50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Needs 50 · Wants 30 · Savings 20 — vs what you actually spend
After-tax income that actually reaches your bank account each month.
Optional: what you actually spend
Fill any bucket below to compare your real spending with the rule. Leave blank to skip the comparison.
Fill any bucket below to compare your real spending with the rule. Leave blank to skip the comparison.
—
Needs budget (50%)
—
Wants budget (30%)
—
Savings target (20%)
—
Your actual savings rate
—
Biggest over-budget bucket
The rule in one line
Half your take-home for needs, about a third for wants, at least a fifth to savings and debt payoff. Add your actual spending to see exactly where you drift.
Related tools
What counts as a need, a want, or savings?
- Needs (50%): rent/mortgage, groceries, utilities, insurance, minimum EMIs, fuel/commute, medicines, school fees. If life stops working without it, it's a need.
- Wants (30%): dining out, streaming, gadgets, holidays, gym memberships, upgraded versions of needs (a costlier phone plan than the basic one).
- Savings (20%): emergency-fund top-ups, SIPs, NPS/PPF/401(k), extra loan prepayment beyond the EMI — anything that builds net worth or kills debt faster.
Not a straitjacket: in expensive cities, needs can legitimately reach 60–65%. Use the advanced custom split to model your reality — the goal is knowing the split, not worshipping one number.
If a bucket is over budget
- Needs over: attack the big three — housing, transport, EMIs. Renegotiate rent, refinance a loan, or re-commute before cutting groceries.
- Wants over: pick one lever (food delivery is the classic leak) and cap it for 60 days rather than trimming everything at once.
- Savings under: automate a transfer the day salary lands — pay yourself first, then spend the rest guilt-free.