Budget Planner
Plan your monthly budget in seconds — free, no account required, and your numbers never leave your device. Add income sources, fill in your expense categories, and instantly see your surplus or deficit, savings rate, and a visual breakdown of where your money goes.
Monthly Income
Monthly Expenses
For planning purposes only — not financial advice. Results reset when you close this tab.
How It Works
Add your income
Enter your monthly take-home pay. Need to include a side income or rental income? Hit "Add source" to track multiple streams.
Fill in expenses
Eight common categories are pre-loaded — just enter the amounts. Rename, remove, or add custom categories to match your lifestyle.
See your summary
The summary card updates in real time — total income, total expenses, surplus or deficit, and your savings rate as a percentage of income.
Spot where to cut
The category breakdown shows each expense as a share of total spending, helping you quickly see which areas to reduce.
How to Use the Budget Planner
- Enter your monthly take-home income in the Income section. Use "Add source" for multiple streams.
- Enter amounts for each expense category — leave blank to skip a category.
- Rename or remove default categories, or click "Add category" to create a custom one.
- Read the summary card to check your surplus or deficit and savings rate.
- Use the category breakdown to see where your money goes and spot areas to reduce.
Understanding Your Budget Summary
| Metric | What it means | Healthy target |
|---|---|---|
| Total Income | Sum of all monthly income sources after tax | — |
| Total Expenses | Sum of all budgeted expense categories | < 80% of income |
| Surplus / Deficit | Income minus expenses. Positive = money left over; negative = overspending | Positive |
| Savings Rate | Surplus as a percentage of income — the higher the better | ≥ 20% |
The 50 / 30 / 20 Budgeting Rule
First popularised by Senator Elizabeth Warren in All Your Worth, the 50/30/20 rule divides your after-tax income into three buckets:
| Bucket | % of income | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| Needs | 50% | Rent, mortgage, groceries, utilities, minimum debt payments, transport to work |
| Wants | 30% | Dining out, streaming services, hobbies, holidays, gym membership |
| Savings & Debt | 20% | Emergency fund, retirement contributions (401k / IRA), extra debt repayment, investments |
The budget planner shows you exactly what 50%, 30%, and 20% of your income amounts to in dollars once you enter your income — making the rule easy to apply to your real numbers.
Features
- Multiple income sources: track salary, freelance, rental, and any other income streams separately.
- Flexible expense categories: rename, remove, or add categories to match your actual spending.
- Real-time results: summary and breakdown update instantly as you type — no button to press.
- Savings rate indicator: colour-coded green (≥ 20%), amber (10–19%), or red (< 10%) so you know at a glance how your budget looks.
- 50/30/20 guide: built-in reference showing target amounts based on your income.
- Your data stays private: all calculations run locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.
- No account required: open the page and start planning straight away.
- Works on any device: optimised for desktop and mobile browsers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my financial data stored or shared?
No. Every calculation runs locally in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is ever sent to or stored on any server. Closing the tab clears everything.
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
Spend 50% of after-tax income on needs, 30% on wants, and save or pay down debt with the remaining 20%. The planner shows you the dollar target for each bucket once you enter your monthly income.
What is a good monthly savings rate?
Saving 20% or more of your income is considered strong. 10–19% is a healthy starting point. Below 10% is a sign you may want to look for expenses to reduce. The planner colour-codes your savings rate: green for ≥ 20%, amber for 10–19%, red for under 10%.
Can I add custom expense categories?
Yes. Click "Add category" to add as many custom categories as you need. You can also rename or delete any of the default categories to match your own spending habits.
Does the planner save my budget between sessions?
No data is saved between sessions — every time you open the page, the planner starts fresh. This is intentional to protect your financial privacy. For persistent tracking, consider a dedicated budgeting app that stores data locally on your device.