Emergency fund calculator
An emergency fund should cover three to six months of fixed expenses, up to twelve if your income is variable or you rely on a single earner. On $3,200 in fixed monthly expenses, a four-month cushion means $12,800 in a liquid, separate account.
Formula: Target = fixed monthly expenses × months of coverage. Time = (target − saved) / monthly contribution.
Emergency fund calculator
Calculate how big your safety net needs to be, based on your expenses, and how long it will take to build it.
Estimate calculated in your browser. No data is sent or stored.
How to use it
- Calculate your fixed monthly expenses. Housing, utilities, groceries, insurance and debt payments.
- Choose your months of coverage. Three if you have stable dual income; six or more if you're self-employed.
- Enter what's already saved. Only money you can access within 24–48 hours.
- Set your contribution. Automate it on payday until you hit the target.
Where to keep it
An emergency fund prioritizes availability and stability over return: a high-yield savings account, short-term CD or money market fund. It shouldn't be invested in stocks, since emergencies tend to coincide with market downturns.
- Available within 24–48 hours with no penalty
- Kept in a separate account from everyday spending
- Replenished before resuming any investing
Before or after investing
The cushion comes first, with one exception: if you're carrying credit card debt above 15%, build a one-month mini-fund and attack that debt instead, since no safe investment reliably beats that interest rate.
Frequently asked questions
- Does available credit count as part of the fund?
- No. A credit line is future debt, not net worth, and the issuer can cut it right when things get hard.
- Should I include discretionary spending?
- Only the essentials. The goal is to cover a bare-bones lifestyle, not maintain your usual discretionary spending.