Budget Planner
Set your actual spending against the 50/30/20 rule and see, category by category, where the money is going wrong.
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How it works
The 50/30/20 rule splits take-home pay three ways: half to needs, three tenths to wants, a fifth to savings and debt repayment. It is a starting benchmark rather than a law, and its value is that it forces savings to be a budget line rather than whatever happens to be left.
The proportions are adjustable, because they do not survive contact with every situation. High-cost cities push needs well past 50%; someone with no dependants and a paid-off home can push savings far higher.
Surplus = income − (needs + wants + savings)
- Needs — housing, utilities, groceries, transport, insurance, minimum debt payments
- Wants — dining out, subscriptions, travel, hobbies, anything you could stop
- Savings — investments, extra debt repayment, emergency fund
Worked example
A 150,000 monthly income against 82,000 needs, 41,000 wants and 20,000 savings
Inputs
Results
Needs are slightly over and savings well under. Moving the 7,000 unallocated into savings alone would close most of the gap.
Frequently asked questions
Is 50/30/20 the right split for everyone?
No. It is a benchmark for a middle-income household with ordinary costs. If housing alone takes 45% of your income the rule is unreachable, and the useful move is to raise the needs share and protect the savings line rather than abandon the framework.
Which category do debt repayments belong in?
Minimum required payments are a need. Anything you pay above the minimum is savings, because it is buying down future interest — the same logic as investing.
What should I do with an unallocated surplus?
Assign it deliberately, or it becomes untracked spending. Building an emergency fund to three to six months of needs usually comes first, then clearing high-interest debt, then investing.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted to us or stored.
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