Emergency fund calculator

Divide the savings you could use by what you would still need to spend each month on essentials, after any income you would still have. For example, $12,000 in savings against $3,000 a month of essential costs lasts about 4 months. With $1,500 a month of unemployment benefits coming in, the monthly gap drops to $1,500 and the same savings last about 8 months. The runway calculator on this page does that math and gives an estimated month the savings would run out.

Runway is the number of months your savings could cover essential costs if your regular income stopped. This page shows it two ways: the meter divides savings by monthly essentials alone, and the runway calculator also subtracts any income you would still have during the gap.

Then your savings are not drawn down at those numbers, and the calculator says so instead of showing a runway. The result only holds while that income continues and costs stay the same.

That is up to you. The U.S. Department of Labor says each state runs its own unemployment insurance program, with eligibility set by state law, and that the first benefit payment generally arrives two to three weeks after a claim is filed. Leaving benefits out gives a more conservative runway; adding an amount you expect to receive shows how much longer savings could stretch.

There is no single official number. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the amount depends on your situation and suggests looking at the unexpected expenses you have had in the past. The meter on this page marks 3 and 6 months as reference points so you can see how far you are from each.

Costs that continue even in a tight month: housing, groceries, utilities, insurance, transportation to get by, and minimum debt payments. Discretionary spending is left out because it is spending that could be paused. Including it gives a shorter, more conservative runway.