25 money questions, answered in plain language.

Overspending means two different things. The first is spending more than comes in. The second is spending more on one part of your budget than is realistic for your income, household size and area.

The Money-Sense budget check looks at both. It compares each line with an ideal amount for a household like yours. It also tells you whether the month balances overall.

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For most households the ideal sits between about a fifth and a third of take-home pay. It depends on your income, your area and your household. Big metros such as Johannesburg and Cape Town allow a little more. Towns and rural areas allow a little less.

What matters most is what housing leaves for everything else. A home that takes more than your ideal usually squeezes savings first.

See an ideal amount for each line of your budget →

Food takes the biggest share of a tight budget. In the Money-Sense benchmark it can be a fifth or more of take-home pay for a lower-income family and under a tenth for a high-income household.

Each extra adult or child in the home adds to the ideal. A family of four on R25,000 take-home has a very different ideal from a single person on the same pay.

It is very common. In Old Mutual's 2026 Savings and Investment Monitor 40% of working South Africans described themselves as considerably financially stressed. For households earning under R30,000 a month the figure was 47%.

Running short is usually a planning problem rather than a character flaw. Knowing your fixed costs and splitting the rest into weekly amounts fixes most of it.

On payday pay the fixed costs first (housing, utilities, insurance, school fees and debt repayments). Move your savings next. Divide what is left by the number of weeks until your next payday.

That weekly figure is what you can safely spend. Many people keep it in a separate account or take it out in weekly amounts so that the rest is out of reach. A quick check halfway through the month shows whether any line is running hot.

The two cases need different help. A slip is something to bring back in line. A choice is something to pay for on purpose by trimming another line.

Money-Sense does not judge either one. If it was a choice, the report shows which other lines could cover it. If the month still cannot balance, it says so plainly.

Count every policy on the same person, including cover through work, a burial society, a church group or a shop. Many households hold several policies that pay out for the same death.

Money-Sense flags a household with more than two funeral policies, because the overlap usually costs money without adding protection. Keep a list of who is covered by what.

A common guide is three to six months of essential expenses. Essentials are housing, food, utilities, transport, insurance and debt repayments. Two months is a floor and one month is a good first target.

The money should be somewhere you can reach quickly without a penalty. It is for real emergencies such as a medical bill, a broken car or a lost job.

The Money-Sense ideal grows with income. Outside retirement it is about 2% of take-home pay for households earning R8,000 to R15,000 and about 5% from R15,000 upwards. Any room left in your ideal budget is added to the savings target.

Retirement saving is separate. It starts at about 2% of take-home pay and rises to about 8% at higher incomes. The best amount is one you can keep up every month.

Compare four things: how quickly you can reach the money, the interest it earns, any monthly fees and whether there is a penalty for withdrawing early. A call account or money market account gives quick access. A notice or fixed deposit pays a set rate if you can leave the money alone for a period.

Keep emergency money apart from your everyday account and apart from any home loan access facility. Money that is easy to spend tends to get spent.

A tax-free savings account lets the interest and growth on your savings stay free of tax. From 1 March 2026 you can put in up to R46,000 a year and R500,000 over your lifetime.

SARS charges a penalty tax on amounts above these limits. Withdrawals are tax-free but you cannot put the money back unless you still have room under the limits.

Yes. Money-Sense counts regular stokvel contributions as savings. Leave them on your budget check so that the report shows your real position.

Before you join one ask how the payout month is decided and what happens if a member stops paying or leaves. Written rules protect everyone.

Money-Sense flags a household when all debt repayments together (home loan, car and everything else) pass 40% of take-home pay. It flags a car instalment above 12% of take-home pay. It flags other debt such as store cards, credit cards and personal loans above 10%.

Past those lines careful shopping rarely fixes the budget. The problem is the size of the commitments.

Many people build a small buffer first so that one surprise bill does not go straight onto a card. After that the debt with the highest interest rate usually costs the most to carry. Extra payments often go there first.

Home loans and car loans usually carry lower interest rates than store cards and personal loans. Compare the interest rate on the debt with what your savings earn after tax.

The National Credit Act entitles you to one free credit report a year. The National Credit Regulator lists credit bureaus such as Experian, TransUnion, XDS and Consumer Profile Bureau. Ask any of them for your free copy through their website.

Check every account listed and dispute errors with the bureau that issued the report. If the bureau cannot settle it, the Credit Ombud can help.

Debt review is a legal process under the National Credit Act for people who cannot keep up with their debts. A registered debt counsellor works out what you can afford after essential living costs and then asks your credit providers to accept lower, combined payments. A magistrate's court usually makes this an order.

While you are in debt review you cannot take on new credit. It is a legal route and not a blacklist. Check that the counsellor is registered with the National Credit Regulator before you sign anything. The NCR call centre is 0860 627 627.

Contact the credit provider before you miss the payment. Many will agree a short plan if you tell them early. Ask for any agreement in writing.

Do not borrow from a new lender to repay the old one before you speak to a registered debt counsellor. If several debts are behind, debt review may be an option.

You pay interest on the money you borrow. Most loans also carry an initiation fee, a monthly service fee and sometimes credit life insurance. All of these are added to what you repay.

Ask for the total cost of credit. It is the total you will repay minus the amount you borrowed. The loan calculator shows it for a home or car loan.

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A longer term lowers the monthly instalment but raises the total interest you pay. A balloon payment works the same way: the instalment looks small now and a large amount falls due at the end.

Compare offers on the total repaid and not on the monthly instalment alone.

Compare terms and balloons in the loan calculator →

A common rule of thumb is about 15% of your gross income across your working life, including anything your employer pays in. South African financial planners usually quote a range of 12% to 17%. The aim is to replace about 75% of your final income.

Starting early matters more than starting big. Raising your contribution by one percentage point each time your pay increases is an easy habit.

Since 1 September 2024 contributions to most retirement funds are split. One third goes to a savings pot and two thirds go to a retirement pot that stays locked until you retire.

You may withdraw from the savings pot once per tax year with a minimum of R2,000. The withdrawal is added to your income and taxed at your own rate. Every rand taken out stops growing for your retirement.

Yes. Contributions to a pension fund, provident fund or retirement annuity are tax-deductible up to the lower of 27.5% of your income or R430,000 a year (from 1 March 2026).

If your employer takes the contribution off your payslip the tax relief is usually applied for you. A retirement annuity is claimed on your tax return.

The budget check never asks for your name, ID number or bank details. Your answers are stored without anything that identifies you. If you sign in, the budget is saved to your account so that you can see it again.

The tools on this page store nothing. The figures you type stay in your browser.

No. An employer sees only group totals such as how many staff have registered and how many were active. Any figure based on fewer than ten people is shown as "fewer than 10".

Employers never see who registered or anything an employee entered.

No. Money-Sense is financial education. It compares your budget with an evidence-based ideal and explains trade-offs. It does not recommend any product, provider or fund.

For decisions about investments, insurance or credit speak to an authorised financial services provider or a registered debt counsellor.