Budget Calculator (50/30/20)
A simple budget starts with one split. The 50/30/20 rule divides your take-home pay into needs, wants and savings. Enter your monthly income to see the target for each — and adjust the percentages to fit your life.
Your numbers
Result
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Needs (50%) | $2,500.00 |
| Wants (30%) | $1,500.00 |
| Savings & debt (20%) | $1,000.00 |
The 50/30/20 rule
Divide your take-home pay (after taxes) into three buckets: 50% needs (rent or mortgage, groceries, utilities, minimum debt payments), 30% wants (dining out, streaming, hobbies, travel), and 20% savings (emergency fund, retirement, investing, and extra debt payoff). On $5,000 a month that is $2,500 / $1,500 / $1,000.
It is a starting point, not a law
The percentages are a guide, not a rule. In a high-cost city, needs may run past 50%; if you are aggressively paying down debt or saving for a goal, push the savings bucket higher. Adjust the needs and wants fields — the savings share is whatever is left. The point is that every dollar has a job.
Fund the buckets in order
If money is tight, cover needs first, then build a small emergency fund, then attack high-interest debt, and only then grow the wants. Automating the savings transfer on payday — before you can spend it — is the single most effective budgeting habit.
Informational and educational result. Not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- The 50/30/20 budgeting framework
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