Earn · UK
Budget Calculator
See where your money goes each month. Add your take-home pay and your spending to find what's left to save, and spot the categories worth trimming.
Use your take-home pay, the amount after tax. An estimate to help you plan, not financial advice.
- Monthly income
- £2,500
- Total spending
- £1,900
- Left over
- £600
- Saving rate
- 24%
How to build a budget
A budget is just income minus spending. Start with your take-home pay, the money that actually reaches your account each month. List what goes out, from rent and bills to food, travel and the smaller things. What is left is yours to save, invest or put towards a goal. Seeing it laid out often shows where a little can be trimmed without much pain.
A common starting point is the 50/30/20 split: roughly half your take-home pay on needs, a third on wants, and a fifth towards saving or clearing debt. Treat it as a guide, not a rule, and adjust it to your own life.
Common questions
How do I make a monthly budget?
Start with your take-home pay, the amount that actually lands in your account. List what you spend each month, from rent and bills to food and travel. Subtract the spending from your income, and what is left is what you can save or put towards goals. The calculator does the sums for you.
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
It is a simple guideline: aim to spend about 50% of your take-home pay on needs (rent, bills, food), 30% on wants (eating out, subscriptions, hobbies) and 20% on saving or paying off debt. It is a starting point, not a strict rule, and the right split depends on your situation.
Should I budget with gross or take-home pay?
Use your take-home pay, the figure after Income Tax, National Insurance and pension. That is the money you actually have to spend, so budgeting on the gross salary would overstate what is available.
What if my spending is more than my income?
The calculator will show a shortfall. The fix is either to bring in more or spend less: look first at the biggest categories, then at regular subscriptions and anything you can pause. If debt repayments are the problem, the debt payoff calculator can help you plan a way out.
How much should I have left over each month?
There is no single right number, but many people aim to save around a fifth of their take-home pay. Even a small, regular amount adds up, and building an emergency fund of a few months of essential spending is a sensible first goal.
About this calculator
This adds up the spending you enter and subtracts it from your monthly income to show what is left. It is a planning tool to help you see your money clearly, not financial advice. Last updated June 2026.