Where does your money go?

How the tool calculates

Everything is turned into a monthly average over the year. Four totals are enough.

• R, average monthly income = income in an ordinary month + (13th salary + bonuses) ÷ 12
• V, living costs = housing, health, subscriptions, transport, everyday life, taxes and provisions, debts excluded
• D, debts = contractual monthly payments, each counted once
• A, savings and projects = safety net, holidays and projects, investing, extra repayment
• Balance before saving = R − V − D
• Balance after saving = R − V − D − A

The two balances separate two situations: a deficit before saving comes from spending and obligations; a deficit that only appears after saving just means your voluntary transfers exceed your margin.

What is never counted twice

• Tax already withheld from your salary: your net pay has already removed it.
• Service charges or energy included in the rent: a button marks them as included.
• A lease or mortgage entered on its line and under debts: with "already included", the payment moves to D without being counted twice. Two identical amounts in both sections are flagged.
• A yearly bill: either as a yearly expense, or as a transfer to a pot.
• Savings: your transfers go into A, never into spending.
• A purchase paid from a pot you already filled: it is not new saving capacity, so it is not entered.

13th salary and bonuses

A 13th salary arrives once or twice a year. The tool spreads it over twelve months for the average, but also checks your ordinary months: if they are in deficit, it tells you, because until it is paid, it is not money you have.

Changes and money freed up

New balance after saving = current balance after saving + chosen savings. If you start from a deficit, savings fill it first: with a CHF 80 deficit and CHF 105 of savings a month, you get CHF 25 of new margin, not CHF 105. Two ideas on the same line, such as cancelling or switching to a cheaper plan, never add up. An idea that starts later brings in less over the next twelve months: the tool shows both figures, and one-off costs separately.

The 70 / 20 / 10 benchmark

For CHF 4,000 of income a month: CHF 2,800 to live on, CHF 800 for debts, CHF 400 for you. The 20% for debts is not saving, and your actual payments always come before the percentage. With no debts, the tool adds that 20% to your share: safety net, projects or investing, split as you wish. If 10% isn't possible today, it suggests a realistic step: it's a goal, not a grade.

The colours

• Green fits your budget and your goal.
• Orange a saving idea or a comparison could help.
• Red a limit you chose is exceeded, or the budget is in deficit.
• Neutral not enough data to judge.

What the tool does not tell you

It works with yearly averages: it is not an exact forecast of your bank balance, month after month. It knows no market prices: the ideas' starting targets are assumptions to replace with the offers you find. It recommends no investment and no return.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a monthly budget?

Start with your net income in an ordinary month, then list your spending by major line: housing, health, subscriptions, transport, everyday life, taxes and debts. Turn quarterly and yearly bills into monthly figures, and set aside what you save. The balance tells you whether your budget holds before and after saving. A monthly budget calculator like this one does the divisions for you and flags the major lines you forgot.

What is the difference between fixed costs and variable spending?

Fixed costs come back every month at the same amount: rent, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments. Variable spending changes from one month to the next: groceries, restaurants, outings, shopping. To reduce your fixed costs, you usually compare an offer or cancel a contract, once, and the effect then lasts every month. Variable spending is better steered with a spending limit.

How do you plan for yearly bills?

Divide each bill by twelve and set that amount aside every month: CHF 1,200 a year is CHF 100 a month. In the tool, choose "/yr" on the line and it does the conversion. These provisions stop a tax or insurance bill from landing on an already tight month. Enter each bill once: either as a yearly expense, or as a transfer to a pot.

Do you have to save 10%?

No. The 10% comes from a benchmark inspired by "The Richest Man in Babylon", not from a rule. If your budget doesn't allow it today, start with what is possible, even 1 or 2%, and raise it with each saving or pay rise. A small amount set aside every month counts for more than a percentage reached once.

What if essential spending exceeds your income?

Cutting outings won't be enough, and the tool says so when the deficit is larger than your leisure spending. Useful options then lie with the big costs and with income: check whether you are entitled to a subsidy or benefit, compare your insurance, ask a creditor for a payment plan. Don't stop paying a debt or a compulsory insurance: a budget or debt advice service in your area, often free, can help you build a plan.

How are the alerts calculated?

With simple rules, written in the page's code and run in your browser, with no artificial intelligence. A line turns red only if it exceeds a limit you chose. It turns orange if there is an idea and your budget needs money, to hold or for your goal. No line is judged against a national average or an arbitrary ratio: 50 for a phone or 200 for restaurants is not excessive if your budget holds and your goal is funded.

Is my data stored?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser: no amount, income or debt detail is sent, not to the site, not to an audience measurement tool, not to any third party. No account, no bank connection, no e-mail address. Nothing is kept unless you turn on "Remember on this device": your entries then stay in this browser until you click "Erase my data".

An information tool. This calculator is not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Its results are averages and estimates that depend on what you enter. Read the disclaimer.

Going further