Evidence-first money workflow · Personal Money
Irregular Income Budget Planner
Allocate low, expected, and high variable-income scenarios across ranked expense tiers with pro-rata partial funding and visible deferrals.
- 1Prepare
- 2Analyze
- 3Review and export
Prepare the evidence
Paste the documented CSV schema or choose a local CSV file. Nothing is sent to Nirmion.
Review the analysis
Summary metrics lead back to the rows that support them.
Method and interpretation
How to use Irregular Income Budget Planner
Use this planner for freelance, commission, seasonal, royalty, or other variable income where one forecast hides the downside. It compares low, expected, and high cases while keeping spending priorities explicit. The result shows what each case can fund without pretending uncertain future income has already arrived.
Prepare the input
For every income source, enter low, expected, and high values in ascending order. List expenses or saving goals with a positive amount and whole-number priority starting at 1. Rows at the same priority form one tier and are treated equally if the tier cannot be fully funded.
Check the worked example
The example combines client work and royalties. Priority one covers housing, food, and utilities. Insurance and transport share priority two, followed by emergency saving and flexible spending. The low case funds early tiers first; expected and high cases progressively restore deferred items.
Read the evidence
Begin with the low case and verify that essential tiers are protected. A partially funded tier shares remaining cash pro rata; later tiers are deferred. Compare the scenario summary with detailed rows to see which category creates a gap. Unallocated cash is deliberately left visible and is not assigned automatically.
Calculation method
Scenario income is summed by low, expected, and high columns. For each scenario, tiers run in numeric order. A fully affordable tier receives every requested amount. If the remaining amount is smaller than the tier, each row receives the same funding ratio, rounded down to exact minor units, and later tiers receive zero.
Read YNAB guidance on assigning only available irregular income
Questions this workflow helps answer
Use these questions to confirm that this tool matches the task you need to complete.
- How do I budget with irregular income without assuming the best case?
- What should an irregular-income budget fund in low, expected, and high scenarios?
- Which expense priorities are fully funded, partially funded, or deferred in each scenario?
Limits and decision boundary
Scenarios are user assumptions, not forecasts. The tool does not assign probabilities, model taxes, payment dates, receivable risk, debt interest, or a cash buffer. Pro-rata allocation may not suit indivisible bills; give those bills their own earlier priority.
Common mistake
Do not place a required full payment in a tier with optional items if partial funding is unacceptable. Separate it into an earlier priority and compare the plan with the bill calendar.
Your pasted values and selected CSV files are processed in this browser tab. This workflow does not connect to a bank, save a budget, or provide financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.
Questions about this workflow
Why are equal-priority rows funded proportionally?
It prevents file order from deciding which peer category receives the remaining amount. Use different priorities when one row must be protected before another.
Does the high scenario become my spending target?
No. It shows one possible allocation if that income occurs. Base commitments on cash and risk tolerance you can support.
How should taxes be handled for freelance income?
Add a tax reserve as an early priority using your own estimate or professional guidance. This tool does not calculate tax liability.