T/04Tool

Emergency fund

Enter your essential monthly expenses and see how big your buffer should be — and how long it takes to build.

Your numbers

Essential monthly expenses

Rent, food, utilities, insurance, transport, minimum debt payments. Not holidays or dining out.

Months of cover

3 months for stable salaried work, 6+ for variable income or dependents.

Already saved

Saving per month

Savings account interest

Emergency money should stay safe and accessible — interest is a bonus.

Target

$15,000

6 months of essential expenses. You're $15,000 away.

At $200 a month, you reach it in 5 years 8mo.

Of target saved0%

Recommended target: $15K
Currently saved: $0
Still to save: $15K
Months to complete: 68; 5 years 8mo

01Method

How this works.

Target: essential monthly expenses × months of cover. Time to reach it is simulated month by month: savings = savings × (1 + r ÷ 12) + monthly saving until savings reach the target.

What it assumes

Essential expenses only: housing, food, utilities, insurance, minimum debt payments.
Three months suits stable salaried income; six or more suits variable income or dependants.
The interest rate on savings stays the same, and nothing is withdrawn on the way.

Worked example

With $2,500 of essential monthly expenses, a six-month fund is $15,000. Saving $200 a month from zero in an account paying 4% gets you there in about 5 years and 8 months.

With ₹2,00,000 of essential monthly expenses, a six-month fund is ₹12,00,000. Saving ₹17,000 a month from zero in an account paying 4% gets you there in about 5 years and 4 months.

Learn the idea behind it

Terms used here: Emergency fund, Liquidity, Budget.

Every number here is a simplified illustration based on the inputs you choose. Returns are not guaranteed and real markets vary — sometimes a lot — year to year. This is education, not financial advice.