The Bills screen lists the bills you pay on a schedule: rent, utilities, subscriptions, insurance. Forward sets money aside for each one before it is due.
Open it from the Overview: under Look ahead and back, tap Bills, just below Income. On a computer it is also under Views in the sidebar.
What the list shows
At the top, Due in the current month adds up every bill that falls due this month. Each row below is one bill: who it is paid to, when it is due, the category it is paid from, and the amount. Monthly bills come first, by the day they are due, then the rest by their next date.
Example. The Riveras' Bills screen in October:
| Bill | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Maple Court Apartments | Monthly · due the 1st | $1,850.00 |
| Netflix | Monthly · due the 12th | $15.49 |
| Metro Electric | Monthly · due the 20th | $140.00 |
| Shoreline Insurance | Every 6 months · next 01/15/2027 | $900.00 |
Due in October reads $2,005.49: $1,850.00 + $15.49 + $140.00. The car insurance isn't due until January, so it isn't counted. Forward saves toward it a little each month instead; see Bills that come less often than monthly.
How a bill helps your budget
When a paycheck lands, the Paycheck Planner sets aside each bill's amount in its category before the due date. A Fixed category with bills uses every bill due this month as its target, each set aside before its own date, ahead of a guess from your past spending. Its settings show those dates, such as "Due the 3rd and 20th, from 2 bills"; to change one, change the bill. When a bill is paid and matched, Forward moves on to the next one. If the bank names the payee a little differently from your bill ("Brighthouse Financial Office" for a bill named Brighthouse), Forward still matches it when the amount, the date and the category all agree.
Adding a bill
- Tap Add a bill.
- Pick the Payee, enter the Amount and choose a Frequency, such as Monthly or Every 6 months. Set Start date to the next due date.
- Pick the Category the bill is paid from, then tap Save.
To change a bill, tap its row. To stop one, open it and tap End this Plan. Past months keep it as it was.
Bills Forward noticed
Under Noticed in your transactions, Forward lists repeating payments it found in your bank history that aren't planned yet, such as "Verizon Wireless · Monthly, around the 18th · $85.00". Nothing is added unless you plan it.
Tap Plan this bill to open it with the amount, timing and category filled in. For a bill whose amount changes, Forward starts from the highest of your recent charges, so an expensive month is covered; you can change it. Check the category and tap Add bill.
Planning a bill this way makes its category Fixed, so the Paycheck Planner proposes its amount from your paychecks without you filling it in. A message such as "Bill added. Electric is now Fixed." shows with Undo. Undo removes the bill and puts the category back as it was, as long as no payment has matched the bill yet.
A payment you don't think of as a bill can stay where it is. Nothing nags you about it.
What to do
If a category isn't getting money before its bill is due:
- On the Overview, tap Bills and check the bill is listed, with the right amount, due date and category.
- If it isn't, look under Noticed in your transactions and tap Plan this bill, or tap Add a bill.
- Confirm your next paycheck in Notifications; see Confirming a paycheck.