Zero-Based Budget Calculator

Enter your monthly income, assign it to categories, and get the 'left to assign' number to exactly zero. This is the whole method — live, in your browser.

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Left to assign $0.00 Enter your income, then give every unit a job below.

How to do your first zero-based budget

  1. Start from real income — what actually arrives in your account this month, not your salary on paper.
  2. Fund the four walls first: housing, utilities, food, transport. These get money before anything else does.
  3. Then obligations: insurance, minimum debt payments, anything contractual.
  4. Then the future: savings and extra debt repayment — as line items with amounts, not leftovers. (Not sure how much? The 50/30/20 calculator gives a starting ratio, and the emergency fund calculator sizes the safety net.)
  5. Then life: fun money, gifts, the small buffer for surprises. Yes, fun money is a category — budgets without it fail.
  6. Get "left to assign" to exactly zero. Not close to zero — zero. Unassigned money is pre-spent money; it disappears into whatever week you're having.

Why this beats tracking apps

Expense trackers tell you what happened — an autopsy. Zero-based budgeting decides what will happen — a plan. The psychological shift is subtle but decisive: when the takeaway money is gone, the question isn't "can I afford this?" (the answer always feels like yes) but "which envelope pays for this?" — a question with an honest answer. It's the same reason the cash-envelope system worked for our grandparents; this is that system with better maths.

This page, as an app you own

Zeroed is this exact method with the boring parts automated: envelopes that persist, statement imports, rollover, goals, and a Today view that says what's safe to spend. Bought once, on your device, no account.

Try Zeroed Free for 34 Days $19.99 once at the founder price (until 14 Feb 2027, then $39.99). No card needed for the trial.

Frequently asked questions

What is zero-based budgeting?

A method where you give every unit of your income a job before the month begins — bills, groceries, savings, fun — until income minus assignments equals exactly zero. Nothing is left "unbudgeted", which is where money usually leaks. It is the method behind envelope budgeting and apps like Zeroed and YNAB.

Does "zero-based" mean I spend everything?

No — it means every unit is assigned, and savings is one of the jobs. A zero-based budget with 20% assigned to savings spends nothing extra; it just decides on purpose instead of by accident.

What categories should a beginner start with?

Start with 8–12 broad ones: housing, utilities, groceries, transport, insurance, debt payments, savings, fun money, and a buffer for surprises. Too many categories early on is the most common reason people quit — you can always split later.

What happens when I overspend a category?

You move money from another category to cover it — deliberately. That single act (choosing what to take it from) is the behaviour change that makes zero-based budgeting work where tracking alone fails.

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