Budget
Monthly Budget Calculator
Build a monthly budget with your own categories — not someone else’s. Name each category, set a budgeted amount, then come back during the month and enter what you actually spent to see where you are over or under.
Results
Monthly income: $4,500.00, Total budgeted: $2,800.00, Planned surplus: $1,700.00
- Monthly income
- $4,500.00
- Total budgeted
- $2,800.00
- Planned surplus
- $1,700.00
- Income minus budgeted amounts
Budget by category
| Category | Budgeted | Actual | Remaining | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent / Mortgage | $1,400.00 | — | — | — |
| Groceries | $550.00 | — | — | — |
| Transportation | $300.00 | — | — | — |
| Utilities | $200.00 | — | — | — |
| Dining out | $200.00 | — | — | — |
| Entertainment | $150.00 | — | — | — |
- Enter actual amounts during the month to track progress against each budget.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your monthly take-home income.
- Rename, add, or remove the starter categories to match your life — pet care, tuition, coffee, anything.
- Set a budgeted amount for each category. These are your targets for the month.
- As the month goes on, fill in the Actual column with what you have really spent — leave it blank until then.
- Watch the table and chart: green actual bars under the dark budgeted bars mean you are on track; anything over shows instantly.
How the calculation works
remaining per category = budgeted − actual planned surplus = income − Σ budgeted actual surplus = income − Σ actual
Budgeting is target-setting plus honest comparison. The planned surplus checks that your targets fit your income before the month starts; the actual comparison tells you how the month is really going.
Worked example
Input
Income $4,500. Categories: Rent $1,400, Groceries $550, Transport $300, Fun $250 (all budgeted); by month-end actuals were $1,400, $610, $280, $190.
Result
Total budgeted $2,500 → planned surplus $2,000. Actual spending $2,480 → $20 under budget overall: groceries went $60 over, but transport ($20) and fun ($60) came in under.
Assumptions and important notes
- Budgeted and actual amounts are monthly figures for the same month.
- Empty actual amounts are treated as "not tracked yet", not as zero spending.
- The planned surplus does not include savings categories unless you add them as budgeted rows — some people budget savings deliberately to make it explicit.
Frequently asked questions
How many categories should my budget have?
Enough to be honest, few enough to maintain. Most people do well with 6–12 categories. If you find yourself splitting "Food" into four rows every month, keep the split; if a category never varies, consider merging it into "Other".
What if I go over budget in one category but under in another?
That is normal budgeting. The per-category table shows each over/under status, and the total tells you the net result. Many people deliberately "roll" money between categories — underspending on groceries to fund dining out — as long as the month ends in surplus.
Should savings be a category?
It is a style choice, and both work. Adding "Savings" as a budgeted row treats saving as an expense you commit to first ("pay yourself first"). Leaving it out makes your surplus visible as the saving amount instead.
How is this different from the basic Budget Calculator?
The Budget Calculator summarizes nine fixed categories for a quick snapshot. This one lets you create your own categories and — more importantly — compare budget against actual spending during the month, which is where real budget discipline happens.
Related tools
Budget Calculator
See your monthly cash flow at a glance: total income, total expenses, remaining balance, savings rate, and a category-by-category breakdown.
Open toolWeekly Budget Calculator
Plan your weekly cash flow: weekly spending, weekly remaining budget, and the true monthly equivalent (× 52 ÷ 12) so weekly and monthly views stay consistent.
Open tool50/30/20 Budget Calculator
Split your after-tax income with the 50/30/20 rule: dollar amounts for needs, wants, and savings — with adjustable percentages if the classic split doesn’t fit.
Open tool