Emergency fund calculator
Decide how many months of expenses you want set aside and when you'd like it in place. It shows the steady weekly, monthly, or per-paycheck amount to get there.
Enter an amount and a future date to see how much to save.
Rough example: $9,000 over about 12 months is around $750/month, $172/week, or $345 per paycheck. Enter your own amount and date above for your number.
Setting your target
A common target is three to six months of essential expenses — rent or mortgage, food, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments, transport. Add those up and multiply by the number of months you want covered. If that feels far off, start with a smaller milestone like one month or $1,000 and set the date for that first.
Where to keep it
An emergency fund works best somewhere separate from your everyday account but still reachable within a day or two — a high-yield savings account is the usual choice. This calculator doesn't count interest, so any yield you earn just gets you there sooner.
Common questions
- How much should I have in an emergency fund?
- Three to six months of essential expenses is the common guideline. Someone with $3,000 a month in essentials would aim for $9,000–$18,000.
- How long should it take to build one?
- There's no fixed answer — pick a date that keeps the monthly amount sustainable. Twelve to twenty-four months is realistic for many people building from a small base.
- Should I save an emergency fund or pay off debt first?
- A common approach is a small starter fund (about one month or $1,000) first, then high-interest debt, then the full fund. Set the starter amount as your goal here to begin.
Saving for more than one thing?
The full planner keeps every goal in one place, tracks progress with a visual tracker, and lets you shift a target date and see the new amount instantly. Still free, still private, still stored only on your device.
Open the full planner