About the Needs vs Wants Calculator
Compare your actual spending on needs, wants and savings with the 50/30/20 guideline.
Also known as: needs and wants, spending breakdown, budget check.
How to use this calculator
- Enter monthly income, spent on needs, spent on wants, saved / debt paid.
- The result updates instantly as you type — press Calculate (or Enter) at any time.
- Review the breakdown shown under the main result.
- Use Copy result or Share to save the answer or send a link with your inputs.
Formula
Share = category ÷ income × 100
Worked example
Using the values pre-filled in the calculator above:
- Monthly income = 5,000
- Spent on needs = 2,800
- Spent on wants = 1,500
- Saved / debt paid = 700
the calculator returns:
- Needs: 56%
- Wants: 30%
- Savings: 14%
- Unallocated: 0