Work out how large your emergency fund should be and when you'll have it together. You choose how many months of expenses to cover — the common '3 to 6 months' rule of thumb is only a guide, not a recommendation. The calculator shows the target, the amount still missing, your progress and the time to reach it. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.
–
The cards give the target amount, what is still needed, your progress and the time to reach it. A bar shows how far along you are — the reserve you have against the target. None of it recommends a number of months; that choice is yours.
The target is your monthly expenses times the number of months you choose to cover. The gap is the difference between the target and what you already have (at least 0). Progress is your reserve as a share of the target, capped at 100%.
The time to the target is the gap divided by your monthly saving, rounded up to whole months — so the target is safely reached in the final month. If your reserve is already big enough, the target is reached; with no saving, an existing gap cannot be closed on paper.
The calculation deliberately uses no interest: an emergency fund is usually kept available and planned conservatively without a return. Internally the calculation is unrounded; only the months are rounded up and amounts shown to the penny.
Target=Monthly expenses · Months of coverStill needed=max(0, Target − existing reserve)Progress=min(100, reserve / Target · 100)Months to target=round up(Still needed / Monthly saving)| Monthly expenses | €2,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Months of cover | 6 months |
| Existing reserve | €3,000.00 |
| Monthly saving | €400.00 |
| Target amount | €12,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Still needed | €9,000.00 |
| Progress | 25% |
| Time to target | 23 months (1 year and 11 months) |
6 months of expenses at €2,000.00 makes a target of €12,000.00. You already have €3,000.00 (25%), leaving €9,000.00. At €400.00 a month that takes, rounded up, 23 months (9,000 / 400 = 22.5 → 23). All figures are example assumptions.
| Monthly expenses | €1,600.00 |
|---|---|
| Months of cover | 3 months |
| Existing reserve | €6,000.00 |
| Monthly saving | €250.00 |
| Target amount | €4,800.00 |
|---|---|
| Still needed | €0.00 |
| Progress | 100% |
| Time to target | already reached |
3 months of expenses at €1,600.00 makes a target of €4,800.00. With €6,000.00 already put by, the target is already passed — progress is capped at 100% and nothing is left to save. All figures are example assumptions.
That is your call. A common rule of thumb is 3 to 6 months of expenses, but the right size depends on your situation — job security, fixed commitments and how much of a buffer you want. The calculator gives no recommendation here.
An emergency fund should stay available, so it is planned conservatively with no interest earned. Real interest would only bring the target a little closer. To see how a rate affects available savings, use the savings interest calculator.
With no saving (0), an existing gap cannot be closed on paper — the calculator then shows that the target is not reachable that way. The target, gap and progress are still shown.
The ones that carry on in an emergency — usually essential fixed costs and living expenses. A household budget calculator can help you work out that monthly figure.
Official and independent sources on this topic. The links open each website in a new tab; no content is loaded from them into this page.
If you notice something that is wrong or unclear: let us know via the contact page. We review every report.
Last reviewed: 26/07/2026 · All calculations run in your browser – inputs are not stored. ·How we check our calculators