Savings & Budgeting Calculators
Free savings goal, inflation, and budget calculators. Plan your financial goals, understand purchasing power erosion, and build a monthly budget.
Savings & Budgeting Calculators - Build Financial Discipline with Numbers
Saving money and spending it wisely are the two pillars of personal financial health. Without concrete numbers, “save more” remains an aspiration. These calculators turn vague intentions into specific targets: exactly how much must you save monthly to reach a goal, how much will inflation erode your savings, and where is your money actually going each month?
Three Calculators for Savings and Budgeting
Savings Goal Calculator - Enter your target amount, timeline, and expected return rate. Returns the exact monthly savings required using the future-value-of-annuity formula. Works in reverse too: enter your monthly savings capacity and see when you will reach the target. Ideal for planning an emergency fund, down payment, child’s education, or holiday.
Inflation Calculator - At 6% average inflation, ₹1 lakh today requires ₹1.79 lakh in 10 years to maintain the same purchasing power. Enter any amount and time horizon to find the future equivalent. Critical for retirement planning - the PPF and SIP calculators show corpus growth, but the Inflation Calculator shows what that corpus will actually be worth.
Budget Calculator - A structured monthly budget based on the 50/30/20 rule: 50% for needs, 30% for wants, 20% for savings. Enter your income and spending categories to see allocation percentages and identify where to rebalance toward your savings target.
The Three-Step Planning System
Step 1 - Use the Budget Calculator to find your actual monthly savings capacity after all expenses. Step 2 - Use the Savings Goal Calculator to set specific targets and required monthly contributions. Step 3 - Use the Inflation Calculator to stress-test: if your retirement goal is ₹2 crore in today’s money, you need substantially more in nominal terms by retirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What return rate should I use in the savings goal calculator?
Use the expected post-tax return of your chosen instrument. FD: ~5.5–6.5% (after 30% tax); PPF: 7.1% (tax-free, see the PPF Calculator); equity mutual funds: 10–12% long-term estimate. For goals under 3 years, use 5–6%.
What inflation rate should I use for India?
India's CPI inflation has averaged ~5–6% over the past decade. The Inflation Calculator defaults to 6% for general expenses. For education, use 8–10%; for healthcare, use 10–12%.
How does the 50/30/20 budget rule work?
Allocate 50% of post-tax income to needs (housing, food, EMIs), 30% to wants (dining, entertainment, travel), and 20% to savings. The Budget Calculator shows your current split and how far off you are from the target ratios.
How much emergency fund should I maintain?
Financial guidelines recommend 3–6 months of essential expenses in a liquid instrument. Use the Savings Goal Calculator with a 6-month expense target and a 6–12 month timeline to find the required monthly contribution.