50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Split your monthly take-home pay into needs, wants and savings with the 50/30/20 rule — or your own percentages.
What this calculates
The 50/30/20 rule is the simplest budget that still works: half of your take-home pay goes to needs — the bills you would have to pay whatever happens — 30% to wants, and 20% to savings or paying debt off faster. It is a starting point rather than a law. If rent alone eats half your income, shift the split (say 60/20/20) but keep the savings line, because that is the part that builds a safety net. The calculator lets you change all three percentages as long as they add up to 100%, so every euro has a job.
Formula
needs = take-home pay × needs % wants = take-home pay × wants % savings = take-home pay × savings % needs % + wants % + savings % = 100%
Example
With €2,500 a month take-home pay, 50/30/20 gives €1,250 for needs, €750 for wants and €500 for savings — €6,000 saved over a year.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 50/30/20 rule realistic?
For many people it is a good target rather than where they start. In high-cost cities needs can take 60% or more; then a 60/20/20 or 65/20/15 split is more honest. What matters most is that savings get a fixed share before the wants do.
Do debt repayments count as needs or savings?
Minimum payments are needs — you have to make them. Anything extra you pay to clear debt faster belongs in the savings share, because it improves your finances the same way saving does.
Should I use gross or net income?
Net — your take-home pay after tax and deductions. If your pension contribution is taken from your salary before it reaches you, you are already saving that part, so you can count it towards the 20%.