Use our 50/30/20 budget calculator to estimate how you might divide your monthly income into needs, wants and savings. This will give you a big-picture view of your finances. The most important number is the smallest: the 20% dedicated to savings. Once you achieve that, perhaps with an employer-sponsored retirement plan and other automated monthly savings transfers, the rest — that big 80% chunk — is up for debate.
That leaves 50% for needs and 30% for wants, but these are parameters you can tweak to suit your reality. For example, if you live in an expensive housing market, your monthly mortgage or rent payment might spill a bit into your "wants" budget. Budgets are meant to bend but not be broken.
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Our 50/30/20 calculator divides your take-home income into suggested spending in three categories: 50% of net pay for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and debt repayment.
The 50/30/20 budget
Find out how this budgeting approach applies to your money.
Your 50/30/20 numbers:
Necessities
$0
Wants
$0
Savings and debt repayment
$0
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The 50/30/20 rule is a popular budgeting method that splits your monthly income among three main categories. Here's how it breaks down:
Monthly after-tax income
Before you can slice up your 50/30/20 budget, you need to calculate your monthly take-home income. This figure is your income after taxes have been deducted. It's likely you'll have additional payroll deductions for things like healthinsurance, 401(k) contributions or other automatic payments taken from your salary. Don't subtract those from your gross (before tax) income. If you've lumped them in with your taxes, you'll want to separate them out — subtract only taxes from your gross income.
50% of your income: needs
Necessities are the expenses you can’t avoid. This portion of your budget should cover required costs such as:
Housing.
Food.
Transportation.
Basic utilities.
Insurance.
Minimum loan payments. Anything beyond the minimum goes into the savings and debt repayment bucket.
Child care or other expenses that need to be covered so you can work.
30% of your income: wants
Distinguishing between needs and wants isn’t always easy and can vary from one budget to another. Generally, though, wants are the extras that aren’t essential to living and working. They’re often for fun and may include:
Monthly subscriptions.
Travel.
Entertainment.
Meals out.
20% of your income: savings and debt
Savings is the amount you sock away to prepare for the future. Devote this chunk of your budget to paying down existing debt and creating a financial cushion.
How, exactly, to use this part of your budget depends on your situation, but it will likely include:
The 50/30/20 rule can be a good budgeting method for some, but it may not work for your unique monthly expenses. Depending on your income and where you live, earmarking 50% of your income for your needs may not be enough.
50% for your needs. Half of your income should go toward essentials or necessities, such as housing (including mortgage or rent), groceries, transportation, health insurance, and the minimum payment on your debts, such as student loans.
Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.
Living on $1,000 per month is a challenge. From the high costs of housing, transportation and food, plus trying to keep your bills to a minimum, it would be difficult for anyone living alone to make this work. But with some creativity, roommates and strategy, you might be able to pull it off.
Hopefully, you wouldn't do this, but the way the 50/30/20 budget is set up, it can cause high-income individuals to spend a lot of money on things that they don't need and not save enough for important financial goals.
On a $60,000 salary, which roughly translates to $50,000 after taxes (depending on your location and tax rates), 60% would be about $30,000 per year, or $2,500 per month. Savings (20%): This portion should be allocated towards your savings, investments, emergency funds, or debt repayment.
Housing is likely your biggest expense, so downsize or relocate somewhere with a lower cost of living. Opt for a small space or rental apartment rather than homeownership. Shoot for $700 or less in rent/mortgage. Utilities should run you no more than $200 in a small space if you conserve energy.
50/30/20 explained. The basic idea of the 50/30/20 rule is simple. You allocate 50% of your post-tax income to “needs” and another 30% to “wants.” That leaves you with at least 20% of your net income that you're able to save or use to pay down existing debt.
The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).
Important reminder: The 50/30/20 budget rule only considers your take-home pay for the month, so anything automatically deducted from your paycheck — like your work health insurance premium or 401k retirement contribution — doesn't count in the equation.
50% of your net income should go towards living expenses and essentials (Needs), 20% of your net income should go towards debt reduction and savings (Debt Reduction and Savings), and 30% of your net income should go towards discretionary spending (Wants).
Before you can slice up your 50/30/20 budget, you need to calculate your monthly take-home income. This figure is your income after taxes have been deducted. It's likely you'll have additional payroll deductions for things like health insurance, 401(k) contributions or other automatic payments taken from your salary.
According to this rule, you must categorise your after-tax income into three broad categories: 50% for your needs, 30% for your wants and 20% for your savings. This way, you set aside a fixed amount from your income for each of the categories. This reduces your urge to withdraw amounts from one category for another.
Try a simple budgeting plan. We recommend the popular 50/30/20 budget to maximize your money. In it, you spend roughly 50% of your after-tax dollars on necessities, including debt minimum payments. No more than 30% goes to wants, and at least 20% goes to savings and additional debt payments beyond minimums.
The 20% rule is a good general guide, but it isn't the right fit for everyone. Some people can save above that rate, while others merely struggle to make ends meet. “Some people pay their rent and they have nothing left.
To start, averages, by definition, do not take into account the huge variations in what individuals do. Second, the financial obligations of today are vastly different than they were when the 30% rule was created.
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