Monthly budget planner
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Plan your monthly income and spending, check the surplus or shortfall and choose a useful next step. You can explicitly save and resume a budget on this device, clear the saved copy, or keep a printed or downloaded version.
Build a budget you can come back to
Use monthly figures after tax. Divide annual bills by 12 and weekly costs × 52 ÷ 12. Include irregular costs such as repairs, school holidays and renewals in the relevant category. Enter 0 where a cost does not apply.
Optional saving on this device
Save keeps one budget in this browser on this device; it replaces any earlier saved budget. There is no account or automatic saving. Budget figures are not sent to our server. Other people using this browser may be able to see them, and clearing browser data removes the saved copy.
Example figures — replace them with your own
Monthly outgoings
Savings transfers count as outgoings here, so they are not counted again as money left to spend.
£185.00 left each month
- Monthly income
- £2,800.00
- Outgoings including savings
- £2,615.00
- Unallocated money
- £185.00
Decide your next step
- Check that annual bills, repairs and other irregular costs are included. A balanced budget can still be tight if a bill is missing.
- If you have arrears or unaffordable debts, get free advice before treating the surplus as available to spend.
- Consider setting aside some of the remaining money for unexpected costs and upcoming bills. Plan an emergency fund.
Exports include the entered amounts, date and assumptions. Printing opens a separate report window. Downloaded or printed copies are separate from your browser's saved budget.
How it works
- We add together your take-home pay and any other regular monthly income.
- We sum the 12 spending categories and subtract that total from your income. The result is your monthly surplus (positive) or shortfall (negative).
- Review the next steps for your result. Savings transfers are included in outgoings, so they are not counted again as money available to spend. Choose Save only if you want a local copy, or download or print your figures.
Common questions
- What if my income changes each month?
- Use a conservative average of the last three to six months. Budgeting against optimistic months leads to repeated shortfalls and reliance on credit.
- Where should I cut first if I am in deficit?
- Check priority bills first, then review flexible spending and possible support. Do not stop an essential payment or debt payment without understanding the consequences. Use our bill prioritiser and free debt-help routes if you cannot cover essentials.
- Should I budget weekly or monthly?
- Monthly is most common because most bills are monthly. People paid weekly often find a weekly budget for variable spending (food, fuel, eating out) easier to stick to.