💰 Budget Planner
50 / 30 / 20 Spending Guide
Free Budget Planner Australia
How to use the Budget Planner
Enter your monthly income and work through the expense categories. The planner uses the same categories Australian lenders use — so if you’re working towards a credit card or home loan application, your numbers are already in the right format when you’re done.
You can toggle between weekly, monthly and annual views at any time. The 50/30/20 breakdown updates automatically — needs, wants and savings — so you can see at a glance where your spending sits. Create multiple scenarios to compare options, and export your data when you need it.
If you’re working towards a premium travel card application, the story behind these tools explains exactly how we built them and why the format matters. Once your application is approved, the Lounge Finder will show you what your new card unlocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Australian lenders — CommBank, ANZ, Westpac, NAB and others — ask for your monthly expenses broken down into specific categories during a credit card or home loan application. We built the planner around those exact categories so that when you fill it in for your own use, the numbers are already in the right format if you need them for an application. No re-categorising, no hunting through statements — just copy and paste.
The 50/30/20 rule is a simple budgeting framework: 50% of after-tax income goes to needs (rent, utilities, groceries, transport), 30% to wants (dining out, entertainment, subscriptions), and 20% to savings or debt repayment. It’s a guideline rather than a rule — housing costs in Australia make the 50% needs target difficult in Sydney and Melbourne — but it gives you a useful baseline to compare your spending against. The planner calculates your split automatically as you fill in your numbers.
No. Everything stays in your browser’s local storage — on your device only. Nothing is uploaded to Points Brotherhood or any third party. If you clear your browser data your budget will clear with it, so use the export feature if you want to keep a copy. The tool works completely offline once loaded.
Yes — that’s exactly what it was designed for. The expense categories match the living expenses declarations that Australian lenders require as part of responsible lending obligations. Fill in your numbers here, then pair it with the Personal Balance Sheet for assets and liabilities, and you’ll have everything most lenders ask for in the initial application stage. Always verify exact requirements with your lender or broker, as specific forms vary.
A spreadsheet requires you to build and maintain the structure yourself. This planner has the Australian lender categories pre-built, calculates your 50/30/20 split automatically, lets you compare multiple scenarios side by side, and exports in a format that’s ready for an application. It also works on mobile without any app download or account. If you prefer a spreadsheet, export your data and paste it across — the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Premium travel cards — the ones that include lounge access, good points earn rates and travel insurance — typically have higher income requirements and more detailed application processes. Having your expenses clearly categorised in lender format, paired with a current personal balance sheet, makes the application process faster and increases the likelihood of approval at your requested limit. Once approved, use the Lounge Finder to see exactly what your new card unlocks at the airports you use.
Yes, completely free. No sign-up, no email, no account required. Open the page and start entering your numbers. It’s built and maintained by Points Brotherhood — we built it because CommBank sent us a PDF form and nobody had a printer.