How to calculate your monthly fixed expenses

Find the bills you pay every month no matter what — and what they add up to.

By the MonthlyIQ team · Last updated 2026-09-28 · Editorial policy

Key takeaways

Fixed expenses repeat on a schedule: rent or mortgage, insurance, car payments, phone, internet, subscriptions, and loan payments.
List every bill that hit your accounts in the last 90 days more than once.
MonthlyIQ detects repeating payments by merchant, amount, and timing, then asks you to confirm them.

Fixed expenses repeat on a schedule: rent or mortgage, insurance, car payments, phone, internet, subscriptions, and loan payments.

Some bills repeat but vary, like electricity. Treat them as recurring, and use a recent average.

List every bill that hit your accounts in the last 90 days more than once.

Convert each to a monthly amount (weekly × 4.33, yearly ÷ 12).

Add them up. That total is your baseline cost of living.

MonthlyIQ detects repeating payments by merchant, amount, and timing, then asks you to confirm them. The result is your Expenses number.

Understand which costs are locked in and which you can change this month.

Common rules of thumb, and a better way to judge your own numbers.

Freelance, commission, or seasonal pay? Plan around your baseline, not your best month.

Connect your accounts and MonthlyIQ explains your month — what's due, what changed, and what's left.

General information only, not financial, tax, or legal advice. MonthlyIQ is not a bank or financial adviser.