50/30/20 budget calculator
Split your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings, then see how your real spending compares. No sign-up, and nothing leaves your browser.
Your income
We've filled in an example — replace it with your numbers.
What lands in your account after tax.
Your actual spending
Optional, per month. Leave blank to see the targets only.
Bills and essentials.
Everything non-essential.
Only changes formatting.
Your monthly budget
$4,000.00
Take-home pay a month · $48,000.00 a year
- Needs 50%Rent, groceries, utilities, transport, insurance, minimum debt payments.
- $2,000.00$24,000.00/yr
- Wants 30%Eating out, shopping, hobbies, streaming, holidays.
- $1,200.00$14,400.00/yr
- Savings & debt 20%Emergency fund, retirement, extra debt payments.
- $800.00$9,600.00/yr
Targets vs your spending
Bars show each amount as a share of your monthly pay; the line marks the target.
Needs
Over- Target (50%)
- $2,000.00
- You spend
- $2,250.00 (56%)
$250.00 over the target. Housing and transport are usually the biggest levers — or try a 60/20/20 split while you adjust.
Wants
Under- Target (30%)
- $1,200.00
- You spend
- $1,050.00 (26%)
$150.00 under the target — more room for savings and debt.
Savings & debt
Under- Target (20%)
- $800.00
- Left for it
- $700.00 (18%)
$100.00 short of the target. Small cuts to wants are the easiest way to close the gap.
How it works
Start with your take-home pay — monthly, or yearly if that's easier. A yearly figure is divided by 12 to get the monthly amount the budget is built on.
The calculator then multiplies your monthly pay by each percentage: 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and debt. Needs and wants are rounded down to the cent and savings gets whatever is left, so the three always add up to exactly your pay. Yearly targets are worked out the same way from your yearly pay.
You can change the split to suit your situation — 60/20/20 and 70/20/10 are popular when housing costs are high. Any whole-number split works as long as the three parts add up to 100%.
If you enter what you actually spend on needs and wants each month, the calculator compares each one with its target and shows it as a share of your pay. Whatever is left after needs and wants is what you have for savings and debt. Anything within 1% of your pay counts as on target; otherwise you'll see how far over or under you are, with a suggestion for where to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
It's a simple way to divide your take-home pay: about 50% on needs (housing, food, utilities, transport, minimum debt payments), 30% on wants (eating out, shopping, hobbies, subscriptions) and 20% on savings and paying off debt faster. It gives every part of your pay a job without tracking dozens of categories.
Should I use my salary before or after tax?
After tax. Use your take-home pay — what actually reaches your account after tax and other deductions. If money for a pension or retirement plan is taken out before you're paid, you can count it as savings you've already made.
What if my needs are more than 50%?
That's very common, especially where rent is high. Try a 60/20/20 or 70/20/10 split while you look for ways to bring needs down, such as a cheaper phone plan, insurance or energy deal. The aim is a split you can actually stick to, not a perfect one.
Where do debt payments go?
Minimum payments count as needs, because you have to make them. Anything you pay on top of the minimums belongs in the 20% savings and debt part, because it's money you're choosing to put toward your future.
Track this automatically — Calm Coins is free
Calm Coins turns your split into a real budget that runs from payday to payday, tracks spending against each part and shows what's safe to spend every day.