Free Budget Planner
Enter your income and expenses by category. See exactly where your money goes, your leftover balance, and your savings rate — all free, instantly.
Aim to keep housing costs under 30% of income and save at least 20%. Use the Summary tab to check your 50/30/20 balance.
How it works
How to build your monthly budget
Add your income
Enter all monthly income sources — salary, freelance, side income, anything recurring.
Fill in expenses
Update each category with your real monthly costs, or add new categories as needed.
Check the summary
Switch to the Summary tab to see your 50/30/20 score and spending breakdown.
Find your savings
Your remaining balance is your savings capacity. Aim for 20% or more each month.
FAQ
Budget planner questions
Common questions about building and sticking to a monthly budget.
What is the 50/30/20 rule?+
The 50/30/20 rule suggests spending 50% of after-tax income on needs (housing, food, transport), 30% on wants (entertainment, dining out), and saving or paying off debt with the remaining 20%. It's a simple starting framework — adjust to fit your situation.
How much should I spend on housing?+
A common guideline is to keep housing costs (rent or mortgage + utilities) under 30% of your gross income. If you live in a high-cost city, 35–40% may be unavoidable — just make sure other categories flex to compensate.
What's a healthy savings rate?+
Financial experts often recommend saving at least 20% of your take-home pay, including retirement contributions. If that's not possible now, start with whatever you can and increase by 1% every few months.
How do I handle irregular income?+
Budget based on your lowest expected monthly income, not your average or best month. In higher-income months, sweep the extra to savings or debt payoff. This builds a buffer and prevents overspending in lean months.
Should I budget weekly or monthly?+
Monthly budgets align with most fixed bills (rent, subscriptions, loan payments) and are easiest to maintain. If you get paid weekly or bi-weekly, track spending weekly but compare totals against your monthly plan.
What's the fastest way to find savings in a budget?+
Start with subscriptions — most people are paying for services they forgot about. Then look at dining out and discretionary spending. Small recurring charges add up fast. Even trimming $200/month frees $2,400/year.
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