Emergency fund calculator
See how big a safety net you need, and how long it'll take to build one. It's the least exciting money you'll ever save, and the only kind that stops a bad month becoming a bad year.
Updated for the 2026/27 tax year · reviewed
Your safety net
Three to six months of essential outgoings is the typical guideline for most employees with stable income. If you're self-employed, on variable income, or the sole earner in your household, it's often worth aiming higher, towards six to twelve months.
Your target emergency fund
£13,200
£2,200 a month × 6 months of cover
Gap remaining
£10,200
Time to fill the gap
3 years 1 month
Covered today
1.4 months
current fund ÷ monthly outgoings
Progress to target
How your fund climbs towards the target as you save.
The target is the easy part. Getting there is the plan.
See how long this buffer takes to build alongside your other commitments - and what it protects when a household income actually stops.
Create your free accountHow this calculator works
Your target is simply essential monthly outgoings multiplied by the months of cover you choose - the same maths behind the standard "three to six months" guideline. Three to six months suits most employees with stable income; if you're self-employed, on variable income, or the sole earner in your household, aiming higher, towards six to twelve months, is often worth it.
Time to fill the gap uses the same compound-saving maths as the savings goal calculator - your current fund grows with your chosen savings rate while your monthly saving tops it up, month by month, until it reaches the target.
This assumes a steady monthly saving and a constant rate for the whole period - treat the timeline as a planning guide, not a guarantee.
Questions people ask
How many months of expenses should I keep?
Three to six months of essential outgoings is the typical guideline for most employees with stable income. If you're self-employed, on variable income, or the sole earner in a household, it's often worth aiming higher, towards six to twelve months.
Where should I keep my emergency fund?
Easy-access savings are the standard choice, since the point of the fund is being able to reach it quickly without penalty or having to sell investments at a bad time. A small amount can sit in a slightly higher-paying notice account if you keep enough truly instant-access cash alongside it.
Should I build an emergency fund before investing?
Generally yes - without one, an unexpected cost can force you to sell investments at a loss or fall into high-interest debt. Most people build at least a partial buffer first, then invest and top up the fund in parallel.
What actually counts as an emergency?
Job loss, a broken boiler, an urgent car repair or a medical cost are typical examples - genuinely unavoidable and unplanned expenses, not a holiday or a sale you don't want to miss. Keeping the definition strict is what keeps the fund available when you truly need it.
Last reviewed against 2026/27 UK rules. Projections are estimates for education, not financial advice. Understanding your projections.
A calculator answers one question at a time.
The planner keeps all of them next to each other, so an overpayment you model today still shows up in the pension picture in twenty years.
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- Your figures carry over