Emergency fund,
the honest number.
Enter your real fixed costs, not your income. See your 3, 6, and 9 month targets. This is the number most people get wrong because they confuse "monthly spending" with "the number that keeps me alive."
Minimum. Most job-loss scenarios.
Standard target. Most people.
Self-employed, single income.
Specialized job, extreme caution.
Keep this in a separate-institution HYSA. No debit card. Deliberate friction. See Where to Bank. Current HYSA rates approximately 3 to 4% APY as of April 2026 verify×DON'T TRUST, VERIFYClaim: HYSA rates approximately 3 to 4% APY as of April 2026.Verify at: Bankrate HYSA tracker ↗Rates track the federal funds rate (3.5 to 3.75% as of April 2026)..
What this tool assumes
- Recommended coverage is 3-6 months of essential expenses for dual-income households, 6-12 for single-income or variable income.
- Essential expenses exclude discretionary spending.
Not financial advice. Your numbers stay in your browser.
HOW THIS IS CALCULATED
This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. All formulas use standard financial math. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.