Free budget template
Set your monthly income, adjust the categories, and watch the totals update as you type. When it looks right, take it with you — download it, or copy it straight into a spreadsheet.
57.0% of income — 7.0pt over
16.0% of income
18.8% of income
$330 is unassigned. Give it a job — most people move it to savings.
Take it with you
Nothing you type here is sent anywhere — the budget is built in your browser and leaves only when you export it.
Set this budget up in Wally
Wally is a free budgeting app for iOS and Android. Create these categories in the app and it tracks your spending against each one — including the 50/30/20 split above.
Already have transactions in a spreadsheet or an old app? Import them with the CSV template — that file is for transaction history, separate from the budget plan above.
Pick your format
The same template, set up for wherever you actually keep your budget.
How to use this budget template
- Start with real income. Use take-home pay — what actually lands in your account — not your salary before tax. A budget built on the gross figure fails in week three.
- Fill in needs first. Rent, food, transport, bills. These are the numbers you have least control over, so they set the shape of everything else.
- Be honest about wants. The most common reason a budget collapses is that this group was set to what someone hoped they would spend rather than what they do.
- Give the remainder a job. Money with no assigned purpose gets spent. Send it to savings, an emergency fund or debt before the month starts.
- Export and revisit. A budget is a first draft of your month. Check it weekly and change it when reality disagrees.
The 50/30/20 rule, briefly
The bars above compare your plan to a 50/30/20 split: half your take-home pay to needs, 30% to wants, 20% to savings and debt. It is a starting shape, not a law — if you live somewhere expensive, needs will run above 50% and the honest response is to adjust the other two groups rather than pretend rent is smaller. Read the full 50/30/20 guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is this budget template really free?
Yes — free, with no signup, no email and no paid tier. You build the budget on this page and export it. Wally, the budgeting app it is built for, is also free on iOS and Android.
What should a monthly budget include?
Start with your take-home pay, then three groups: needs (housing, food, transport, bills), wants (eating out, entertainment, shopping) and savings (emergency fund, goals, debt repayment). The 50/30/20 rule suggests roughly half your income to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings — the bars above show how your plan compares.
How do I make a budget spreadsheet?
The fastest way is to start from a working one rather than a blank grid. Adjust the categories above until they match your month, then export it. You get a spreadsheet with one row per category, the group it belongs to, the planned amount and what percentage of your income it represents.
How much should I have left over each month?
Whatever is left after needs and wants should have a job — usually savings or debt. A budget where everything is allocated is not the same as a budget with nothing left; the goal is that no money is unassigned, not that no money is saved.
Does this budget template connect to my bank?
No. You enter the numbers yourself, which is why nothing you type leaves your browser. Wally works the same way — manual entry or CSV import rather than an automatic bank connection.