Pocketools

Emergency Fund Calculator

How big your emergency fund should be, and how long it will take to build it.

Budgeting Runs in your browser
What you must pay every month

Rent, groceries, bills, school fees, commute — not eating out or shopping.

Health, term and vehicle insurance must keep being paid even without income.

Your situation
Your emergency fund

Enter your monthly expenses

How big your safety net should be, how far you are from it and how long it takes to build appear here.

Runs entirely in your browser. Your data isn't uploaded — this page makes no network request with anything you type or upload, which you can verify in your browser's network tab. How this works.

What is the Emergency Fund Calculator?

An emergency fund is money set aside for the things you cannot plan for: losing your job, a hospital bill, an urgent repair, a family crisis. This calculator works out how big yours should be, based on what you must keep paying every month — essential expenses, loan EMIs and insurance premiums — rather than on your salary.

The recommended size depends on how steady your income is and how many people rely on it: around three to four months for a very stable job, six months for most salaried work and nine to twelve months for freelancers and the self-employed, with an extra month for each dependant. Enter what you have saved and what you can set aside each month to see the gap and how long it will take to close. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

How to use it

  1. Enter your essential monthly expenses, not including discretionary spending.
  2. Add your monthly EMIs and your yearly insurance premiums.
  3. Choose how steady your income is and how many people depend on it.
  4. Enter what you have saved already and what you can set aside each month.
  5. Read the recommended fund, the gap and how long it takes to build; press Copy for a summary.

Example

A salaried employee with one dependant, ₹35,000 of essentials, a ₹12,000 EMI and ₹30,000 of yearly insurance.

Situation
Essential expenses:  ₹35,000 a month
EMIs:                ₹12,000 a month
Insurance:           ₹30,000 a year
Income:              private-sector salaried, 1 dependant
Saved so far:        ₹80,000, adding ₹15,000 a month
Emergency fund
Monthly outgoings:   ₹49,500
Recommended fund:    7 months — ₹3,46,500
Still to save:       ₹2,66,500
Time to build:       18 months

Features

  • Sizes the fund on outgoings you cannot stop: expenses, EMIs and insurance
  • Recommendation adjusted for job stability
  • Extra cover for each dependant, up to three months
  • Shows how many months your current savings already cover
  • Gap and time to build the fund at your monthly pace
  • Guidance on where to keep it so it is safe and quick to reach
  • Nothing is uploaded — your figures stay in your browser

Frequently asked questions

How many months of expenses should an emergency fund cover?
Six months is the usual guide for salaried employees. Three to four months can be enough with a very secure job and a second income in the household; nine to twelve months is safer if you are self-employed, freelance or paid on commission. More dependants and higher fixed costs justify a larger fund.
Why include EMIs and insurance premiums?
Because they do not stop when your income does. Missing EMIs damages your credit score and adds penalties, and letting health or term insurance lapse during a crisis is exactly when you can least afford to be uncovered.
Where should I keep my emergency fund?
Somewhere safe and quick to reach rather than somewhere that earns the most. A common approach is one or two months in a savings account or sweep-in FD for immediate needs and the rest in liquid funds or short fixed deposits. Avoid equity, long lock-ins and anything that could be worth less on the day you need it.
Should I build an emergency fund before investing?
Most people find it sensible to build at least a few months of cover first, often alongside a small SIP. Without it, any surprise expense forces you to sell investments at a bad time or borrow on a credit card at high interest.
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