How the PocketSmith forecast works: scheduled budgets, the calendar and the balance projection

The mechanism in one paragraph

PocketSmith's Learn Centre describes the forecast simply: the amount set for each budget is added to or subtracted from forecast balances on the day it is scheduled, and the future forecast is always calculated from the current actual balance. A budget is therefore both a spending limit and a dated event on the Calendar. Each budget belongs to one account's forecast, chosen in the budget form under which account's forecast this budget is for.

The Calendar shows balances daily for up to three months ahead and weekly beyond that. On the graph, blue is a positive forecast balance and orange a negative one; green and red show positive and negative actual balances when show actuals in history is ticked.

This is research from official pages read on 30 October 2026, not firsthand testing. We have not opened these accounts or run the features described; help pages change, so confirm the live page before you rely on a detail.

How far each plan projects

Forecast length is the main thing that changes between plans. Prices are those shown on the plans page in US dollars on the date accessed.

Where the forecast starts

The starting point depends on each account's balance setting. A bank feed balance recalculates the forecast on each sync. A calculated closing balance starts from the most recent transaction. The last-transaction-balance-at-today option has a documented catch: budget events falling between the last transaction and today are not included. A scenario balance keeps only a running forecast balance, which changes only when you add a forecast correction.

Worked example: fortnightly pay and a quarterly bill

This is an invented household with one checking account at $900 on 2 November 2026. Pay of $2,100 arrives every second Friday from 6 November. On the 1st of each month: rent $1,600 (a bill), groceries $600 and everyday spending $1,900 (both non-bill budgets). A $450 insurance bill repeats every three months from 15 December. PocketSmith's help pages show monthly and every-three-months repeats; the pages we read did not list every frequency option, so confirm a two-week interval in the budget form.

The forecast low point is the 1st of the month, because both non-bill budgets are deducted in full that day. On 1 December the projection drops to $1,000 before the 4 December paycheck, even though in real life groceries and everyday spending trickle out over the month and the actual balance on the 1st would be higher. January has three paydays (1, 15 and 29 January), which is why the forecast climbs; that extra paycheck is a good candidate for a sinking fund or debt payment rather than ordinary spending.

Scenarios and Safe Balance

Every account has a primary scenario holding its regular budgets. Secondary scenarios hold what-if budgets, such as a car purchase or a rent change, and adjust the forecast when selected. PocketSmith notes that for a change to an existing budget you only need a budget for the difference: a $200 rent rise needs a $200 budget in the secondary scenario. Secondary scenarios also appear on the Budget page, where they can distort spending analysis, so park unused ones in the Unused scenarios section.

Safe Balance, a beta feature, subtracts budgeted expenses not yet spent and adds budgeted income not yet received for budget periods already in progress, and projects the forecast from that figure. In PocketSmith's example, a $300 grocery budget with $100 spent lowers a $1,000 balance to $800. It needs regular repeating budgets, is off by default for every account, is not shown in the mobile app, and PocketSmith suggests excluding large long-running budgets such as annual ones.

Why a forecast looks wrong, and the documented fix

Who the forecast suits

The forecast suits people whose cash is tight around specific dates: fortnightly or irregular pay, large quarterly or annual bills, or a planned purchase they want to time. It is less useful if your balance never comes close to zero, or if you will not keep budgets dated accurately, because the projection is only as good as the schedule behind it. For the general method without PocketSmith, see our cash flow forecast guide.