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Budget Planner — South Africa

Calculate a monthly budget. This helps you get a good financial view on what your expenses and income reflect on a month to month basis

Last updated: May 2026

50/30/20 Rule: Aim to spend 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and save 20%. Leave optional fields blank if they don't apply to you.

Monthly Income

Take-home salary (after PAYE & UIF) *

Use the PAYE calculator if you need your take-home figure.

Freelance / side income

Rental income

Needs — target 50%

Essential expenses you cannot easily cut

Housing (rent/bond, rates, levies)

Groceries & household supplies

Transport (fuel, toll, public)

Utilities (electricity, water, internet)

Medical aid & healthcare

Life & short-term insurance

Minimum debt repayments

School fees / childcare

Domestic worker / cleaning

Garden / property maintenance

Wants — target 30%

Lifestyle spending you could reduce if needed

Entertainment & recreation

Dining out & takeaways

Clothing & personal care

Subscriptions (DStv, Netflix, gym)

Church / tithing / charitable giving

Pet costs

Holiday savings (monthly provision)

Other wants

Savings & Investments — target 20%

Building wealth and financial resilience

Retirement (RA / pension / TFSA)

Emergency fund contributions

Investments (unit trusts, shares)

Extra debt repayments (above minimum)

Education savings (children / self)

Applies the 50/30/20 framework to your income — allocating 50% to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings — and scores your budget health based on how close you are to each target.

Key inputs explained

Monthly take-home salary: Your net salary after PAYE and UIF. Use the PAYE calculator if you're unsure.
Other income: Freelance or rental income is added to your total available income for budgeting purposes.
Needs vs Wants: Debt minimums count as Needs; extra debt repayments count as Savings (building financial resilience).

If your needs consistently exceed 50%, you have a structural problem, not a discipline problem. Consider whether housing costs can be reduced — even moving one suburb out can free up thousands per month.

PAYE Calculator Debt Payoff Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

The 50/30/20 rule is a budgeting framework: allocate 50% of after-tax income to needs (housing, food, utilities, transport), 30% to wants (dining out, entertainment, subscriptions), and 20% to savings and debt repayment. It is a guideline, not a rigid rule — South African households with high debt or lower incomes may need to adjust the allocations.

A healthy emergency fund should cover 3–6 months of essential living expenses (housing, food, transport, utilities, insurance). Keep it in a liquid, easily accessible account such as a money market fund or 32-day notice account. For contract workers or those in volatile industries, aim for 6 months.

Budget off your lowest expected monthly income. In higher-income months, allocate the surplus to your emergency fund, debt repayment, or savings before spending. Separate essential fixed costs (bond/rent, insurance) from discretionary spending so you know your minimum monthly obligations — the floor below which you cannot cut.