Savings Goal Calculator: Regular Contributions
Find the regular contribution needed for a specific savings target.
Everyday money
Monthly Budget and 50/30/20 Calculator
Compare take-home income with spending and saving, or allocate it using percentage targets. The daily mode divides available money after reserved bills; bank transactions and tax deductions are not imported.
Your numbers
How the calculation works
A budget can answer three different questions: what remains after planned spending, how income could be allocated, and what is available each day until the next payment. Choose the view that matches the decision rather than treating percentage targets as a record of actual spending.
Amount remaining = take-home income − essential spending − flexible spending − debt payments − planned saving. For target budgets, allocate income × target percentage. Savings and extra debt repayment receive the remainder after needs and wants, with cents reconciled to income. Actual spending percentage = (essentials + flexible spending + debt payments) / take-home income × 100; saving is reported separately. Daily spendable pool = available balance − reserved bills and savings; divide by the stated remaining days, rounding the daily allowance down to cents.
Choose the time boundary
For a monthly budget, bring irregular costs onto a comparable monthly basis yourself. For daily spending, count the actual days the available money must cover.
Separate spending from transfers
Cash-flow mode subtracts essentials, flexible spending, debt payments and planned saving. Saving uses available cash but is tracked separately from consumption.
Apply the selected allocation
Target mode assigns needs and wants percentages, leaving the remainder for saving and extra debt repayment. Daily mode divides the unreserved pool and rounds the daily allowance down to cents.
Worked example: Surplus
Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.
The first example starts with €3,000 and allocates €1,500 to essentials, €500 to flexible spending, €200 to debt and €300 to saving. The allocations total €2,500, leaving €500. Saving has already been reserved in that remainder.
- Budget view
- My spending and remaining money
- Monthly take-home income (€)
- 3000
- Essential monthly spending (€)
- 1500
- Flexible monthly spending (€)
- 500
- Monthly debt payments (€)
- 200
- Planned monthly saving (€)
- 300
Expected result
- Monthly amount remaining
- €500.00
Worked example: Deficit
Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.
- Budget view
- My spending and remaining money
- Monthly take-home income (€)
- 1000
- Essential monthly spending (€)
- 900
- Flexible monthly spending (€)
- 200
- Monthly debt payments (€)
- 0
- Planned monthly saving (€)
- 0
Expected result
- Monthly amount remaining
- -€100.00
Worked example: Daily spending after reservations
Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.
- Budget view
- Available spending money per day
- Money available until the next income (€)
- 100.01
- Bills and savings still to reserve (€)
- 30
- Days this money must cover
- 3
Expected result
- Daily available spending budget
- €23.33
Understanding your result
A positive cash-flow remainder is unallocated money under the entered plan; a negative remainder identifies a funding gap. Neither result confirms that all upcoming bills have been entered.
The 50/30/20 split is an editable planning convention. Its savings category includes extra debt repayment, while minimum contractual payments belong in needs. Target amounts reconcile to the income in cents.
Questions you might have
What does this budget calculator include?
Review monthly spending and savings percentages, set 50/30/20 targets, or calculate the daily money available after upcoming bills and savings.
Which assumptions should I check?
Use net income already received after payroll deductions. Savings are transfers in this cash-flow budget; they are not consumption expenses.
Do I have to follow 50/30/20?
No. It is a starting convention. Change the needs and wants percentages to match your own costs; the remaining percentage is allocated to saving and extra debt repayment.
Choosing the right inputs
- Budget view
- Use cash flow for your own monthly figures, targets for an editable allocation, or daily spending for money already available until the next income date.
- Monthly take-home income
- Enter take-home income after payroll deductions. In cash-flow mode, use spending and saving figures for the same month; do not mix annual bills with monthly income.
- Bills and savings still to reserve
- In daily mode, reserve bills and planned saving before dividing the pool by days. This prevents committed money from appearing available for everyday spending.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not subtract payroll deductions again from take-home income.
- Do not add target allocations to actual cash-flow expenses; these are different views of the same budget.
Assumptions to check
- Use net income already received after payroll deductions. Savings are transfers in this cash-flow budget; they are not consumption expenses.
Sources and method
Read our calculation and testing approach.