Pensum

Plan every dollar before you spend it.

Pensum is a zero-based budget for you and your household. Assign the money you have to the things that matter, track what you spend, and see clearly where it went. No bank logins required.

New here? Signing in creates your account. Or try the demo first, with a sample budget and nothing saved.
October2026
Income3,100.00Carried in335.00Less assigned(3,435.00) Fully assigned0.00
CategoryAssigned
Mortgage1,850.00
Groceries700.00
Donations310.00
Fuel220.00
Dining out140.00
Electric140.00
Internet75.00
Every dollar has somewhere to go, so nothing is left over to drift.

How it works

Zero-based means your income minus your plan equals zero.

  1. 01

    Add your accounts

    Enter each checking, savings, credit card, and cash balance as it stands today.

  2. 02

    Assign every dollar

    Give the money you have a category until nothing is left to assign. That’s the zero in zero-based.

  3. 03

    Spend, record, adjust

    Log or import what you spend. When life changes the plan, move money between categories and keep going.

The Pensum mark: a drop spindle wound with gold yarn

The mark

A drop spindle, wound with the day’s gold yarn, its thread trailing up and away. Careful work, made visible.

Why “Pensum”

Every morning in ancient Rome, each spinner was handed a pensum.

It was a portion of wool, weighed out on a scale: exactly enough for the day’s work. Not a pile to dip into whenever, but a measured amount with a job to do. That’s budgeting the old way, and still the best way: decide what each portion is for before the work begins.

  • Weighed out

    At the start of each month, weigh out what you have and give every dollar its portion: rent, groceries, the trip next summer. Nothing is left lying loose to drift away.

  • Spun steady

    A spindle turns loose fleece into thread one steady turn at a time. Pensum works the same way: a few minutes to record what you spent, a small adjustment when life changes the plan.

  • Strong thread

    Spun fibers hold together far better than loose ones. A plan where every dollar has its place holds up too, through surprise bills and busy months, and it’s easy to share with the people you budget with.

Features

Built for the way money actually moves.

No bank passwords, ever

Enter transactions by hand or import the CSV, OFX, or QFX file your bank already offers. Pensum never asks for your bank login.

Split anything

One Costco run can be groceries, household, and fuel. Split a transaction across as many categories as you need.

Your rules for leftovers

Choose, category by category, whether leftover money rolls forward and whether overspending carries over or comes out of next month.

Reports that answer real questions

Am I living within my means? What changed this month? Is my plan realistic? Who am I paying every month without noticing?

Budget together

Share a budget with a partner as an editor, or give someone view-only access. Only owners can change who has access.

On your phone too

Check what’s left in a category or log a purchase at the register. Your budget updates the moment you save.

Bring your YNAB budget

Import a YNAB export and Pensum sets up your accounts, categories, assignments, and history to match.

Privacy and security

Your finances are nobody else’s business.

Sign in with Google

Pensum never stores a password. Google handles your login and two-step verification.

Only what’s needed

Your name, email, and your budget. Nothing else is collected, and nothing is sold or used for ads.

Kept separate and encrypted

Every budget is walled off from every other, and the database is encrypted at rest.

Yours to take or delete

Download a copy any time. Delete your account and every budget you own is removed, along with its history.

Start with the money you have today.

Setup walks you through your accounts and your first month. Coming from YNAB? Import your budget during setup.

Try the demo