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Budget Planner
A budget is not a restriction, it is a measurement. Put your real numbers in below and see what your household actually generates each month once the fixed costs are paid.
Built for Australian take-home pay
At a glance
Interactive calculator
Live — results update as you type
Your take-home income
What actually lands in your bank account, after tax.
Where it goes
Use monthly averages. An estimate beats a blank page.
Money left over
$0per month
—
- Put aside each year$0
- In 10 years at 5% p.a.$0
Three numbers decide most of it
Take-home, not gross
Budget from what lands in your account. Tax, Medicare and HELP are already gone by then, and budgeting on gross pay is the most common reason a plan fails in week three.
Fixed before flexible
Housing, utilities and debt repayments are structurally hard to move. Get those right first and the lifestyle line takes care of itself.
The surplus is the asset
What is left over is what buys your future. A 15–20% savings rate does more for a 45-year-old than any product choice.
A household on $7,500 a month
Take-home pay $7,500. Housing $2,400, groceries and living $1,300, transport $450, utilities and insurance $520, lifestyle $700. That is $5,370 committed, leaving $2,130 a month — a 28.4% savings rate.
Held for a year that is $25,560. At 5% a year it becomes roughly $332,000 over ten years. Note which line is largest after housing: lifestyle, at $700, is the one most households can move and the one they defend hardest.
Budget questions Australians actually ask
Should I budget on gross or net income?
Always net. Your gross salary is a number your employer and the ATO care about; your budget runs on what reaches your bank account. If you are salary sacrificing, use the post-sacrifice figure, because that money is already committed.
How much should I be saving each month?
Ten per cent is a working floor, twenty per cent is where real progress starts, and anything above thirty per cent means you are materially changing your retirement date. The right number depends on your age and what you are saving towards, but below 5% you are not covering inflation and unexpected costs.
What is a realistic grocery budget for an Australian family?
Most two-adult households in Sydney or Melbourne spend $250–$350 a week on groceries, with each child adding $40–$80. Regional areas run 10–15% lower. If your figure is far outside that band, check whether takeaway is hiding in a different line.
How do I budget with irregular income?
Budget against your lowest reliable month, not your average. Put everything above that floor into a buffer account, then pay yourself a fixed amount from the buffer each month. Contractors and commission earners usually need three months of expenses held before the system feels stable.
Does this calculator store my numbers?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, logged or saved — refresh the page and it resets.
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Turn these numbers into a decision
A calculator gives you a range. An adviser gives you a decision — pressure-tested against your super, your tax position and the life you actually want to fund.
General advice only · No obligation · No product push
This budget planner is an estimating tool, not financial advice. It does not calculate tax, Medicare or HELP; enter your net figures directly. Dominium Capital provides general advice only and does not consider your personal circumstances.
Reviewed November 2026 · FY2026–27 rates and thresholds