50/30/20 Rule Calculator
Instantly split your take-home pay using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. Free calculator showing exactly how much to spend on needs, wants, and savings or debt repayment.
Split Your Income Three Ways
Enter your take-home income below to see exactly how much to allocate to needs, wants, and savings or debt repayment under the 50/30/20 rule.
Income Details
Enter your income to get an instant 50/30/20 breakdown
Budget Breakdown
Your 50/30/20 income split
50/30/20 Split by Monthly Income
Typical needs, wants, and savings amounts for common monthly take-home income levels, to help you benchmark your own budget.
| Monthly Income | Needs (50%) | Wants (30%) | Savings (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,500 | £750 | £450 | £300 |
| £2,000 | £1,000 | £600 | £400 |
| £2,500 | £1,250 | £750 | £500 |
| £3,000 | £1,500 | £900 | £600 |
| £3,500 | £1,750 | £1,050 | £700 |
| £4,000 | £2,000 | £1,200 | £800 |
| £5,000 | £2,500 | £1,500 | £1,000 |
50/30/20 Rule FAQ
Everything you need to know about using the 50/30/20 rule to budget your income.
The 50/30/20 rule is a simple budgeting method that splits your after-tax income into three categories: 50% for needs such as rent and bills, 30% for wants such as dining out and entertainment, and 20% for savings or paying off debt.
You should use your net income, meaning your take-home pay after tax, National Insurance and pension contributions have been deducted. Using gross income will overestimate how much money you actually have to allocate.
Needs are essential costs you cannot avoid, such as rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, groceries, minimum debt payments, and transport to work. Wants are non-essential spending, such as streaming subscriptions, dining out, hobbies, and shopping.
In many high cost-of-living areas, needs can easily exceed 50% of income. If this happens, the 50/30/20 rule can be adjusted, for example to 60/20/20 or 65/15/20, while still keeping the same principle of prioritising some level of savings.