Budget Calculator

A budget is simply a plan for your money — a way of deciding in advance where each pound goes rather than wondering where it went. Most people who feel financially stressed are not earning too little; they lack visibility over how their money is being spent. Building a budget, even a rough one, is the first step to taking control and starting to make progress toward your financial goals.

This budget calculator helps you map your income against your regular expenses to see whether you have a surplus each month and where that surplus is going. Use it to identify areas where spending could be reduced, to plan for large upcoming expenses, or simply to understand your current financial position clearly. Budgeting is not about restricting yourself — it is about making conscious choices so your money reflects your priorities.

A useful framework is the 50/30/20 rule: aim to spend 50% of your after-tax income on needs (rent, food, utilities, transport), 30% on wants (dining out, subscriptions, hobbies), and 20% on saving and debt repayment. This is a guide rather than a strict rule — your circumstances may mean different splits make more sense — but it provides a quick sanity check on whether your budget is broadly balanced.