Budget Rules · Calculator

Free Zero-Based Budget Calculator

What is a zero-based budget calculator?

A zero-based budget gives every dollar of income a job — income minus planned categories should equal $0 unassigned (not "zero money left to live on").

Enter your monthly take-home pay and planned amounts for major categories. The calculator shows total assigned and what is left to allocate or cut.

Income − All category plans = $0 unassigned (goal)

Learn the method in our zero-based budgeting guide. Pair with the budget planner calculator for more rows.

Real-life example (try this in the calculator)

Dana earns $3,800/month and plans every category before the month starts.

Line item Amount Calculator field
Housing $1,350 Housing ($)
Food & groceries $520 Food ($)
Transport $280 Transport ($)
Savings $450 Savings ($)
Everything else $1,200 Other ($)
Monthly income $3,800 Monthly take-home pay ($)
$1,350 + $520 + $280 + $450 + $1,200 = $3,800 — fully assigned, $0 left.

Tap Use example for Dana's zero-based plan.

How to read your results

  • Unassigned balance — $0 means every dollar has a job. Positive = money still to assign. Negative = over-allocated.
  • Total assigned — Sum of all category plans you entered.
  • Income assigned — Assigned ÷ income — aim for 100% when the plan is complete.

Revisit at month-end in Ziko — move leftover cash to savings or next month's goals.

Quick questions

No — it means zero dollars without a plan, not zero spending money.
Assign it to savings, debt, or next month's buffer until unassigned hits $0.
Budget on your lowest typical month or average of the last 3 months.

Turn this into a real monthly plan. Set income, caps, and alerts in Ziko — free, no bank login.

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