Interactive budget planner that visualises cash flow, projects savings milestones and automates emergency fund targets for Australian consumers.
Updated October 2026Built and checked by MaverickHow it's calculatedReport an error
Monthly surplus
$2,000
33.3% savings rate
Annual surplus
$24,000
from $72,000 income
5-year savings
$135,862
at the RBA average savings rate
Months to target
12 mo
for $24,000
The surplus slice is what builds wealth: every additional dollar moved from expenses to surplus compounds for decades.
The 50/30/20 budgeting guide puts 20% of take-home pay towards savings and debt repayments.
Monthly deposits earning the banks' average bonus savings rate (RBA), compounded monthly.
Put in what you take home and what goes out each month, and this turns it into a year: how much is left over, and how quickly savings would build at that rate. It's a good way to set an emergency fund target you can actually reach, because it starts from what you really spend.
Prices rose 4.3% in the year to September 2026, going by the ABS's monthly measure. The trimmed mean, which leaves out the biggest price swings, was 3.6%.
As of 7 November 2026, the highest savings rate is 5.75%, from Defence Bank Limited's iSaver, while the typical best across 73 institutions is 4.85%. The highest 12-month term deposit rate is 5.75%, from Suncorp Bank's Term Deposit, while the typical best across 65 institutions is 5.30%.
Julia earns $4,000/month, spends $3,100, and sets a $12,000 emergency fund goal.
With steady savings and some cost tweaks, Julia will hit her fund target in under 2 years with a $900/month surplus.
A couple with $7,200 net income and $6,800 expenses plan to boost their buffer for growing family costs.
By trimming a further $400 in monthly costs, their path to a fully funded emergency reserve drops from just over 5 years to under 3 years.