How much of my paycheck should I save?
Type what lands in your account and how often. See what two published plans set aside from it, each one named as theirs, per paycheck and per month.
Checked October 22, 2026
Fidelity's plan sets aside 10% of take-home for near-term goals and emergencies, plus 15% of pay before tax for retirement. Ramit Sethi's plan has 5 to 10% for savings and about 10% of take-home for investing, which is 15 to 20% of take-home in all. They are published guidelines, not rules for you.
Take-home is what lands in the bank. Nothing you type here leaves this page.
Fidelity's Plan Your Pay
Near-term goals and emergency savings (10% of take-home)
$240 per paycheck, $520 a month
Retirement (15% of pay before tax)
Add your pay before tax
Ramit Sethi's Conscious Spending Plan
Savings for goals and emergencies (5 to 10%)
$120 to $240 per paycheck, $260 to $520 a month
Investments, like a 401(k) and a Roth IRA (about 10% of take-home)
$240 per paycheck, $520 a month
These are what each plan publishes for anyone, worked out on your numbers. They are not advice for you. Fidelity counts its 15% on pay before tax, and an employer match counts toward it. Sethi counts everything on take-home, and his savings is for short-term goals and emergencies. A month with a third paycheck (every other week) or a fifth one (every week) has more coming in than the monthly figure shows.
What the two plans say
Fidelity's Plan Your Pay (January 2026) divides take-home into 60% or less for essentials, 30% for nice-to-have extras, and 10% for near-term goals and emergency savings. On top of that it recommends saving 15% of pre-tax income for retirement, and the employer's match counts toward it. Fidelity says these are goals, not strict rules.
Ramit Sethi's Conscious Spending Plan puts fixed costs at 50 to 60% of take-home, investments at about 10%, savings at 5 to 10%, and guilt-free spending at 20 to 35%. His savings part is for short-term goals and emergencies.
| Fidelity | Ramit Sethi | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals and emergencies | 10% of take-home | 5 to 10% |
| Retirement and investing | 15% of pay before tax | About 10% of take-home |
| Needs | 60% or less of take-home | Fixed costs 50 to 60% of take-home |
| Spending on fun | 30% of take-home | Guilt-free 20 to 35% of take-home |
What counts as saving
Money for goals and emergencies, and money for retirement. Fidelity counts what your employer adds to your 401(k) toward its 15%. A contribution taken out of your check at work counts as saving even though it never reaches your bank. If you already put 5% of your pay in a 401(k), that is part of the 15% before you move anything by hand.
Emergency fund first
Fidelity says that if you are starting from scratch, aim for $1,000 or one month of essential expenses, whichever is more. Then build toward 3 to 6 months of essential expenses. It suggests more if you have dependents, higher-than-normal costs, or work in an unstable industry. Keep it somewhere you can reach quickly without a penalty. Sethi also starts savings with 3 to 6 months of living expenses, in a high-yield savings account.
2026 limits for 401(k)s and IRAs
The IRS sets how much can go into these accounts in a year. If you save more than the plans above, these are the ceilings.
| Account (2026) | Limit | Age 50 and up |
|---|---|---|
| 401(k) employee deferral | $24,500 | $8,000 more ($11,250 more at 60 to 63) |
| IRA (traditional or Roth) | $7,500 | $1,100 more |
| SIMPLE plan | $17,000 | $4,000 more ($5,250 more at 60 to 63) |
Roth IRA contributions phase out between $153,000 and $168,000 of income for single filers and $242,000 to $252,000 for married couples filing jointly.
How much should you save when money is tight
Start smaller. Fidelity's first goal for an emergency fund is $1,000 or a month of essentials, not six months. Fidelity says its percentages are goals, not strict rules, so a smaller share on payday is still a start. If your employer offers a match, Fidelity counts it toward your 15%. Some people raise the share when they get a raise or a bill ends. Both plans are written as ranges, and Sethi's savings part runs from 5 to 10%.
If you are paid every two weeks, two months a year hold a third paycheck. Budget on two and the third is extra for savings. See which months those are.
For couples who keep their own money, the same question gets a second part: who covers the shared bills. Try the fair split calculator.
Questions people ask
How much of your paycheck should you save?
There is no one number. Fidelity's plan sets aside 10% of take-home for near-term goals and emergencies plus 15% of pay before tax for retirement. Ramit Sethi's plan has 5 to 10% of income for savings and about 10% of take-home for investments. Sethi's adds up to 15 to 20% of take-home in all.
How much should I save per paycheck?
Take your take-home, multiply by the share you choose, and you have the amount per paycheck. At 10% of a $2,400 paycheck that is $240. The calculator above does it for each plan and turns it into a monthly figure too.
How much should you save from each paycheck if you are paid every two weeks?
The percentage is the same. The count is 26 paychecks a year, so a monthly figure is the per-paycheck amount times 26, divided by 12. Two months a year have three paychecks, and the extra one can go straight to savings.
How much should you save each month?
Fidelity and Sethi both give their numbers as a share of pay, so the monthly amount follows your pay. On $5,200 of monthly take-home, 10% is $520. Fidelity's 15% for retirement is on pay before tax.
What percentage of your check should you save?
Fidelity: 10% of take-home for goals and emergencies, and 15% of pay before tax for retirement. Sethi: 5 to 10% for savings and about 10% for investing. Fidelity says its percentages are goals, not strict rules.
Does my 401(k) count as saving?
Yes. Fidelity's 15% for retirement includes what your employer adds. Money taken out of your check at work still counts, even though you never see it land in your bank.
Sources
6 sources · read October 22, 2026
Every number on this page comes from fidelity.com, iwillteachyoutoberich.com and irs.gov. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1Fidelity: Fidelity's easy budgeting guideline (January 2026)fidelity.com
- 2Ramit Sethi: Conscious Spending Plan basicsiwillteachyoutoberich.com
- 3Fidelity: How much should you save for an emergency fundfidelity.com
- 4IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500irs.gov
- 5IRS: 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limitsirs.gov
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Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.