Budget Planner
Enter your take-home pay and choose the shares for needs, wants and savings. Add what you actually spend to compare.
The three shares must add up to 100%.
Worked examples
On £2,400 a month
£2,400 take-home pay, 50/30/20
£1,200 needs, £720 wants, £480 savings
Half, 30% and 20% of £2,400.
About Budget Planner
The 50/30/20 rule gives a simple starting point for a monthly budget. About half of your take-home pay goes on needs, such as housing, bills, food, transport and minimum debt payments. About 30% goes on wants, such as eating out, subscriptions and holidays. The last 20% goes on savings and on repaying debt faster than the minimum.
Enter your monthly take-home pay and the page turns the shares into pounds. In an expensive area your needs may take more than half, so you can change the shares to fit your life, as long as they add up to 100%. Enter what you actually spend in each group to see how far the plan and the reality are apart, and where the room to adjust is.
How to use Budget Planner
- Enter your monthly take-home pay.
- Check or change the shares for needs, wants and savings so they total 100%.
- Optionally enter what you actually spend in each group.
- Read the plan and the amount left in each group.
Common uses
- Setting a first monthly budget
- Checking if rent takes too much of your pay
- Planning how much to save each month
- Comparing plan and actual spending after a month
Sources
Last reviewed 18 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
A budgeting guide that puts 50% of take-home pay towards needs, 30% towards wants and 20% towards savings and debt repayment.
What counts as a need?
Things you must pay to live and work: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, transport, insurance, childcare and minimum debt payments.
What if my needs are over 50%?
That is common where housing is expensive. Adjust the shares, for example 60/25/15, and look for the largest costs to reduce over time.
Should I use pay before or after tax?
After tax and pension, which is your take-home pay. That is the money you can spend.
Where should debt repayment go?
Minimum payments are needs. Extra payments beyond the minimum belong in the savings and debt group.