Budget calculator: see what's left after your real bills
List the bills and necessities you actually pay each month and subtract them from your take-home pay. You'll see what's left for savings and personal spending — plus how much to set aside from each payday so the money is there when each bill is due.
| Take-home pay | – |
| Left after essential bills | – |
| Emergency fund / month | – |
| Long-term savings / month | – |
| Set aside each payday — bills | – |
| Set aside each payday — savings | – |
| Free to spend each payday | – |
| Set aside each month (bills + savings) | – |
| Saved per year at this rate | – |
How this calculator works
This calculator starts from your actual costs rather than a percentage of income. It totals the things you must pay — housing, utilities, insurance, food, and getting to work — and subtracts them from your take-home pay. What remains is divided between savings and free spending.
How savings are handled
Savings are entered as a percentage of take-home pay and subtracted after essential bills, so the free-to-spend figure is what is left. If the savings percentages add up to more than what remains after bills, the calculator scales them down to fit and says so.
Irregular and self-employed income
Income that changes week to week — serving, driving, freelancing — has no fixed monthly figure, so the calculator uses whichever take-home amount you enter. Self-employed income has no tax withheld: the tax is owed on profit and paid to the IRS in quarterly estimated payments (Form 1040-ES). The rate calculator prices a job from your costs, and what to set aside for taxes covers the tax side.
How to use this calculator
Four groups of inputs, in order:
- Take-home pay — the amount that actually lands in your account each month, after taxes. If your pay swings, use a low month, not your best.
- How often you're paid — this turns the monthly plan into a per-paycheck one, so you know what to hold back from each check.
- Your monthly bills — enter what you actually spend on each essential; leave anything that doesn't apply blank.
- Savings goals — a percentage of take-home for an emergency fund, long-term savings, or both.
The results show three numbers — essential bills, savings, and what's free to spend — plus how much to set aside from each payday and what you'd save in a year at that rate.
The per-paycheck plan
The calculator converts the monthly plan into a per-paycheck one: it divides your bills and savings by how often you are paid, so each figure is what to hold back from a single check. If you are paid irregularly — per job or project — there is no fixed number of paydays, so it shows a single amount to set aside from each payment instead.
Budgeting FAQs
What counts as an essential bill?
Anything that has a real consequence if you don't pay it: housing, utilities, insurance, groceries, transportation to work, phone, and the minimum payments on any debt. Dining out, entertainment, and subscriptions you could drop are personal spending, not essentials — keep them out of this list so your true cost of living is clear.
How much should my emergency fund be?
A widely used target is three to six months of your essential bills, not your full income.
Should I budget on gross or take-home pay?
Take-home — the amount that actually lands in your account after taxes. Budgeting on gross counts money that's already spoken for. If you're on a W-2 with retirement deducted from your paycheck, that deduction already counts as saving.
How do I budget on an irregular or self-employed income?
Irregular income has no fixed monthly figure, so the calculator uses whichever take-home amount you enter. Self-employed income has no tax withheld — the tax is owed on profit and paid to the IRS in quarterly estimated payments (Form 1040-ES). See what to set aside for taxes.
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
The 50/30/20 rule allocates 50% of income to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings. It starts from a percentage of income; this calculator starts from the bills you enter.
Where does paying off debt fit?
Minimum debt payments are essential bills and belong in your bills list. Anything paid above the minimum comes out of your free-to-spend money or your savings.