Budget Calculator
Build a monthly budget from your income and spending categories, then instantly see your savings rate and how your numbers stack up against the popular 50/30/20 rule. A fast way to find leftover cash and spot where money is leaking.
How to Use
- Enter your monthly take-home salary and any other income.
- Fill in each expense category: housing, transport, food, utilities, insurance, debt payments, and personal spending.
- Enter the amount you set aside as savings each month.
- Read the totals — income minus expenses shows your surplus or shortfall, and the savings rate updates live.
- Compare your category split against the 50/30/20 guideline (needs / wants / savings) to see where to rebalance.
Show Work
50/30/20 rule
About the Budget Calculator
Use the Budget Calculator — a free, easy tool for personal-finance and money decisions. Nothing is uploaded, and you do not need an account. Build a monthly budget from your income and spending categories, then instantly see your savings rate and how your numbers stack up against the popular 50/30/20 rule. A fast way to find leftover cash and spot where money is leaking.
How it works
Put each value in its box and read the answer as you go. Because it recalculates live, you can play with the inputs to see how each one moves the result — handy for checking your own working or planning ahead. Everything happens on your device, so it is fast and private.
Want the deeper story? The Knowledge Base explains the ideas behind the tools in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
It is a simple budgeting framework that allocates after-tax income into 50% needs (housing, food, transport, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments), 30% wants (dining out, entertainment, hobbies, upgrades), and 20% savings and debt paydown. It is a starting guideline rather than a hard rule — high-cost-of-living areas often push needs above 50%, and aggressive savers aim well past 20%.
Should I budget on gross or take-home income?
Budget on your take-home (net) pay — the amount that actually lands in your account after taxes and payroll deductions. Taxes, 401(k) contributions, and health premiums are already withheld, so budgeting on gross income would have you planning to spend money you never receive.
What is a good savings rate?
A common target is saving at least 20% of take-home pay, but the right number depends on your goals and timeline. Many people building an emergency fund or chasing early retirement aim for 30% or more, while those carrying high-interest debt may prioritize paydown first. Even 10% consistently invested compounds into a substantial sum over decades.
Where does my emergency fund fit in the budget?
Treat emergency-fund contributions as part of your savings bucket until you have three to six months of essential expenses set aside. Once the fund is full, you can redirect that monthly amount toward investing, extra debt payments, or other goals. Keep the emergency fund in a liquid, high-yield savings account, not invested in the market.
My expenses exceed my income — what should I do first?
A negative surplus means you are running a deficit and likely drawing down savings or adding debt. Start with the largest categories, since housing and transport usually offer the biggest savings, then trim discretionary wants. This calculator is a planning estimate; for a deeper fix, track actual spending for a month to find where the money really goes.
How do I use the Budget Calculator?
Just type your numbers. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Do I need to install or sign up for anything?
Not at all — it runs in the browser with nothing to install and no account. After it loads once, it even works without an internet connection.
Is my information private?
Yes. Everything happens in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved anywhere.
Common Use Cases
Finding your real savings rate
See what percentage of take-home pay you actually keep each month and set a target to improve it.
Rebalancing against 50/30/20
Spot whether your needs, wants, and savings line up with the rule and which category is over budget.
Planning for a new expense
Test how a higher rent, car payment, or childcare cost would change your monthly surplus before you commit.
Setting a debt-paydown amount
Identify how much spare cash is available each month to throw at credit cards or loans.
Adjusting after an income change
Re-run the numbers after a raise, job change, or move to a lower-cost area to right-size every category.
Last updated: