Budget Planner
Build a budget that actually leaves money left over.
Enter your income and expenses. We'll score your plan against the 50/30/20 rule, show your real savings rate, and tell you exactly where to cut first. 100% free.
Monthly income
Use your take-home (after-tax) pay.
Needs
Target: ≤50% of incomeWants
Target: ≤30% of incomeSavings & extra debt
Target: ≥20% of incomeYour budget
+$100
left over each month at this plan
50/30/20 breakdown
Your fixed costs are eating most of your paycheck
Needs are 66% of income (target: ≤50%). When housing, transport, and insurance crowd everything out, no amount of latte-cutting fixes it.
Look at housing, transportation, or insurance — one structural change usually beats ten small ones.
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Unlock unlimited saved budgets, monthly tracking against your plan, category drill-downs, and a PDF budget roadmap.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 50/30/20 budget rule?
It's a simple framework: spend 50% of after-tax income on needs (housing, utilities, groceries, insurance, minimum debt), 30% on wants (dining, entertainment, shopping), and direct 20% to savings and extra debt payoff. The Budget Planner scores your real numbers against this benchmark.
How do I categorize my expenses correctly?
Needs are things you'd pay even during a job loss — rent, utilities, basic groceries, insurance, minimum debt payments. Wants are upgrades to your lifestyle — eating out, streaming, hobbies. Savings includes retirement contributions, emergency fund deposits, and any extra debt payoff above the minimum.
What's a healthy savings rate?
Anything above 10% is solid, 15–20% is the standard 'building wealth' range, and 25%+ accelerates financial freedom dramatically. If you're under 10%, focus on either lowering needs (the highest-leverage fix) or trimming one wants category.
Should I budget gross or net income?
Use your take-home pay — what actually lands in your account after taxes, health insurance, and retirement deductions. If your retirement contributions come out of your paycheck pre-tax, count those separately so you don't undercount your real savings rate.
Is the Budget Planner free?
Yes — the calculator, 50/30/20 score, surplus tracking, and coach feedback are completely free. Premium unlocks saved budgets, monthly tracking against the plan, category drill-downs, and PDF export.
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