Budget Planner: 50/30/20 Calculator
This free budget planner checks your month against the 50/30/20 rule: half of your take-home pay for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and paying off debt. Type in what you earn and spend, and it shows your split next to the guide and how far each bucket is from its target. Start from a typical household, a student budget, a wedding or Christmas, then change any figure.
Your split against 50/30/20
Your plan uses £2,799 of £3,293 a month, leaving £494 not yet given a job.
| Bucket | Target | Yours | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needs 50% | £1,647 | £1,618 49.1% | £29 under target |
| Wants 30% | £988 | £1,072 32.6% | £84 over target |
| Savings and debt 20% | £659 | £109 3.3% | £550 below target |
| Not yet allocated | £494 |
Estimates for general information only, not advice. See Important information below.
Written by Anthropic’s Claude AI from the figures above: where to look first to rebalance. What you enter is sent to it to write the check, so please don’t include personal details. General information, not financial advice. Nothing is stored.
50/30/20 amounts for common take-home pays
| Take-home a month | Needs 50% | Wants 30% | Savings 20% |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,500 | £750 | £450 | £300 |
| £1,750 | £875 | £525 | £350 |
| £2,000 | £1,000 | £600 | £400 |
| £2,250 | £1,125 | £675 | £450 |
| £2,500 | £1,250 | £750 | £500 |
| £2,750 | £1,375 | £825 | £550 |
| £3,000 | £1,500 | £900 | £600 |
| £3,250 | £1,625 | £975 | £650 |
| £3,500 | £1,750 | £1,050 | £700 |
| £3,750 | £1,875 | £1,125 | £750 |
| £4,000 | £2,000 | £1,200 | £800 |
Starting figures: ONS Family spending, FYE 2025, Table 3.1 (released 11 June 2026); Save the Student, National Student Money Survey 2026 (updated 9 October 2026); Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 (updated 8 September 2026); Finder Christmas spending survey by Censuswide (updated 18 November 2025). All checked 16 October 2026. The amounts above are your take-home pay multiplied by 50%, 30% and 20%, rounded to the pound.
How it works and where the numbers come from
The planner adds up each bucket, divides it by your take-home pay and compares the result with 50%, 30% and 20%. Anything left over is shown as money not yet allocated. The maths runs in your browser and nothing you type is saved.
The starting figures come from published surveys, checked on 16 October 2026. The Standard household uses ONS Family spending for April 2024 to March 2025, released on 11 June 2026, taking the middle tenth of households by disposable income. The Student figures come from Save the Student’s National Student Money Survey 2026. The Wedding budget starts at Bridebook’s 2026 average of £20,604, split the way couples in that survey spent it. Christmas starts at Finder’s November 2025 survey, which found an average of £802 per adult, £514 of it on gifts.
Worked example
The middle-income household takes home about £3,293 a month. Its spending comes to £1,618 on needs (49.1%), £1,072 on wants (32.6%) and £109 on savings and pensions (3.3%). Needs are close to the guide and wants are £84 over, but savings fall £550 short of the £659 target. The £494 not recorded as spending is where most of that gap could be closed.
FAQ
Should I use my gross or take-home pay?
Use take-home pay, the amount that reaches your bank account after Income Tax, National Insurance and other payroll deductions. If a pension is taken from your pay before it reaches you, leave it out; if you pay into one yourself, count it as saving.
What if my needs are more than half my pay?
That is common in the UK, mostly because of rent. Try a split you can keep, such as 60/20/20, then work back towards 50/30/20 over time.
Does a wedding or Christmas fund count as saving?
Yes. The planner spreads the cost across the months you have left and adds that amount to your savings bucket, so you can see what it does to the rest of your month.
Why do student figures go over budget?
The survey’s average Maintenance Loan is £648 a month, while average living costs are £1,146. Add any job or family money to see your real position.
Important information
This tool gives general information and estimates only. It is not financial, tax, legal, medical or other professional advice, and it does not take your personal circumstances into account.
This planner is not financial or debt advice. If you are worried about money or debt, free and impartial help is available from MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service.
The figures are based on the published sources and dates shown on this page. Prices, rates and rules change, so they may be out of date by the time you read this. Check them with the supplier, provider or official source, or ask a qualified professional, before you make a decision.
The AI-written explanation is produced automatically by Anthropic’s Claude from the figures on this page. It can contain mistakes and should not be relied on.
We don’t keep what you enter. If you use the AI explanation, what you entered is sent to Anthropic so it can write it.
You use this tool at your own risk. Budgeting Tips accepts no responsibility for any loss, cost or decision made as a result of using it, as far as the law allows.