Runway Calculator: How Much Time Do You Actually Have?

Add up everything you can access within 30 days: checking accounts, savings accounts, money market funds, and any easily liquidated investments. Do not count retirement accounts unless you are willing to take the tax hit and penalty. Do not count home equity. Be conservative.

List every recurring monthly expense: Housing (rent/mortgage + utilities + insurance). Food (groceries + any dining). Transportation (car payment, insurance, gas, transit). Health insurance (COBRA or Marketplace premium). Debt payments (minimum required). Subscriptions and memberships. Phone and internet. Childcare or education costs. Everything else. Use actual spending from the last 3 months, not your ideal budget. Reality is the only number that matters.

Calculate expected monthly income from: unemployment benefits (check your state’s calculator), severance payments (if structured monthly), partner or household income, freelance or contract work, any other reliable income. Subtract this from your monthly burn to get your net monthly cash outflow.

Runway = Liquid Assets / Net Monthly Cash Outflow Example: $24,000 in savings / $4,000 net monthly outflow = 6 months of runway. This number should drive your urgency level, your search strategy, and how aggressively you cut expenses.

If your runway is under 3 months, review every expense line for cuts: Cancel unused subscriptions. Reduce dining and discretionary spending. Negotiate bills (internet, phone, insurance). Defer non-essential purchases. Consider whether any large recurring costs can be paused or reduced. Each $200/month cut extends your runway by roughly 5% for most people.