Emergency fund calculator
How much would cover a few months of your essentials, how far what you've saved already goes, and how long the rest might take. No sign-up.
By Travis Haggar. I build Openbox Money. I'm not a financial adviser.
Drafted with AI help. Updated .
Sources: Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (May 2026); FINRA, Financial Foundations: start an emergency fund; FDIC Consumer News, Saving for the Unexpected and Your Future (January 2025); CFPB, An essential guide to building an emergency fund. Not financial advice. Spot a mistake? support@openboxmoney.com
Example: $3,000 a month in essentials, $4,500 saved, $300 added each month
3 months of essentials: $9,000
- Saved so far
- $4,500, covers 1.5 months
- Still to save
- $4,500
- Time to the goal
- About 1 year and 3 monthsat $300 a month
Common range for these essentials: $9,000 for 3 months, $18,000 for 6. Illustration, not a guarantee: interest, price changes and income changes aren't counted.
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How it works
The goal is your essentials for one month times the months you pick. What you've saved is divided by one month of essentials to show how many months it covers, rounded down to a tenth of a month. Still to save is the goal minus what you've saved, and it stops at $0: past the goal, the extra shows as “over the goal”.
The time to the goal is what's still to save divided by what you could add each month, in whole months, rounded up. It leaves out interest, rising prices and changes in income, so it's an illustration, not a guarantee.
How many months?
There's no single right number, and this page doesn't pick one for you. FINRA says financial planners often recommend three to six months of living expenses, and that people with a variable income or a specialized career might need more. The FDIC's consumer newsletter says experts generally recommend at least six months. The CFPB says the amount depends on your situation, and that even a small amount can give some security.
What the Fed's latest survey found
In the Federal Reserve's survey of U.S. adults, fielded in October 2025 and published in May 2026:
- 63% said they would cover a $400 emergency expense completely with cash or its equivalent (cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement).
- 12% said they couldn't pay it by any means.
- 55% said they had set aside money for three months of expenses in an emergency savings or “rainy day” fund.
Source: Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025, Savings and Investments. These are survey estimates for all adults. This page is arithmetic, not financial advice.