How to Use PayCycle

Download PayCycle from the App Store and start your free 7-day trial. Add your income sources first—enter the amount, schedule, and mark which ones are "primary." Primary income items define your pay periods. The more primary income you mark, the more detailed your pay period tracking becomes. Then add your expenses with due dates, and PayCycle automatically assigns them to the correct pay period.

Tap the "+" button to add income or expenses. Set amounts, schedules (once, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, semimonthly, or custom), and choose from fully customizable categories. Enable variable amounts for income/expenses that change (tips, utilities, etc.). Set up alerts (up to 2 per item) and enable automatic receipt/payment for predictable transactions. All these settings are in the edit sheets.

Have a big bill you need to split across paychecks? Mark any expense as a partial payment. Track each payment you make with visual progress bars showing how much you've paid and what's left. Perfect for rent, car payments, or any expense that spans multiple pay periods.

View transactions on the Home screen, organized by pay period. Swipe left on any item for quick actions—mark as paid/received, edit, or delete. Tap an item to open the summary view with full details. In the summary view, use the edit button (pencil icon) to access the edit sheet where you can modify schedules, amounts, alerts, and more. Color codes: green=paid, red=overdue, blue=partial payment, gray=upcoming.

Each pay period card shows your total income, total expenses, and what's left over. This real-time calculation updates as you mark items paid. See at a glance which paychecks are tight and which have extra room. Plan ahead by viewing future pay periods and adjusting expenses as needed.

Tap the Insights tab to see your spending patterns. View interactive charts broken down by category—groceries, utilities, entertainment, and more. Toggle between different time periods: current pay period, month, quarter, or year. Identify where your money goes and find opportunities to save.

PayCycle has two notification types: in-app (always on) and system notifications. Enable system notifications during onboarding or in iOS Settings > PayCycle. Set up alerts for each item individually in their edit sheets—choose up to 2 reminder times: day of, day before, 2-3 days before, week before, or two weeks before. Access edit sheets by swiping left on items or tapping the pencil icon in summary view.

Customize categories in Settings → Manage Categories. Create unlimited categories with custom icons and colors, edit existing ones, or delete unused ones. Settings also includes: theme selection (light/dark/system), show/hide help buttons toggle, iCloud sync status (on by default, can be disabled), and info button to view all help screens.

PayCycle uses iCloud sync by default to keep your data synchronized across all your devices. This can be disabled in Settings if you prefer local-only storage. Your data is encrypted and only accessible by you. PayCycle never collects or shares your financial information—everything stays private between you and your iCloud account.