Emergency fund calculator

Enter your savings and monthly essentials to see how many months of runway you actually have — and exactly how much more it takes to hit 3 or 6 months.

Emergency fund meter

How many months of essentials could your savings cover right now?

Current savings

Monthly essentials

1.2 months covered

Building

0–3 mo3–6 mo target6+ mo

$4,500 more gets you to a 3-month starter cushion.

Keep this number in view

PiggySize watches your runway automatically and nudges you before it slips — no more guessing where you stand.

Track my runway free

How much should you save?

3 months — a starter cushion. Enough to cover a job loss or surprise bill without reaching for a credit card while you get back on your feet.
6 months — the widely-recommended target for most households, and a safer buffer if your income is variable or you have dependents.

"Months of runway" is your current savings divided by what you actually need each month for essentials — rent or mortgage, food, utilities, insurance, and minimum debt payments. It doesn't include discretionary spending, since that's the first thing you'd cut in a real emergency.

This calculator gives educational estimates only and isn’t financial advice. The math runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere. These PiggySize tools are provided free for personal use on our own sites and may not be embedded, copied, or redistributed. © 2026 PiggySize. All rights reserved.