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50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Enter your monthly take-home pay to see the 50/30/20 split in currency, then add what you actually spend to see where you are over or under.
The rule gives every unit of income a job without asking you to track dozens of categories: half to needs, a third to wants, a fifth to savings and debt payoff. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
Your month
Pay after tax, plus reliable extras
Optional: what you actually spend each month
Rent, utilities, groceries, transport, insurance, minimum debt payments
Eating out, subscriptions, travel, shopping, hobbies
Investing, emergency fund, payments above the minimum
Your 50/30/20 split
Enter your monthly income to see your targets.
Track this automaticallyA free Finwise account splits your real transactions into needs, wants and savings each month.
How to use the 50/30/20 rule
- 1. Start with take-home pay. Use what lands in your account after tax and payroll deductions.
- 2. Set the 20% aside first. Treat savings and extra debt payments as a fixed bill, ideally automated on payday.
- 3. Cap needs at 50%. List every unavoidable cost. If the total exceeds half your income, housing is normally the only line big enough to fix it.
- 4. Spend the remaining 30% freely. Once needs and savings are covered, wants need no further tracking beyond the cap.
- 5. Recheck each month. Ratios drift as income and rent change, so compare targets to actuals rather than setting it once.
What the split looks like at different incomes
The percentages stay fixed, so the buckets scale directly with income. Seeing them in currency makes it obvious whether the needs cap is realistic for your rent.
| Monthly take-home | Needs (50%) | Wants (30%) | Savings (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000.00 | $1,000.00 | $600.00 | $400.00 |
| $3,000.00 | $1,500.00 | $900.00 | $600.00 |
| $4,000.00 | $2,000.00 | $1,200.00 | $800.00 |
| $6,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,800.00 | $1,200.00 |
| $8,000.00 | $4,000.00 | $2,400.00 | $1,600.00 |
Figures are the arithmetic split of each income level, shown in your local currency format.
A worked example
Someone takes home $4,000.00 a month. The rule targets $2,000.00 of needs, $1,200.00 of wants and $800.00 of savings. In practice they spend $2,300.00 on needs, $1,100.00 on wants and save $400.00 — so needs run over and savings falls short.
- Needs (50%)
- $2,300.00 vs $2,000.00
- Wants (30%)
- $1,100.00 vs $1,200.00
- Savings & debt payoff (20%)
- $400.00 vs $800.00
The fix is not more discipline on coffee: needs are $300.00 over the cap, which is a housing or transport decision.
50/30/20 budget calculator FAQ
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The 20% bucket is your savings rate — check it directly, then see the retirement timeline it buys you.
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