Emergency Fund Calculator

Whether your idea of an emergency is a loss of employment, replacing an appliance after a surprise breakdown, or even building up a rainy-day fund, having some extra money squirreled away is important for any household. By setting aside an emergency fund for your family, you can be ready for whatever comes your way without worrying about sudden income loss.

Use our Emergency Savings Calculator below to get started on your rainy-day fund. Fill out the information below for a helpful visual timeline showing your emergency savings journey from start to finish, and generate some extra headroom with Savings.com coupons from hundreds of top retailers.

(Note: Our Historical Inflation Calculator works for U.S. dollars only. For an Inflation Calculator using U.K. currency, visit our partner Savoo.)

Calculator Terms

Assumptions

Current Emergency Funds Available

Any money you’ve already saved toward your emergency fund.

Current Gross Monthly Income

The amount of money you’re pulling in each month from all sources before taxes are considered.

Number of Months for Funds to Last

The amount of time between one and 360 months you’d like to have before your savings run out.

Before Tax Return on Savings

The annually compounded rate of pretax returns on your savings; the average annual compounded rate of return over 10 years prior to Dec. 31, 2022, is 13.6%, according to the Standard & Poor 500 (S&P 500), including reinvestment of dividends; returns have been as high as 61% between June 1982 and June 1983 and as low as -43% from March 2008 to March 2009.

Note that all annual projections are hypothetical. While we do our best to offer accurate financial information based on available data, it’s impossible to predict future market movement. Projections do not constitute financial advice. All investments carry a level of risk, including the risk of loss on investment.

Expenses

Choose in this section whether to express your total monthly expenses as one complete figure or an itemized list similar to our Personal Budget Calculator.

Next Steps in Maintaining Your Emergency Fund

Congratulations on taking the first steps toward a secure emergency fund! Keep reading for more money-saving tips, tricks, and resources.

• Start cutting back. This calculator gives you a clear timeline for your emergency savings goal, but finishing your goal more quickly can only help you if something unexpected happens. Create some extra room in your budget by using our Vice Savings Calculator to find some extras to trim back.
• Consider where to keep your savings. Keeping your emergency money separate from your everyday cash offers great benefits. Whether it’s to avoid temptation or just to enjoy seeing the fund grow, most choose to create a separate account for emergency money. Set a strategy for your savings and find a reliable way to secure your emergency funds.
• Stay consistent. Not every household can quickly set aside emergency funds. Slow, intentional additions to your emergency account tend to be better than sporadic contributions. Use the above calendar to find a comfortable monthly amount to add to your fund, even if it takes you longer to meet your goal.