Emergency Fund Calculator
An emergency fund is measured in months of essential spending, not in round numbers. Start from what you actually must pay.
Your numbers
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Target emergency fund
$15,000
4 months of $3,750 essentials
- Essential spending per month
- $3,750
- You have today
- $2,500
- Months currently covered
- 0.7
- Still to save
- $12,500
- Time to reach the target
- 2 yr 8 mo
Essentials only — this is what you'd need to keep the lights on, not your normal spending.
How to use this calculator
Three months or six?
The right size depends on how stable your income is and how many people depend on it. Two salaried incomes in stable roles need less cover than one variable freelance income.
Start with one month
A full fund can feel impossible. One month of essentials already absorbs most common shocks — a car repair, a deductible, a short gap between paychecks — so treat that as milestone one.
Common questions
Should the fund include fun money?
No. In an actual emergency, discretionary spending stops. Sizing the fund on essentials keeps the target realistic and reachable.
Emergency fund or debt payoff first?
A common sequence is a small starter buffer, then high-interest debt, then finishing the fund. Without any buffer, the next surprise goes straight back onto a credit card.
This calculator is an educational estimate based only on the figures you enter. Verdi does not provide financial, investment, tax, legal, credit or lending advice. Actual rates, fees, taxes and terms offered to you may differ.