50/30/20 budget calculator UK
I take home a month.
£1,300 for needs,
£780 for wants,
£520 for savings & debts.
£0 on needs,£1,300 left.
£0 on wants,£780 left.
£0 to savings & debts,£520 to go.
£2,600 has no job yet.
Add what you actually spend each month below to see if this budget is realistic.
Keep this budget in Trente.
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What is the 50/30/20 rule?
A simple way to split your take-home pay: about 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings and paying off debt. Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi popularised it in their 2005 book All Your Worth. Think of it as a starting point, not a test.
“It’s so simple it actually works.”
App Store review of TrenteVingt, the app Trente grew out of.
What goes where?
Needs
Wants
Savings & Debts
How to calculate your 50/30/20 budget
Multiply your monthly take-home pay by 0.5 for needs, 0.3 for wants and 0.2 for savings and debts. On £2,200 a month, that’s £1,100, £660 and £440.
| Take-home pay | Needs | Wants | Savings & Debts |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,800 | £900 | £540 | £360 |
| £2,200 | £1,100 | £660 | £440 |
| £2,600 | £1,300 | £780 | £520 |
| £3,500 | £1,750 | £1,050 | £700 |
When another split fits better
Your needs depend on your life, so the split moves with them. Wants give way first, savings last. These are only examples: you set your own split, here and in Trente.
Big goal 50/20/30
You’re paying off debt or saving up for something. Wants give way so more goes to savings and debts.
High rent 60/20/20
Housing takes more than you’d like. Wants give way and savings stay at 20%.
Tight budget 70/20/10
Essentials take most of your pay. Savings drop to 10% for now, and you raise them when you can.
Low rent 40/30/30
You live cheaply, so what you don’t spend on needs goes to savings.
Making it work in the UK
Repaying a student loan?
If you’re employed, repayments come out of your pay automatically, like tax. Your take-home pay is already lower, so don’t add them as a bill. Only extra repayments you choose to make go in Savings & Debts.
How much rent fits?
Rent is one of your needs, so it has to share the 50% with council tax, groceries and energy. Where you live matters: in September 2026, average private rent was £2,338 a month in London and £790 in the North East (ONS). If yours takes more than you’d like, move the split until it fits.
What if it doesn’t fit?
Then change it. 50/30/20 is only where you start, not a rule to follow. If rent takes more than half your pay, or you’re paying off a loan, move the split until it fits your life, and change it again next month if you need to.
Does the 50/30/20 rule work in the UK?
It’s a good starting point, but not for everyone. In London and other expensive areas, rent alone can take half of your pay or more. Add your real bills above to see how close you are, then adjust the split.
What counts as take-home pay?
Your net pay, not your gross salary: the money that reaches your account each month, after Income Tax, National Insurance and anything else taken off on your payslip, like your pension or student loan. Paid every four weeks? Multiply your pay by 13 and divide by 12.
Does my workplace pension count as savings?
It can. Your contributions usually leave before your pay reaches you, and that includes salary sacrifice. The simple way is to split only what reaches your account and treat your pension as a bonus. If you’d rather count it, add it to both your take-home pay and your Savings & Debts.
Where does council tax go?
It’s a need. It’s usually split into 10 monthly payments, so it can drop out of your budget for two months, then come back. To keep things even, divide the year’s bill by 12, or ask your council about paying over 12 months.
What if my income changes every month?
Use your best estimate. Log extra income as it comes in, and adjust next month’s budget.
Do debt repayments count as needs or savings?
They go in Savings & Debts, so credit cards, loans and overdrafts stay in one place. Some versions of the rule count minimum repayments as needs instead. If yours don’t fit in the 20%, move the split until they do. A mortgage is different: it’s your housing, so it’s a need.
Should I save or pay off debt first?
Usually both, in order: if you’re behind on rent or council tax, deal with that first. Then keep a small emergency fund, and put extra money towards your most expensive debt. Once that’s gone, build up three to six months of essentials.
Is my income saved anywhere?
It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.
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