A budget template based on the popular 50/30/20 rule — 50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and debt. Automatically calculates your target amounts and shows how your actual spending compares.
This spreadsheet includes 4 sections covering everything you need.
Enter your take-home pay and see automatic 50/30/20 allocation targets.
| Net Monthly Income | Needs (50%) | Wants (30%) | Savings (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
Essential expenses you cannot avoid — housing, utilities, groceries, insurance, minimum debt payments.
| Expense | Amount | Running Total | Remaining Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
Non-essential spending that improves quality of life — dining out, streaming, hobbies, travel.
| Expense | Amount | Running Total | Remaining Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
Extra debt payments beyond minimums, emergency fund, retirement, and investment contributions.
| Destination | Amount | Running Total | Remaining Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
Follow these steps to get the most out of this template.
Enter your monthly take-home pay at the top — the template automatically calculates your 50/30/20 targets.
List all your needs (essentials) and add up the total. If it exceeds 50%, look for areas to reduce.
List your wants and track against the 30% target throughout the month.
Allocate your 20% savings portion — prioritize high-interest debt, then emergency fund, then investments.
If your needs exceed 50%, temporarily borrow from the wants category rather than savings.
Beginners who want a simple budgeting framework without tracking every dollar.
People who find detailed budgets overwhelming and want broad category guidance.
Young professionals building their first post-college budget.
Anyone who wants a quick gut-check on whether their spending is balanced.
This template is great for manual tracking, but Clarity automates everything for you. Connect your bank accounts, brokerages, exchanges, and wallets and see real-time data without entering a single number.
In high cost-of-living areas, needs often exceed 50%. Adjust to 60/20/20 or 55/25/20 as needed. The key principle is protecting your savings percentage — try not to go below 15%.
The 50/30/20 rule is designed around net (after-tax) income. If you contribute to a 401k pre-tax, you can count that toward your 20% savings allocation.
Minimum required payments go under needs (50%). Extra payments above the minimum go under savings and debt payoff (20%). This ensures you always cover required obligations first.
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Clarity connects to your financial accounts and automates what this template does manually. Real-time data, zero data entry, and AI-powered insights.