Enter your monthly income and expenses by category. See your remaining balance, savings rate, and how your spending compares to the 50/30/20 rule — free, no sign-up required.
Income
Needs (essential expenses)
Wants (lifestyle expenses)
Savings & Debt Payoff (financial goals)
Your Budget Summary
Fill in your income and expenses, then click Calculate.
Enter your monthly take-home income — the amount that actually reaches your bank or wallet after taxes and any automatic deductions. Then fill in your expenses across three categories: needs, wants, and savings/debt. Click Calculate to see your total spending, remaining balance, and how your split compares to the 50/30/20 guideline.
You do not need to fill in every field. Leave unused categories at zero. The calculator totals what you enter.
Needs are expenses you must pay to maintain your basic standard of living: housing, utilities, groceries, transportation to work, insurance, and minimum debt payments. If skipping it has serious consequences — eviction, losing coverage, defaulting — it is a need.
Wants are lifestyle choices: dining out, entertainment, streaming subscriptions, gaming, shopping beyond basics. They improve quality of life but are not essential to function.
Savings and debt payoff include anything building your financial future: emergency fund contributions, investment accounts, extra debt payments beyond minimums. These are separate from minimum debt payments, which count as needs because they are obligatory.
The 50/30/20 rule — popularized by Senator Elizabeth Warren's book All Your Worth — suggests spending roughly 50% of take-home income on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings and debt beyond minimums. It is a starting benchmark, not a rule. If you live in an expensive city, needs may take 60% or more. If you are aggressively paying down debt, savings might be 35%. The comparison column shows where you stand relative to the benchmark so you can decide if adjustments make sense.
If your remaining balance is negative, your budget is running a deficit — expenses exceed income. Look at the wants category first, since those are the most adjustable. If needs alone exceed income, the problem is structural and may require income changes, moving, or major lifestyle shifts rather than small cuts.
If you have money remaining, the calculator shows what is unaccounted for. Assign it to a category: savings, a sinking fund for irregular expenses, or extra debt payment.
Hunter Vault's budget planner lets you log expenses by category, earn XP for staying on track, and progress through financial quests. Free, offline, no bank connection required.
Download Hunter Vault FreeThis calculator is for budgeting planning purposes and general financial awareness. It does not constitute financial advice. Results depend on the accuracy of the figures you enter. Appropriate spending allocations vary widely based on location, income, household size, and personal circumstances.