— Budgeting
Emergency Savings Time Calculator
Answer both emergency-fund timing questions. Build mode shows how many months of saving it takes to reach your target. Last mode shows how long savings would last if income stopped, with interest, partial income, and spending cuts included.
Time to fully fund
13 months
- Target fund
- $15,000
- Gap remaining
- $10,000
- 1-month coverage
- 0
- 3-month coverage
- 4
- 6-month coverage
- 13
Try: Build a 6-month fund, How long would $12k last?, Last mode, cutting 20%, With a spouse still earning
— Month by month
| Month | Deposit | Interest | Balance | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $800 | $17 | $5,817 | 2.33 |
| 2 | $800 | $19 | $6,636 | 2.65 |
| 3 | $800 | $22 | $7,458 | 2.98 |
| 4 | $800 | $25 | $8,283 | 3.31 |
| 5 | $800 | $28 | $9,111 | 3.64 |
| 6 | $800 | $30 | $9,941 | 3.98 |
| 7 | $800 | $33 | $10,774 | 4.31 |
| 8 | $800 | $36 | $11,610 | 4.64 |
| 9 | $800 | $39 | $12,449 | 4.98 |
| 10 | $800 | $41 | $13,290 | 5.32 |
| 11 | $800 | $44 | $14,135 | 5.65 |
| 12 | $800 | $47 | $14,982 | 5.99 |
| 13 | $800 | $50 | $15,832 | 6.33 |
— Your fund over time
Download— How it works
Build: starting from current savings, add your monthly amount plus interest each month until the balance reaches the target (months × essential expenses). Last: draw the fund down each month by your essential burn (net of any partial income), with interest, until it hits zero.
Build: how long to get there
Building an emergency fund feels endless until you put a number on it. Build mode does that: it takes what you’ve already saved, adds your monthly contribution and the interest it earns, and counts the months until you hit your target — 3, 6, 9 or 12 months of essential expenses. It also flags the milestones along the way, because the journey isn’t all-or-nothing: reaching one month of coverage already changes your options, and three months covers most short job gaps. Seeing those waypoints makes the goal feel reachable instead of distant.
Worked example — $2,500 of essentials, a 6-month ($15,000) target, $5,000 saved, $800/month: You’d be fully funded in about 13 months. You cross 3 months of coverage around month 4 — a meaningful cushion long before the full goal.
Last: the runway that matters
Last mode answers the harder question: if the income stopped today, how long could you keep the lights on? It draws your savings down by your essential monthly burn until they run out, and tells you the runway in months. Two levers change the answer dramatically. Partial income — a severance, a spouse still earning, some freelance work — shrinks the burn and can stretch the runway enormously, even to “indefinitely” if it covers your essentials. And a spending cut, even 20%, buys real extra time; the calculator shows that delta, because knowing you can extend your runway by trimming is itself reassuring.
Judging your buffer
How much runway is enough depends on how secure your income is and how fast you could replace it. A dual-income household where both jobs are stable can be comfortable with 3–6 months; a single earner wants more like 6; the self-employed and those with variable income should aim for 9–12, because their income can vanish faster and return more slowly. The calculator judges your runway against the right benchmark for your profile and tells you plainly where you stand. Keep the fund somewhere safe and liquid — a high-yield savings account — so it’s there in full when you need it. This is a planning tool, not financial advice.
— Reader questions
How long will it take to build my emergency fund?
It depends on your target, what you’ve saved, and your monthly amount. With $5,000 saved, $800 a month and a $15,000 (6-month) target, it’s about 13 months. Build mode works out the exact timeline and flags the milestones along the way.
How long would my savings last if I lost my income?
Roughly your savings divided by your essential monthly spending, a little longer once interest and any partial income are counted. Last mode simulates the drawdown month by month and tells you the runway — and the date the money would run out.
How much does cutting spending extend my runway?
More than you’d think. Cutting essential spending 20% doesn’t just add 20% to your runway — because the burn is lower every month, the fund lasts proportionally longer. The calculator shows the exact extra months your planned cuts would buy.
How many months of expenses should I be able to cover?
A common guide: 3–6 months for a stable dual income, around 6 for a single salary, and 9–12 for freelancers or anyone with variable income, who may take longer to replace it. The calculator judges your runway against the right benchmark for you.
Does partial income during an emergency help?
Hugely. Severance, a spouse’s income or some side work reduces how much you draw from the fund each month, stretching the runway. If the partial income covers your essentials entirely, the fund isn’t drained at all and lasts indefinitely.