Allocate exactly 100% of monthly income, compare non-negative actual spending, expose fixed-dollar extras, and review transparent balances and planning ratios.
A quick decision brief for this specific tool
Positive monthly income, category percentages totaling exactly 100%, non-negative actual spending, optional fixed-dollar extra categories, emergency-fund balance, and monthly debt payment
Planned and actual category amounts, planned balance after extras, actual surplus/shortfall, savings rate, 50/30/20 comparison, transparent planning ratios, chart, and CSV
Percent categories allocate exactly 100% of income; fixed-dollar extras remain visible on top, while actual totals and raw ratios are direct arithmetic without a proprietary health score
Choose your path
Build a monthly plan that reconciles to income, compare it with non-negative actual spending, and expose raw planning ratios without a proprietary health score.
Start from a complete 50/30/20 allocation and see actual surplus or shortfall.
Enter take-home income and actual spending, then review group comparison and category variances.
Can reconcile every planned and actual dollar and treats 50/30/20 as a starting framework.
Use custom percentages and extra fixed-dollar categories without hidden normalization.
Set percentages to exactly 100%, add named extras, and inspect the planned balance warning.
Sees and corrects an over-allocated plan rather than receiving silently rescaled categories.
Update actuals and export a readable snapshot on a phone.
Edit spending, inspect surplus and raw optional context, then copy/share/export CSV.
Inputs and actions remain named/tap-sized and no invented score obscures the raw numbers.
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A popular budgeting framework: 50% for needs (housing, utilities, groceries), 30% for wants (entertainment, dining), 20% for savings and debt repayment.
Needs = Income × 0.50 | Wants = Income × 0.30 | Savings = Income × 0.20Every dollar of income is assigned a purpose. Total allocated expenses plus savings must equal total income.
Income = Sum of All Category AllocationsCustom percentage categories must total exactly 100% and are never silently normalized. Fixed-dollar extras remain visible on top, so an over-allocated plan produces a signed planned-balance warning.
Planned Balance = Income − Percentage Plan − Fixed-Dollar ExtrasUpdated: August 2026
Applying the 50/30/20 rule to a take-home pay of $5,500 per month.
→ Needs: $2,750, Wants: $1,650, Savings: $1,100
A renter in an expensive city adjusts the rule to allocate more to housing and savings.
→ Needs: $2,880, Wants: $1,800, Savings: $2,520
A household adds a fixed-dollar category on top of a 100% plan and sees the exact planned overage instead of hidden normalization.
Budget from take-home pay after taxes and deductions. A $75K salary may net $55K — budgeting on $75K leads to overspending by ~$1,600/month.
The rule is a starting framework, not a universal target. Adjust categories to actual obligations and priorities while keeping the full plan reconciled to income.
Create and audit a monthly plan locally in your browser. The tool reports direct arithmetic and raw optional ratios; it does not issue a proprietary financial-health score.