Your bills have a schedule.
Now you have a plan.
Property tax, car insurance, registration and annual renewals skip your monthly budget. Map when each one lands, see what to set aside, and check whether your savings arrive before the bill does.
Free · No account or bank connection · Your plan stays in your browser
What U.S. households spend on non-monthly bills
All 15 bill lines →Across 15 bill lines that usually arrive once, twice or four times a year, the average household spent $8,703 in 2024, about $725 a month, or 11.1% of all spending. These are averages over every household, including those that pay nothing for a line, so use them as a checklist, not a target.
Where once-a-year bills hide: a document checklist →| Bill | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Property taxes (owned home) | $2,738 | $228 |
| Vehicle insurance | $1,993 | $166 |
| Homeowners insurance | $737 | $61 |
| Life and other personal insurance | $575 | $48 |
| Vehicle registration | $148 | $12 |
Property tax: the biggest once-or-twice-a-year bill
All 50 states and D.C. →The U.S. median property tax on an owner-occupied home was $3,211 in 2024, or $267.58 a month to set aside. The state medians range more than tenfold.
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $9,358 | $779.83 |
| New Hampshire | $6,707 | $558.92 |
| Connecticut | $6,573 | $547.75 |
| New York | $6,542 | $545.17 |
| Massachusetts | $6,080 | $506.67 |
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | $881 | $73.42 |
| Alabama | $890 | $74.17 |
| Arkansas | $1,113 | $92.75 |
| Louisiana | $1,187 | $98.92 |
| Mississippi | $1,221 | $101.75 |
Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates. Monthly figure is the annual median ÷ 12.
Enough over the year.
Short at the start.
In the sample year above, bills total $2,400, or $200 a month on average. But the first bill is $600, so a plan that starts at $0 is $400 short in January. Timing matters as much as the total.
How the starting-reserve calculation works →January contribution
$200 added before this month’s bills
January bill
$600 due − $200 available = $400 short
Starting reserve in this example
$400, with $200 added each month, keeps this sample year funded under that timing assumption.
From scattered due dates to one plan
Open the planner →Gather the bills.
Add amounts, frequencies and actual due dates from your own renewal notices and statements.
Check the tight months.
Choose your transfer day and current reserve. See the first shortfall date and the opening funds needed to cover it.
Take the dates with you.
Print your plan or export calendar events. Saved browser data is device-specific; keep a copy before clearing it.
Guides
All 11 guides →Budget for the Timing of Your Worst Month, Not Only the Average
Dividing yearly bills by 12 can still leave you short when a big bill comes early. See how to find your worst month and the starting balance that covers it.
How to Budget for Irregular Expenses
U.S. households spend about $725 a month on bills that don’t come monthly. List yours, set a monthly amount and a starting balance so none catch you short.
When Big Bills Land in the Same Month: Safe Options
When insurance, taxes and renewals land in the same month: measure the real shortfall, ask providers about due-date options, and build the reserve to cover it.
Car Insurance Cost by State: Average Annual Premium per Vehicle (NAIC Data)
NAIC data: drivers spent $1,282 per insured vehicle in 2023, from $808 in North Dakota to $1,865 in Florida. See every state, monthly set-asides and later price changes.
Heating Oil and Propane Prices by State: Winter 2025–26 Costs and How to Budget
EIA data for winter 2025–26: heating oil averaged $4.01 a gallon and peaked at $5.57 in March; propane averaged $2.55. See 21 heating oil and 38 propane states and how to budget.
Homeowners Insurance Cost by State: Average Annual Premium (NAIC 2023 Data)
NAIC 2023 data: the average HO-3 homeowners policy cost $1,737 a year, from $923 in Wisconsin to $3,027 in Louisiana. Renters averaged $173 and condo owners $658.
Non-Monthly Bills by Age and Income: What U.S. Households Spend (2024 BLS Data)
BLS 2024 data: households headed by 45–54-year-olds spent $11,477 on five big non-monthly bill lines, about $956 a month. See every age group and income level.
Property Taxes in the 100 Largest U.S. Counties (2024 Census Data)
Median property tax in the 100 most populous U.S. counties from 2024 Census data: eight top $10,000, Maricopa County is $1,916, plus monthly set-asides and home values.
What U.S. Households Spend on Non-Monthly Bills (2024 BLS Data)
BLS 2024 data: households averaged $2,738 for property taxes and $1,993 for car insurance. See 15 non-monthly bills, monthly equivalents and regions.
Property Taxes by State: Median Bill, Home Value and Monthly Set-Aside (2024 Census Data)
Median property tax by state from 2024 Census data: $3,211 nationally ($267.58 a month), $9,358 in New Jersey and $881 in West Virginia, plus home values.
What Is the Worst Month for Household Bills? Why There Is No National Answer
There is no defensible national worst month for bills. Property-tax calendars, insurance renewals and household obligations differ; here is how to find your own.
Public data, dated and sourced.
Household averages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys and property-tax medians from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Each guide names its table, year and link.
The planner follows each bill's due date and your monthly transfer day, and shows the running balance so you can check its arithmetic. It does not adjust for bank processing times or weekly pay.
Method and corrections policy →