Paycheck Splitter — Budget Your Take-Home Pay
Split your monthly take-home pay into four accounts by percentage, with the pieces always adding up to your pay.
The four accounts
- Living expenses — Food, transport, phone and other money you spend every month
- Savings — Building a lump sum — savings accounts and deposits
- Investing — Money put to work — stocks, ETFs, pensions
- Emergency fund — A cushion for unexpected expenses
The default split is 50% living expenses, 25% savings, 15% investing and 10% emergency fund. It is a reasonable starting point when you split your pay into accounts for the first time, not a rule with one right answer. If your fixed costs are high, give living expenses more; if you are saving for a big goal, give savings more.
How it splits
- Multiply your take-home pay by each account's percentage to get the exact amount.
- Round every amount down to the smallest currency unit first.
- The few cents lost to rounding are handed out one at a time, starting with the account whose fractional part was largest. That is why the four amounts always add up to your pay exactly.
Worked examples
| Plan | Pay | Per account | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default recommendation 50/25/15/10 | $3,500.00 | Living expenses $1,750.00 Savings $875.00 Investing $525.00 Emergency fund $350.00 | $3,500.00 |
| Default recommendation 50/25/15/10 | $4,234.57 | Living expenses $2,117.28 Savings $1,058.64 Investing $635.19 Emergency fund $423.46 | $4,234.57 |
| Default recommendation 50/25/15/10 | $5,555.55 | Living expenses $2,777.78 Savings $1,388.89 Investing $833.33 Emergency fund $555.55 | $5,555.55 |
| A plan that saves more 45/35/10/10 | $3,500.00 | Living expenses $1,575.00 Savings $1,225.00 Investing $350.00 Emergency fund $350.00 | $3,500.00 |
| A plan that saves more 45/35/10/10 | $4,234.57 | Living expenses $1,905.55 Savings $1,482.10 Investing $423.46 Emergency fund $423.46 | $4,234.57 |
| A plan that saves more 45/35/10/10 | $5,555.55 | Living expenses $2,500.00 Savings $1,944.44 Investing $555.56 Emergency fund $555.55 | $5,555.55 |
| A plan that builds the emergency fund first 50/15/5/30 | $3,500.00 | Living expenses $1,750.00 Savings $525.00 Investing $175.00 Emergency fund $1,050.00 | $3,500.00 |
| A plan that builds the emergency fund first 50/15/5/30 | $4,234.57 | Living expenses $2,117.28 Savings $635.19 Investing $211.73 Emergency fund $1,270.37 | $4,234.57 |
| A plan that builds the emergency fund first 50/15/5/30 | $5,555.55 | Living expenses $2,777.78 Savings $833.33 Investing $277.78 Emergency fund $1,666.66 | $5,555.55 |
In every row the total on the right equals the pay. The amounts in the table come from the same function as the calculator on this page.
Good to know when you split your pay
- Set up automatic transfers for payday. If savings, investing and the emergency fund are moved automatically the day your pay arrives, you only spend what is left, and the plan lasts.
- Aim for 3 to 6 months of living expenses as an emergency fund. Once you reach the target, lower the emergency share and move it to savings or investing.
- Keep one account for everyday spending. If card bills and utilities all come out of a single living-expenses account, a month's spending is visible at a glance.
- Plan bonuses separately. Money that arrives now and then — a bonus or a holiday payment — is best sent straight to a big-goal fund rather than mixed into these percentages.
When to use it
Use it when you get your first paycheck, when your take-home pay changes after a new job or a raise, or when you want to turn "how much can I put aside every month?" into numbers. Change the percentages and watch how much is left for living expenses to build a savings plan you can actually keep.
Frequently asked questions
Can I enter my pay before tax?
No. Enter the take-home pay that actually reaches your bank account. If you enter the amount before taxes and contributions, the money to divide looks larger than it really is.
What if the percentages do not add up to 100?
It does not calculate; it tells you what the shares add up to now. Adjust the four boxes until they total 100.
Do I have to have an investing account?
No. If you do not invest, set the investing share to 0 and add that amount to savings.
Is the amount I type saved?
No. The calculation happens only in your browser; nothing is sent to a server or stored.
More free tools
Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app — after the first visit it works offline too. What you type never leaves your device.