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wikiHow to Organize Your Bills

Three Methods:Filing Your BillsKeeping Records of Your BillsScheduling Your BillsCommunity Q&A

Most adults have several bills to pay every month if they rent or own a home, have a car, insurance, credit cards, etc. It can become a little overwhelming to keep all of these bills organized and stay on top of the payment amount and due date for each one. However, with a few organizational tips, you can make sure your bills are paid on time and easily filed and accessed.

Filing Your Bills

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    Open and file your bills right away. Put all your bills in the same place once you receive and open them. For mailed bills, this could be a desk or mail center in your home. For electronic bills, this could be a special folder in your email inbox.
    • Try opening a bill you get by mail quickly when you receive it, then writing the due date on the outside of the envelope before you put it back inside, so you can quickly see it later.[1]
    • If you get a bill by email, open it and then flag it, move it to a folder for bills, or designate it in another way that will get your attention later.
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    Use folders or trays. Get several folders or a system of trays or pockets to keep on a desk, on the wall, or in a filing cabinet. Designate files and trays by bill type and paid/unpaid.
    • Try creating a folder for each bill category, such as home, utilities, credit cards, auto, insurance, health, etc. Then place one copy of those folders into a larger hanging folder or tray labeled “Unpaid” and one copy in another labeled “Paid.”
    • You can also try a binder to keep bills, calendars, checks, envelopes, and stamps all in the same place and save on filing space.[2]
    • At the end of each year, go through your files and throw away or shred bills (if they contain sensitive information) that are from the year previous, i.e. a year or two old. This can help you reduce clutter and filing space while still holding onto recent bills you may need to refer back to.[3]
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    Consider going paperless. Convert any paper bills to electronic bills if you can; just give the company a call to inquire about how to make the switch, or visit their website. You can also scan in mailed bills to reduce the paper you have to file.
    • Choose to scan in your paper bills right away when you receive them, or after they are paid. Either way, make sure you designate a folder on your computer for bills, then make folders within it for each type of bill.
    • You can also set up auto-pay services within the companies you pay bills to. This allows them to withdraw funds from your bank account automatically, eliminating the need to remember to pay them.

Keeping Records of Your Bills

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    Make a bill spreadsheet. Open up a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets and create a document just for your bills. Make rows and columns for the types of bills and their due dates and other necessary information. You can also make a handwritten document if you prefer to.
    • Make these essential column categories for each bill: bill name, due date, balance, minimum payment, date received, and date paid. You can also keep track of what the interest rate or late fees are if you don’t pay the full balance on an account.
    • If you have auto-pay set up for an account, make note of this in your spreadsheet, along with what day funds are automatically taken out of your account.
    • Add a column for a confirmation number or check number, which you can enter after you pay a bill. This allows you to easily reference the payment if you encounter any problems.
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    Put bills in order by due date. Organize the bills in your spreadsheet and the physical bills in your files according to due date, with the first due first or on top. This will help ensure that when you sit down to make payments, you’ll be addressing the bills that need to be paid soonest.
    • In a spreadsheet, you can select all of your cells, then use the “sort” feature to select your “due date” column and how you wish to sort it (lowest to highest, numerically).
    • Provide a “cushion” for the due date of your bills, and record the day you will actually make a payment. Pay electronic bills as soon as they’re posted or a few days before the due date so you don’t forget. If you’re mailing in a bill, subtract 7 days from the due date provided to account for the time it takes to ship and be processed.[4]
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    Try an online service. Use a free application or paid software to organize and pay your bills if you have trouble doing so on your own. Bill pay software can be set up through your bank, company, or applications you download yourself.
    • Use a free app or service like Finovera.com, Check.me, or MoneyStream.com.[5]
    • Or try paid software like Quicken or Pear Budget for more robust bill organizing capabilities.

Scheduling Your Bills

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    Set aside time to deal with bills every week. Make time in your schedule that’s specifically dedicated to paying and organizing bills every week. Either pay bills during that time or focus on filing them in such a way that you will remember to pay them before the due date.
    • A weekly schedule for this works best, as it’s easier to make a habit of it and ensures that you address bills that arrive and come due at different times of the month.[6]
    • If you have very few bills, you may set aside a time for paying bills only once or twice a month instead.
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    Integrate your spreadsheet with your calendar. Put your due dates or payment dates into a calendar or planner. This can be any paper or electronic one you use for all of your scheduling, or one designated specifically for bills.
    • Many electronic calendars like Google Docs or the local calendar application on your computer operating system can also sync up to your mail platform and detect dates within your emails, making it easy for you to simply click on it to create a new calendar entry.
    • In an electronic calendar, try including in the notes or details of an entry the website URL and login information for all bills that you pay online.
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    Set alarms or reminders. Set an alarm or reminder notification on your phone or computer that will pop up on the day of or day before you need to pay a bill. Use this method particularly if you have trouble setting time aside to pay bills or look at your calendar without prompting.
    • Many electronic calendar applications allow you to set an alarm for any event, making it easy to schedule and remind yourself in one step.
    • You can also set a regular clock alarm or timer to go off when you want to set aside some time in a day to address all your bills.

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    Article Info

    Categories: Time Management & Personal Organization | Household Filing and Paper Organization

    In other languages:

    Español: organizar tus cuentas por pagar, Русский: упорядочить свои счета, Português: Organizar as Despesas, Italiano: Organizzare i Tuoi Pagamenti

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