📊 50/30/20 Budget Rule Calculator

Enter your monthly take-home income and all expenses to see exactly how your budget maps to the 50/30/20 framework — with a color-coded pass/fail status for each category.

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Results
Monthly Balance Remaining
Needs — Target 50%
Wants — Target 30%
Savings — Target 20%
Needs Status
Wants Status
Savings Status
Total Accounted For
Needs ≤ 50% · Wants ≤ 30% · Savings ≥ 20% of after-tax income
Needs: housing, utilities, groceries, transport, minimum debt payments
Wants: dining, shopping, subscriptions, entertainment

The 50/30/20 rule uses after-tax take-home pay — not gross salary. A common mistake is budgeting from gross income, which makes the numbers look achievable when they aren't. In high cost-of-living areas, needs alone can exceed 50% — in that case, reduce Wants to stay at 20%+ savings, treating the housing premium as a forced allocation from the Wants bucket.