What budget categories should Australians use?
Updated 2026-10-15 · Australia
Use five groups: Bills (rent or mortgage, power, water, phone, insurance, private health, rego, subscriptions, rates), Essentials (groceries, fuel, transport, tolls, health, kids), Lifestyle (eating out, takeaway, shopping, entertainment, travel, gifts), Debt (credit card, buy now pay later, loans) and Savings. Keep transfers between your own accounts out of spending.
Where the tricky Australian ones go
| Expense | Category |
|---|---|
| Car rego (incl. CTP) | Bills — yearly |
| Private health | Bills |
| Myki, Opal, Go Card, Uber | Essentials — transport |
| Linkt, CityLink, parking | Essentials — tolls & parking |
| Afterpay, Zip | Debt — buy now pay later |
| School fees, uniforms, childcare | Essentials — kids & school |
| Council rates, strata | Bills — quarterly |
Keep it to about 30
Too many categories and you stop maintaining them. Sorted Budget ships with 38, plus six spare rows for your own.
Frequently asked questions
Where do transfers go?
In a transfer category that isn't counted as spending — otherwise you double-count money moved between your own accounts.
Is there a 50/30/20 rule in Australia?
It's a popular rule of thumb (needs/wants/savings), featured by banks such as ANZ, not an official government rule.
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-15.