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Budget Calculator (50/30/20 rule)
Type your take-home pay. See how much goes to needs, wants and savings. Then type what you spend now, and read one clear answer: which part is over, and by how much.
Your plan
Type your take-home pay.
| Bucket | Target | You have now | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs 50% | — | $0 | — |
| Wants 30% | — | $0 | — |
| Savings 20% | — | $0 | — |
| No job yet | — | ||
A planning tool, not financial advice. 50/30/20 is a common rule of thumb: change it to fit your life.
How the 50/30/20 rule works
Take the money that lands in your bank each month, after taxes. Split it in three:
| Bucket | Share | What goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Needs | 50% | Rent or mortgage, power, water, phone, groceries, gas, insurance, and the minimum payment on each debt. Things you must pay. |
| Wants | 30% | Eating out, fun, shopping, streaming, trips. Things you could stop. |
| Savings | 20% | Money you save, and any extra you pay on a debt. Money for your future. |
On $4,200 a month, that is $2,100 for needs, $1,260 for wants and $840 for savings.
How to read the answer
The calculator checks your plan in this order and tells you the first thing to fix:
- You planned more than you take home. Your plan spends more than you make. Cut a want first.
- Needs are over. Your must-pay bills are too big for the plan. Look at the biggest bills first: rent, the car, the phone and internet plan.
- Wants are over. Fun money is over. Small cuts here add up fast.
- You fit the plan, with money that has no job yet. Good. Send that money to savings.
- You fit the plan. Every dollar has a job. All done.
Questions people ask
Is it take-home pay or pay before taxes? Take-home pay: the money that lands in your bank. Taxes are already out.
I get paid every 2 weeks. What do I type? One paycheck times 26, then divided by 12. That is your average month.
Where does a debt go? The minimum payment is a need. Anything extra you pay on it goes in savings.
Is my data saved or sent? No. Everything stays on your phone or computer. Close the page and it starts over.
Is this financial advice? No. It is a planning tool. 50/30/20 is a common rule of thumb: change it to fit your life.
The calculator forgets. The sheet remembers.
Plan the whole month in one sheet
The Monthly Budget Planner keeps every bill with its due day, planned and actual side by side, every paycheck and up to 5 savings goals. $0.98, one time.
