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50/30/20 Budget Calculator

50/30/20 Budget Calculator

Split your take-home into needs, wants and savings

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Needs (50%)
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rent, EMIs, groceries, utilities, school fees, premiums
Wants
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eating out, travel, OTT, upgrades
Savings
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Needs vs wants vs savings

The 50/30/20 rule budgets your post-tax take-home: 50% to needs, 30% to wants, 20% (minimum) to savings and investments. Raise the savings slider and the difference comes out of wants — that's the point. Because Indian salaries already route EPF before take-home, you may effectively be saving more than the slider shows; count EPF toward the savings share when judging yourself.

Making the savings bucket tax-smart: a good default order — first an emergency fund (liquid fund/sweep FD), then the tax-advantaged wrappers: EPF/VPF and PPF (tax-free, 80C in the old regime), ELSS funds (equity returns with 80C, 3-yr lock-in), NPS (extra ₹50,000 deduction under 80CCD(1B), old regime), then plain equity SIPs (12.5% LTCG beyond ₹1.25L/yr — the most tax-efficient unsheltered option). Under the new regime the 80C/80CCD deductions don't apply, but PPF/EPF interest stays tax-free either way, so the wrappers still matter.

What to work out next

Emergency Fund Calculator

Size your safety net and see how fast you can build it.

Net Worth Calculator

Add up what you own, subtract what you owe.

SIP Calculator

See what a monthly SIP grows into over time.

Income Tax Calculator

Compare the old and new tax regimes side by side.

Inflation Calculator

See what today's rupee is worth years from now.

Home Loan EMI & Prepayment Calculator

EMI, interest, and prepayment savings, in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What's a reasonable percentage of income to save each month?

A commonly cited target is 20% of take-home income toward savings and investments, though the right number depends heavily on your expenses, debt, and goals. Starting with any consistent amount and increasing it over time matters more than hitting a specific percentage from day one.

How do I build a budget that actually sticks?

Budgets that fail are usually too restrictive to sustain. Tracking actual spending for a month before setting targets, building in a discretionary/fun category rather than eliminating it entirely, and automating savings so it happens before you can spend it all tend to work better than a rigid, all-or-nothing budget.

What's the 50/30/20 rule?

A simple budgeting guideline: roughly 50% of take-home income to needs (rent, utilities, groceries), 30% to wants (dining out, entertainment), and 20% to savings and debt repayment beyond the minimum. It's a starting framework, not a strict rule -- adjust the splits to your actual cost of living.

How much should I keep as an emergency fund?

A common guideline is 3-6 months of essential expenses, held somewhere liquid and low-risk rather than invested for growth. Build it before aggressively investing elsewhere -- it's what keeps a job loss or medical bill from forcing you to sell investments at a bad time.

Estimates only, not financial advice. See our Disclaimer.