Budget Planner

Free budget planner: drag the bars to split your paycheck by percentage, break each category into subcategories (rent, groceries, index funds…) and start from the 50/30/20 rule, the 4-3-2-1 rule or the 6 jars system. Set savings goals and see when you'll reach them, see when your debts will be paid off, project your net worth 10 years out and export it as an image. No sign-up, nothing uploaded.

  • Drag to adjust
  • Categories + subcategories
  • 50/30/20 & more templates
  • Share percentages only

🔒 Everything is calculated in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

When to use it

  • Budgeting your first paycheck: not sure how much should go to rent, food and savings? Start from the “50/30/20 rule” template to get an amount for every line right away, then drag to fit your real life.
  • Savings goals: want an emergency fund, a vacation or a house down payment within a few years? Set the target on “③ Goals” and link it to a subcategory under Savings, then make that subcategory bigger on “② Allocate” and watch the finish date move closer.
  • Sinking funds and annual bonuses: yearly bills like car insurance, or a once-a-year bonus, can be set to “Yearly”. They're divided by 12 automatically, so nothing slips through your monthly budget.
  • Paying off student loans or a car loan: enter the balance and interest rate on “④ Net worth” and link the monthly payment to a subcategory in your budget. You'll see right away how long until it's paid off and how much interest you'll pay in total, and “⑤ Projection” shows the balance shrinking year by year.

How to use

  1. First time: enter your monthly income, pick a template (50/30/20, 4-3-2-1, 6 jars or “Start from scratch”) and tap “Start planning”.
  2. On the “② Allocate” tab, drag the round handles on the category bar to change each category's share. Expand a category and use its subcategory bar to break it down (e.g. Needs → Rent, Groceries). While dragging, pull your finger down away from the bar to slow the numbers and fine-tune down to 1.
  3. You can also type an amount or % right in the list, and the two update each other. Set annual premiums or bonuses to “Yearly” and they're converted to monthly automatically.
  4. Tap “Copy result” to paste it into your notes or a chat, or tap “Share…” and choose “Percentages only” or “Full plan”.
  5. On “③ Goals”, “④ Net worth” and “⑤ Projection”, add savings goals, debts and rates of return to see when you'll reach each goal, when your debts will be paid off and your net worth years from now. Tap “Export image” to download a donut chart with the full breakdown.

Worked example

Monthly take-home pay of 4,000 with the “50/30/20 rule” template: Needs 2,000 (Rent or mortgage 1,000, Groceries 500, Transportation 200, Bills & insurance 300), Wants 1,200 (Dining out & fun 480, Shopping 360, Travel 360), Savings & debt 800 (Emergency fund 320, Investing 320, Extra debt payments 160).

Switch to “Percent” mode and add an annual bonus of 6,000 (Yearly): monthly income becomes 4,500 and every line scales by the same ratio to Needs 2,250, Wants 1,350 and Savings & debt 900. Rent or mortgage becomes 1,125; Groceries (562.5) rounds up to 563 and Bills & insurance (337.5) rounds down to 337, so Needs still adds up to exactly 2,250.

Back in the 4,000 plan, switch to “Amount” mode and type 1,300 for Rent or mortgage: only that line changes and everything else stays put. Needs' subcategories now total 300 more than Needs itself, flagged in red, so you can raise Needs or drag 300 back from another subcategory.

Reading the results

  • The summary strip always shows monthly income, how much is allocated (as a % of income) and what's left over. If you allocate more than you earn, “Left over” turns into a red “Over budget”.
  • Striped areas on a bar are “Left over” or “Unassigned”: on the category bar it's income you haven't allocated yet; on a subcategory bar it's the part of that category's budget not yet split into subcategories.
  • “Fully split ✓ (100%)” means a category's subcategories add up to exactly its budget; “Subcategories over by …” means they add up to more, so adjust one side or the other.
  • Yearly items count toward the budget at their monthly amount, with “About …/month” shown below them. Every % is the monthly amount as a share of the level above.

How it works

  • Everything is calculated per month in whole units; yearly income or expenses are divided by 12 and rounded. % is for display only and totals are added up from the amounts, so you never get 33.3% × 3 ≠ 100% problems.
  • “Amount” mode: dragging a divider changes only the item to its left and leaves everything else alone, so you can end up with money left over or go over budget. When the total gets within 1% of the budget, it snaps to exactly 100%.
  • “Percent” mode: dragging a divider trades only with the item to its right, so the total never changes; the last divider trades with “Left over”, so dragging it to the end gives you a zero-based budget. When you change a category or your income, subcategories keep their own % and their amounts scale proportionally.
  • Templates and percentage-to-amount conversions use the largest remainder method: each line is rounded down first, then the leftover units go to the lines with the largest fractional parts, so every level adds up to exactly the level above.
  • Goals: amount still needed ÷ monthly savings, rounded up to whole months. Debts: each month, balance × (1 + APR ÷ 12) − payment, with the last payment covering only what's left; total interest is the sum of each month's interest. Projection: each month, the Investing and Savings category budgets are added and compounded monthly at their annual rates; net worth = existing assets + investments + savings − debt balance.

Limitations

  • This is a budget plan, not an expense tracker: it doesn't record what you actually spend or connect to bank accounts. To compare your plan with real spending, pair it with an expense tracking app.
  • Amounts have no currency and don't account for exchange rates, inflation, raises or taxes, so enter your take-home pay. Templates are only common starting points; adjust them for your rent, debt and household. The rates of return in the projection are assumptions: real investments go up and down, and past performance doesn't predict future results.
  • A “Full plan” link contains your income and every amount, and anyone with the link can see them. To share only how you split your budget, choose “Percentages only”; the other person converts it with their own income.

FAQ

What is the 50/30/20 rule?

Split your take-home pay into 50% needs (rent, groceries, bills), 30% wants (dining out, shopping, travel) and 20% savings and extra debt payments. It's a popular starting point; if your rent is high, raise Needs and trim Wants, then fine-tune by dragging.

What are the 4-3-2-1 rule and the 6 jars system?

The 4-3-2-1 rule splits income into 40% living expenses, 30% investing, 20% savings and 10% insurance. The 6 jars system uses 55% for necessities, 10% each for financial freedom, education, long-term savings and play, and 5% for giving. All three templates apply in one tap and you can adjust from there.

What's the difference between “Amount” and “Percent” mode?

“Amount” mode is flexible: dragging an item changes only that item, so you can leave money unallocated or go over budget. “Percent” mode keeps the total at 100%: dragging a divider trades only with the item to its right, and when you change your income or a category, its subcategories keep their %.

What if my subcategories don't add up to the category?

You'll see “Not yet split: …” or a red “Subcategories over by …”. Drag the last divider on the subcategory bar all the way to the right to get exactly 100%; in “Amount” mode, dragging close to 100% also snaps into place.

How do I budget for sinking funds, annual bonuses or yearly premiums?

Set the income or subcategory to “Yearly” and enter the full-year amount. The tool divides it by 12 and uses the monthly amount in your budget, showing “About …/month” below the item.

How would I budget 3,000 a month with the 50/30/20 rule?

Needs 1,500 (Rent or mortgage 750, Groceries 375, Transportation 150, Bills & insurance 225), Wants 900 and Savings & debt 600. If rent alone is 1,100, switch to “Amount” mode, raise Needs and trim Wants; the summary strip shows what's left over in real time.

How does it calculate how long a savings goal will take?

It subtracts what you've already saved from the target and divides by your monthly savings (the linked subcategory's budget), rounding up to whole months. For example, an 18,000 emergency fund with 6,000 saved and 500 a month takes 24 months. Interest isn't counted, so it's a conservative estimate. If it would take more than 10 years, you'll get a reminder to make that subcategory bigger or lower the target.

How do I calculate my student loan or mortgage payoff?

Add a debt on “④ Net worth” with its current balance and APR, then link the monthly payment to a subcategory or enter an amount. The tool adds interest and subtracts your payment month by month to show how long until it's paid off and the total interest. For example, 25,000 at 5.5% paid at 500 a month takes 4 yr 9 mo with about 3,460 in interest. If the payment doesn't cover the interest, you'll see a warning in red.

Can I export my budget as an image?

Yes. Tap “Export image” to download a clean picture with a donut chart, the amount and % of every category and subcategory, your savings goal progress, debt payoff dates and the projection chart. Tick “Show percentages only in the image” to keep only the percentages and leave out income, amounts, goals, debts and the projection, which is handy for posting on social media.

Is my data uploaded? Is sharing safe?

No sign-up needed. Everything runs in your browser and your plan is saved only on this device. When sharing, choose “Percentages only” and the link contains just category names and %, with no income or amounts.

References

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