Emergency fund calculator: How much to keep, and how long it takes
Type in your pay, what you have to spend each month and what you can put aside. The targets and the months to each update as you go, and nothing leaves your browser.
- One month of income
- €3,00015 months to goThe first line that matters: a typical surprise bill is smaller than this.
- Three months of essentials
- €6,00030 months to goTime to replace lost income for most people with steady pay.
- Six months of essentials
- €12,00060 months to goFor pay that varies, one income in the household, or a slow job market.
In Wealtie: give the fund its own account and move €200 to it on payday. Transfers between your accounts never count against the budget, and the fund shows up in your net worth.
One month first, then the rest
The first target is one month of take-home pay. That's where the CFPB found the biggest change: trouble paying a bill fell from 44% of people with less than a month saved to 6% of those with a month or more. The later targets count essential costs only, because those are what you'd still pay if the income stopped.
What people ask about the fund
Start with one month of take-home income. In CFPB research, 44% of people with some savings but less than a month of income had trouble paying a bill in the past year, against 6% of those with a month or more. After that, build towards three to six months of essential costs.
What you'd still pay if your income stopped: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, insurance, transport and minimum debt payments. Eating out and subscriptions you'd cancel don't count.
No. It runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is stored.
A calculator sets the target. An app gets you there.
Give the fund its own account in Wealtie and log the transfer on payday. It counts towards your net worth, never against your budget.
