1,200 (40%)
  • Groceries: $500 (16.7%)
  • Emergency Fund: 10% (~$300)
  • Car Payment: $400
  • Utilities: $150
  • Fun Money: $200
  • Savings: Remaining balance (~$250)

Result: Every 2 weeks when your paycheck hits, Cake Budget automatically distributes $3,000 across your 7 slices. You never have to manually allocate money again.

Example 2: Semi-Monthly Employee

Scenario: You get paid on the 1st and 15th of each month ($2,500 each time).

Funding Schedule Settings:

  • Name: Semi-Monthly Salary
  • Account: Bank of America Checking
  • Frequency: Semi-Monthly
  • First Monthly Date: 1
  • Second Monthly Date: 15
  • Expected Amount: $2,500
  • Keywords: “Payroll,” “Direct Dep”

Slice Allocations:

  • Monthly bills (1st paycheck): $1,800 (72%)
  • Groceries (both paychecks): $250 (10%)
  • Savings (both paychecks): $450 (18%)

Pro Tip: You can create different allocations for each paycheck by using the “Occurrence Type” feature for semi-monthly schedules.

Example 3: Variable Freelance Income

Scenario: Your income varies between $4,000-$8,000/month from multiple clients.

Funding Schedule Settings:

  • Name: Freelance Income
  • Account: Business Checking
  • Frequency: Monthly
  • Start Date: 1st of the month
  • Expected Amount: (leave blank due to variability)
  • Keywords: “Payment,” “Transfer,” “Invoice,” client names

Slice Allocations (all percentages):

  • Taxes: 30%
  • Business Expenses: 15%
  • Personal Salary: 40%
  • Emergency Fund: 10%
  • Retirement: 5%

Result: Regardless of whether you make $4,000 or $8,000, your money is always allocated proportionally. The percentage-based approach handles income variability gracefully.

Pro Tips

💡 Use Keywords Liberally: Add multiple keywords to ensure reliable detection. Check your transaction history to see exactly how paychecks appear.

💡 Percentage > Fixed Amount for Variable Income: If your paycheck amount varies, use percentages instead of fixed amounts for automatic scaling.

💡 Test Your Schedule: After creating, manually check that the next expected paycheck matches your actual pay schedule.

💡 Update Annually: Review your funding schedule when you get raises or your budget priorities change.

💡 Combine with Rules: Use automation rules to handle ongoing expense categorization, and funding schedules for income allocation. Together, they create a fully automated budget.

💡 Start Simple: Begin with 3-5 major slice allocations. You can always add more later as you refine your budget.

Troubleshooting

Q: My paycheck wasn’t detected. What went wrong? A: Check these common issues:

  • Are your keywords exact matches with the transaction description? (case-insensitive)
  • Is your expected amount close to the actual paycheck? (Cake Budget allows some variance)
  • Did the paycheck arrive in the correct account?
  • Is your funding schedule active (not paused)?

Q: Can I have multiple funding schedules? A: Yes! Create separate schedules for:

  • Multiple jobs
  • Bonus payments
  • Irregular income sources (freelance, dividends, etc.)

Q: What if I get paid early or late? A: Cake Budget automatically detects paychecks up to 5 days early or 1 day late. The schedule won’t double-process if it arrives early.

Q: Can I edit allocations after creating the schedule? A: Yes. Click on the funding schedule, then modify any slice allocations. Changes take effect for the next paycheck.

Q: What happens if I allocate more than 100% or my paycheck amount? A: Cake Budget will warn you and prevent saving. Adjust your allocations so they don’t exceed your paycheck.

Q: Do funding schedules check my account balance before running? A: No. Funding schedules allocate incoming money as it arrives. They don’t move money that’s already in your account—they’re distributing new income.

Q: Can I see the history of funding events? A: Yes. In the funding schedule details, you’ll see a history of past paycheck matches and allocations.

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