Income Loss Runway Calculator
See how many months your savings last after a job loss, at current spending and on a bare-bones plan.
Free · No sign-up · Your inputs stay in your browser
Your numbers
Measure the runway
Your projection
12.0 months on the bare-bones plan
At current spending
7.5 months
After cutting back
12.0 months
Monthly gap, bare bones
$1,500
Unemployment benefits are taxable federal income and are set by your state. Check the weekly amount and the number of weeks with your state agency before counting on them.
About this tool
Method, assumptions, practical next steps, and limits.
Know the date before you need it
A runway turns an anxious question into a planning number. It tells you how long you have to find work and which cuts buy the most time.
How the calculation works
Runway in months = (savings + severance) ÷ (monthly spending − continuing income)
With $14,000 saved, $4,000 of severance and $1,800 of monthly income, spending of $4,200 leaves a $2,400 gap and 7.5 months of runway. A bare-bones plan of $3,300 cuts the gap to $1,500 and stretches the runway to 12 months.
What to check first
Unemployment insurance is run by each state, which sets the weekly amount and the number of weeks, and it is taxable federal income. File in the first week, because benefits usually start from the filing date. Health coverage is the other urgent decision: compare COBRA with a Marketplace plan at HealthCare.gov, where losing job-based coverage opens a special enrollment period.
