50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Enter your monthly take-home pay and get your 50/30/20 split in dollars: needs, wants and savings — plus what each preset ratio means for your year.
How to use this calculator
Run the numbers once, write the result where you will see it, and let the free expense tracker do the weekly work: it sorts every entry into needs, wants and savings automatically, so drift from the plan is visible the moment it starts instead of at the end of the month. A calculator sets the target; tracking is what actually gets you there.
How to use the result
The three numbers are monthly ceilings, not suggestions: needs (rent, groceries, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments) should fit inside the first number, wants (dining out, entertainment, subscriptions) inside the second. If reality exceeds a ceiling, that category is your one budget project for next month — the tracker’s three-bucket view shows exactly which entries pushed it over.
Choosing a ratio
50/30/20 is the default for a reason: it balances today’s life against future you. 60/20/20 fits high-rent cities where needs genuinely run hot — savings still moves forward while housing eats its share. 70/20/10 is the aggressive-debt phase: minimum survival, tracked wants, maximum payoff. Whichever you pick, keep it for a full quarter before judging — the first month is always noisy.
The number people forget
Savings percent matters more than savings dollars at the start: 5% automated on payday outperforms a 20% plan that relies on end-of-month leftovers, because leftovers get reabsorbed. Set the transfer the day you calculate; the calculator’s yearly figure is what the habit compounds to.
Frequently asked questions
Is this before or after tax?
After — take-home pay only, or every ratio breaks.
Does 20% include my 401(k) deduction?
Yes — count payroll deductions into retirement as part of your 20%, since that money is saved before it ever reaches you.
What if my needs are 70%?
That is a housing/transport conversation, not a coffee conversation — the calculator’s gap view makes the case for the big levers.