MoneyBasisUnderstand your result
Income
The monthly amount you entered. Use take-home pay unless you intentionally enter a pre-tax figure.
Expenses
The sum of the spending categories you entered.
Remaining cash flow
Income minus expenses. A negative result means spending exceeds income.
Remaining-income rate
Remaining cash flow divided by income.
How this calculation works
- Enter monthly take-home income and spending by category.
- The planner totals expenses, remaining cash flow and remaining-income rate.
- Remaining cash flow is the amount left after entered expenses. It is not counted as savings unless you explicitly allocate it to savings.
Remaining-income rate = (income − expenses) / income
Surplus is take-home income minus the categories you enter. The remaining-income rate is remaining cash flow divided by income; it is unavailable at zero income. Remaining cash is not automatically savings.
- Remaining-income rate
- MoneyBasis calculates remaining-income rate as the amount of income remaining after expenses divided by total income.
Assumptions & limitations
- Enter after-tax income. Annual bills should be converted to monthly amounts.
- Categories are monthly cash amounts, not annual totals.
Educational estimates only. MoneyBasis does not provide financial, investment, tax or legal advice.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How should I enter an annual bill?
Does remaining income mean I have saved it?
What does the remaining-income rate measure?
See a worked example
Income & Budgeting · 5 min read
How to Build a Monthly Budget
Give income, spending, savings transfers and unassigned cash distinct jobs.
Read guide →Monthly example with an explicit $500 savings transfer
- Income
- $5,000
- Expenses
- $3,700
- Unassigned cash
- $800
Account for bills and savings before deciding what is left.
Income & Budgeting · 4 min read
Savings Rate vs Remaining Cash Flow
A percentage is only meaningful when its numerator and income basis are named.
Read guide →Same $5,000 monthly take-home income
- Savings transfer
- $500
- Unassigned cash
- $800
Money left over is only savings when you set it aside.