Financial Runway Calculator
How long will your money last?
Your financial runway is how many months your savings can cover your expenses if your income stopped or dropped today. This free calculator helps you work out that number so you know exactly how much of a cushion you have.
Monthly expenses
Monthly income
Your runway
Indefinite
Your income covers your expenses, so your savings aren’t being drawn down
What is financial runway
Financial runway is the number of months you could cover your living expenses using only the cash and savings you already have, if your income stopped or dropped today. It is a simple way to answer a stressful question — "how long could I survive without a paycheck?" — with an actual number.
Why should you know your runway
Knowing your runway turns a vague worry into a concrete plan. It tells you how much risk you can afford to take, whether that is leaving a job, starting a business, taking unpaid leave, or simply riding out a layoff. A longer runway gives you room to make decisions calmly instead of out of panic, while a short runway is an early signal to build an emergency fund or cut recurring costs.
How is it calculated
The formula is simple: runway equals your available cash and savings divided by your net monthly burn, where net monthly burn is your monthly expenses minus any income you would still receive, such as severance, unemployment benefits, or side income. If your income during this period covers your expenses entirely, your net burn is zero or negative and your runway is effectively indefinite. The calculator above does this math for you automatically as you fill in each field.
Expenses and income explained
Runway is most useful when you are honest about both sides of the equation: what you would actually keep spending, and what money would still come in while you figure things out.
Monthly expenses
Add up everything you spend in a typical month and enter it as one total, including:
- Rent or mortgage payments
- Groceries and household essentials
- Transportation, gas, and car payments
- Insurance premiums and healthcare costs
- Minimum debt and loan payments
- Utilities, subscriptions, and other recurring bills
Monthly income
Add up anything you would still receive each month and enter it as one total, including:
- Severance pay spread across months
- Unemployment benefits
- Freelance, side hustle, or part-time income
- Rental income or other passive income
- Spousal or partner income you can rely on
Ways to extend your runway
If your runway feels short, you have two levers: increase the cash you are drawing from, or lower your net monthly burn. Cutting non-essential spending, pausing subscriptions, negotiating bills, or picking up short-term income can meaningfully stretch how long your savings will last. Even small reductions in monthly burn compound into extra months of breathing room.
The bottom line
Runway is not a one-time calculation. It changes as your savings grow, your expenses shift, and your income situation evolves, so it is worth revisiting whenever something major changes. A short runway today is not a verdict, it is simply a starting point for deciding what to adjust next.