How big should my emergency fund be?

A common guideline is three to six months of essential expenses, with more if your income is irregular. This calculator lets you set any number of months and shows the exact target.

Yes. Everything is calculated in your browser. Your expenses and savings are never uploaded or stored.

How is my emergency fund target calculated?

The target is simply your essential monthly expenses multiplied by the number of months of cover you choose. For example 2,200 a month over 6 months gives a 13,200 target.

How long will it take to build my emergency fund?

The tool divides the remaining gap (target minus what you have saved) by your monthly saving amount. If you have a 10,200 gap and save 300 a month, that's about 34 months.

Should I keep building if I have high-interest debt?

A common approach is a small starter fund of about one month's expenses first, then to prioritise paying down high-interest debt, then to top the fund back up to three to six months once the costly debt is gone.

Where should I keep my emergency fund?

In an instant-access, low-risk account such as a high-yield savings account — somewhere you can withdraw same-day without penalty. The goal is availability and safety, not investment returns.

Does three to six months suit everyone?

It is a starting guideline. Aim higher (six to twelve months) if your income is irregular, you're self-employed, you're a single earner, or your job is hard to replace; less may suffice if you have very stable dual incomes.

Emergency Fund Calculator

Q: What expenses should I include?

Include only essential, must-pay costs such as rent or mortgage, utilities, food, insurance and minimum debt payments — not discretionary spending you could pause in an emergency.

Emergency fund calculator

An emergency fund is the cash buffer that keeps a job loss, car repair or surprise medical bill from turning into debt. Financial advisers commonly suggest holding three to six months of essential expenses, more if your income is irregular. This calculator turns that rule into concrete numbers: your exact target, how funded you already are, and how long it will take to finish.

How it works

The maths is deliberately simple and transparent:

Target fund = essential monthly expenses × months of cover.
Gap remaining = target − amount already saved (never below zero).
Progress = saved ÷ target, capped at 100%.
Time to finish = gap ÷ monthly saving amount.

Only essential, must-pay costs belong in the expenses figure — rent or mortgage, utilities, food, insurance and minimum debt payments — not discretionary spending you could pause in a crisis.

Example

With essential expenses of 2,200/month, 6 months of cover, 3,000 already saved and 300/month going in:

Metric	Value
Target fund	2,200 × 6 = 13,200
Gap remaining	13,200 − 3,000 = 10,200
Progress	3,000 ÷ 13,200 ≈ 23%
Time to finish	10,200 ÷ 300 = 34 months

Adjust the months of cover to compare a three-month versus a six-month cushion. All calculations stay in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded.