How much of my pay should I actually save?

Here's the DoshHero answer: aim to invest at least 10% of your pay. That's the line that makes you a DoshHero. Alongside it, keep a small Emergency Fund trickle going every week and drip into sinking pots for the stuff you know is coming. Then live on the rest, on purpose.

How much of my paycheck should I save?

There's no single magic percentage, because "save" covers three different jobs:

1. Investing for future you. This is the one that builds wealth.
2. Emergency Fund for the surprises you can't see coming.
3. Sinking pots for the costs you can see coming: Christmas, rego, a holiday, a new laptop.

Lump them into one vague "savings" pile and it gets raided for a concert. Give each its own pot and each can do its job.

Why at least 10% goes to investing

Your job pays you when you show up. Investing is money that earns money while you're at work, asleep or on holiday. Keep feeding it and, over time, the pile starts paying you an income that doesn't need your hours. Keep going long enough and it can replace the money you earn from work. That's the real goal: options.

Ten percent is small enough to fit a first-job week and big enough to build something real. More is great. Under 10% means you're still stepping up to the line, which is fine, but that's the target.

Want to see why starting now matters more than starting big? Have a play with Compound growth.

What percentage of my take-home pay should I invest?

At least 10% of what actually lands in your account, your take-home pay. That's the number you live on, so it's the honest one to plan from. Not sure what yours is? What even is take-home pay?

If you have Super, that's already building in the background, usually paid by your boss on top of your wage. It's great. It just doesn't count toward your 10%. Your Investing pot is a second pile, one you control and can use well before you're old. Pile one, explained: Super 101 for your first job.

How much should I save each week? A worked example

Say $700 a week lands in your Landing account.

First, the living pots so the week holds:

• Housing (board or rent): $180
• Everyday spends (food, transport, coffee, the small stuff): $170
• Regular outs (phone, subs, gym): $45
• Wheels (rego and insurance, if you've got a car): $35

Then future you, paid first:

• Investing: $70 (that's your 10%)
• Emergency Fund trickle: $25
• Sinking pots: $40 (say $20 Holiday, $10 Gifts, $10 Tech)

Then life, on purpose:

• Fun: $90
• Flex: $45

That's $700. Your numbers will look different. The shape is what matters: living pots covered, future you paid, fun planned in.

Try your own numbers in Pay Split. It has an Investing pot you can add and slide.

What if 10% doesn't fit yet?

Totally normal, especially on casual hours or just after moving out. Start with what fits, even $10 a week, and step it up with every pay rise, before you get used to the extra money.

If you're carrying a credit card or buy now, pay later balance, keep the habit going and point any extras at clearing that first. Debt eats the same pay you're trying to build with.

How much should my emergency fund trickle be?

Something small that never switches off. $20 to $30 a week is a solid start. Push extra into it until you've got about $1,000 sitting there, then keep the trickle going toward about three months of essential costs. The how-to: How do I even build an emergency fund?

Make it automatic

Set every transfer for the day after payday, so pay lands in your Landing account and splits into your pots before the week starts spending it. How do I even automate savings from each pay?

Still live your life

Fun is a real pot. Holidays are a real pot. You're just making sure future you gets paid too. The free First Pay Playbook walks through the whole setup, step by step.

See also

What even is "pay yourself first"? · How do I even split my first pay? · How do I even start investing with a small amount? · What even is a sinking fund? · Pay Split