Guide
How to account for instalments and subscriptions in your budget
List everything that recurs with an amount and a date, and subtract it from income before working out how much you can spend. In the cycle, count only what falls due in that cycle; an annual cost can be divided by 12 and set aside each month. Example: an €85 instalment and two subscriptions of €12.99 and €2.99 come to €100.98 a month.
Updated 9 October 2026. By Matteo De Min.
What goes on the list
- Instalments: amount, frequency and how many are left. An instalment ends, and so does its weight.
- Subscriptions: streaming, cloud, gym, phone. They are often small and easily forgotten.
- Annual or half-yearly costs: insurance, vehicle tax, subscriptions paid once a year.
An example with numbers
Cycle income: €1,500, 30-day cycle.
| Commitment | Frequency | In the cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Instalment | monthly, 6 remaining (€510 in total) | €85 |
| Streaming | monthly | €12.99 |
| Cloud | monthly | €2.99 |
| Monthly total | €100.98 |
The two monthly subscriptions come to €15.98 a month, but over a year they add up to €191.76.
The month an annual cost falls due
A car insurance policy of €480 a year weighs in full on the cycle in which it falls due. With the same €1,500 of income, before any other spending:
| Situation | Commitments in the cycle | Available per day |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle without the policy | €100.98 | €46.63 |
| Cycle in which the policy falls due | €580.98 | €30.63 |
| Every cycle, with €40 set aside for the policy | €140.98 | €45.30 |
Setting aside €40 a month (€480 ÷ 12) stops the daily figure from collapsing in the cycle when the policy falls due. The available amount is the starting figure, before everyday spending.
How to keep them up to date
A commitment you haven’t recorded is one the calculation can’t see. Whenever you start a subscription or sign up for an instalment plan, add it to the list; when you cancel or finish paying, remove it. Once a quarter, reread the list: subscriptions you no longer use are the easiest cut.
How MoneyLeft does it
In MoneyLeft, instalments and subscriptions are recorded automatically when you open the app on the due date (or after), with a reminder the day before if you turn on notifications; if you would rather decide yourself, turn off automatic recording and the app suggests the due dates one by one. Commitments still to come in the cycle are already deducted from “what you have left”, before they arrive. You can pay an instalment early or push it back a month, and a finished instalment drops off the active list.
On the free plan you can keep up to 3 instalments and 3 subscriptions open at once; with MoneyLeft Pro (paid subscription) there are no limits. Going over the limit doesn’t delete anything: it only stops you creating more.
Download MoneyLeft on the App Store