Free · 2025 · UK
Monthly Budget Calculator 2025
Enter your monthly income and outgoings to see where your money goes, calculate your surplus or deficit, and check how your spending compares to recommended financial benchmarks.
Monthly Budget Planner
2025
Monthly Income
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Housing
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Living Costs
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Discretionary & Debt
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Savings
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Monthly Income
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Monthly Outgoings
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Surplus / Deficit
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Spending by Category
Full Budget Breakdown
The 50/30/20 rule
The 50/30/20 budgeting framework divides your after-tax income into: 50% on needs (housing, utilities, food, transport, minimum debt payments), 30% on wants (eating out, entertainment, subscriptions, holidays), and 20% on savings and debt repayment beyond minimums. It’s a starting point, not a rigid rule — in high cost-of-living areas, housing alone may consume 40–50% of take-home, forcing adjustments elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reduce my monthly outgoings quickly?
The highest-impact areas are usually housing (negotiate rent or remortgage), energy (switch tariff or reduce usage), subscriptions (audit and cancel unused ones — the average UK household wastes £300/year on unused subscriptions), and food (meal planning, switching supermarkets). Debt consolidation can reduce monthly minimums but watch total interest paid. Small recurring expenses like daily coffees are often cited but rarely make a meaningful difference compared to the big three: housing, debt, and food.
Should I prioritise savings or debt repayment?
Pay off high-interest debt (credit cards, store cards, payday loans) before saving — the interest rate on debt almost always exceeds what you can earn in savings. Keep a small emergency buffer (£1,000) even while paying off debt, to avoid going back into debt for unexpected expenses. Once high-interest debt is clear, build a 3–6 month emergency fund, then maximise pension contributions (especially employer matching — that’s a 50–100% instant return), then ISAs and investments.
