About this tool
50/30/20 Budget Calculator is a free, in-browser budgeting tool that splits your monthly take-home income into needs, wants and savings targets. The classic rule allocates 50% to needs (rent, groceries, utilities), 30% to wants and 20% to savings or debt repayment, and every ratio here is adjustable as long as the three add up to 100%.
Each target is simply your net income multiplied by that category's percentage. Enter what you actually spend in any category and the tool also shows the gap — a positive number means you are under target with money left, a negative number means you are overspending that bucket.
Use it after a pay change or at the start of a month to set spending ceilings. Everything is computed locally in your browser; no income figures are uploaded anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
It is a budgeting guideline that allocates 50% of take-home pay to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings or extra debt payments. It is a starting point, not a law — adjust the ratios to your situation as long as they total 100%.
Should I use gross or net income?
Use take-home (net) pay — the amount that actually lands in your account after tax and other payroll deductions. Budgeting on gross income overstates every target.
What does a negative gap mean?
The gap is target minus actual spending. A negative value means you spent more than the category's target; a positive value is the amount still available in that bucket.
Is my financial data uploaded?
No. All calculations run locally in your browser — nothing you type is sent to a server or stored anywhere.
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