Monthly Budget Calculator
Add up your monthly income and expenses to see what is left over — your surplus or deficit and how much of your pay you keep.
How it works
Surplus = income − Σ expenses · Savings rate = surplus ÷ income × 100
A monthly budget is simply income minus everything that goes out. Adding your spending categories and subtracting them from take-home pay shows whether you finish the month with a surplus to save or a deficit you are covering with debt or savings. The share of income each category consumes is often more revealing than the dollar figure — it shows where the money is really going and which line to attack first if the bottom line is negative.
Worked example
On $4,200 of take-home pay with $1,400 housing, $300 utilities, $600 food, $400 transport, $250 debt and $500 other, expenses total $3,450. That leaves $750 a month — about 18% of income, or $9,000 a year, to save.
Frequently asked questions
Should I budget with gross or take-home pay?
Take-home pay. Budgeting against gross income counts money that is already committed to taxes and payroll deductions, which makes the plan unrealistic. Start from what actually lands in your account.
What is a healthy amount to have left over?
A common target is to save at least 15–20% of take-home pay. If your surplus is thin or negative, the fastest levers are usually the three biggest categories — housing, transport and food.
Where do irregular expenses fit?
Annual or occasional costs like insurance, car repairs and holidays are easy to forget. Divide each yearly cost by 12 and add it as a line — or fund a sinking fund each month — so they do not blow up an otherwise balanced budget.
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Educational estimate, not financial advice.