Budget Calculator
Split your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings with the 50/30/20 rule — then check it against what you really spend.
Your numbers
Result
The 50/30/20 rule is the simplest way to give every unit of income a job: half to needs, a third to wants, a fifth to your future. This calculator turns your take-home pay into target amounts, and — if you enter what you actually spend — shows where you are drifting.
Needs, wants and the 20% that builds wealth
Needs are the essentials you cannot skip: housing, utilities, groceries, transport, minimum debt payments. Wants are everything that makes life enjoyable but optional. The final 20% is the engine of progress — it pays down debt faster and feeds your savings and investments. Protecting that slice is what moves you forward.
Questions, answered
What counts as a need versus a want?
Needs are essentials you would struggle to live without — housing, basic food, utilities, transport to work and minimum debt payments. Wants are discretionary: dining out, subscriptions, travel and upgrades. When unsure, ask whether a tight month could do without it.
Is take-home pay before or after tax?
After tax. Use the amount that actually lands in your account, since that is what you allocate. If you save into a pre-tax retirement account at work, you can count that separately in the savings bucket.
What if my needs are more than 50%?
In high-cost areas that is common. Treat the percentages as targets to move toward, not pass/fail lines. Trimming wants and slowly raising income are the usual levers to bring needs back into balance.
Is 20% savings enough?
It is a solid baseline. If you are aiming for early retirement or catching up, higher is better — the FIRE and Coast FIRE tools show what faster saving unlocks.