Why use a budget planner?
A budget planner is the starting point for almost every financial goal — paying off debt faster, saving for a house deposit, building an emergency fund, or just understanding where your money actually goes each month. Most people who feel like they "never have enough" are surprised to find that tracking income and expenses clearly reveals obvious wins: subscriptions they forgot about, categories where they're consistently overspending, or simply confirmation that their finances are healthier than they thought.
How to use this budget planner
Start with your income section — add your take-home pay (after tax) and any other regular income. Then work through the six expense categories: housing and utilities, transport, food and groceries, health and insurance, lifestyle, and money and debt. Each category has common items pre-filled as a starting point; add your own with the "+ Add item" buttons, or remove items that don't apply. All figures should be monthly amounts.
The 50/30/20 rule
A common budgeting guideline splits after-tax income roughly into three buckets: 50% on needs (housing, transport, food, insurance), 30% on wants (lifestyle, subscriptions, eating out), and 20% on savings and extra debt repayments. It's a starting point, not a rigid rule — your circumstances will differ — but it's a useful benchmark to compare against your own breakdown. Our budget planner shows you your actual allocation so you can see where you stand.
Your data stays private
Everything you enter runs entirely in your browser and is never sent to a server. Your budget figures aren't stored anywhere. Use the Print / Save as PDF button to keep a copy before you close the page.
Assumptions & What's Not Included
This planner compares your monthly income and expenses to show a surplus or shortfall. A few things to note:
- Net (after-tax) figures — it assumes the income you enter is your take-home pay, not gross salary. Enter after-tax amounts for an accurate surplus/shortfall.
- Monthly basis — all figures are treated as monthly. If you're paid weekly or fortnightly, convert to a monthly amount first (e.g. weekly × 52 ÷ 12).
- No compounding or growth — this is a straight income-minus-expenses snapshot. It doesn't project savings growth, interest, or inflation over time.
- Nothing is saved — your figures stay in your browser and clear when you leave; use Print / Save as PDF to keep a copy.
- Not included — irregular annual costs (insurance renewals, rego, holidays) aren't automatically spread across months — add a monthly portion yourself for a realistic picture.
A budget is a guide, not a guarantee. Review it regularly as your income and expenses change.
Worked example
Your monthly net income is $5,000 and your expenses across all categories add up to $4,200.
| Monthly net income | $5,000 |
| Monthly expenses | $4,200 |
| Left over (surplus) | $800 |
What it tells you: You’re running an $800 monthly surplus — money available for savings, investing or extra debt repayment. If expenses exceeded income, you’d see a shortfall instead, and the breakdown shows exactly which categories to look at first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I work out my monthly budget?
List your monthly after-tax income, then subtract your monthly expenses across housing, transport, food, health, lifestyle and debt repayments. What remains is your surplus. If expenses exceed income, the difference is your shortfall. This budget planner does the calculation automatically and shows a breakdown by category.
What is a good monthly budget?
A common guide is the 50/30/20 rule: roughly 50% of after-tax income on needs like rent, transport and food; 30% on wants like entertainment and subscriptions; and 20% on savings and extra debt repayments. This is a starting point rather than a rule, and the right balance depends on your income, location and goals.
What should I include in my monthly budget?
Include all regular monthly income (after tax) and all regular expenses. Common categories are housing costs like rent or mortgage and utilities, transport including fuel and insurance, groceries and eating out, health insurance and medical costs, lifestyle expenses like subscriptions and entertainment, and financial commitments like loan repayments and savings transfers.
Is my budget data saved?
No. All calculations run privately in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to a server or stored anywhere. Your budget clears when you close the page. Use the Print / Save as PDF button to keep a copy.
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