# Emergency fund calculator > Enter your essential expenses and how many months you want to cover: the calculator shows your emergency fund, what's left and how much to save each month. _By Gonzalo Nahmías · Reviewed on 2026-10-14_ **In short:** An emergency fund is the money that covers your essential expenses for a few months if your income stops or a big expense shows up. You work it out as essential monthly expenses times the months you want to cover, usually 3 to 6. More months if your income is irregular or comes from a single source. The question isn't "how much should I save" but "how many months could I get by if nothing came in tomorrow". This calculator does that maths with your essential expenses, subtracts what you already have, and tells you how much to set aside each month to complete it in the time you choose. ## The calculator Interactive calculator (needs a browser): https://getkesef.app/en/tools/emergency-fund-calculator ## How it's calculated The fund is one month of essential expenses multiplied by the months you want to cover. What's left is that total minus what you've already saved for it. And the amount to set aside each month is what's left divided by the months you want to complete it in. Worked example. Suppose essential expenses of $600,000 a month and a 3-month fund: $1,800,000. If you already have $500,000, you're $1,300,000 short. To complete it in 12 months you'd set aside about $108,333 a month. With 6 months instead of 3, the fund would be $3,600,000. > Essential expenses aren't everything you spend: they're what you'd still pay if your income stopped. Rent, food, utilities, transport, health, the instalments you already owe. Nights out and subscriptions you'd cut in an emergency don't count. ## How many months to choose? There's no single right number. The range you'll see most often is 3 to 6 months, and the choice depends on how quickly you could have income again and how predictable it is. - Closer to 3 months: a fixed salary as an employee, more than one income in the household, few fixed expenses. - Closer to 6 or more: irregular or self-employed income, a single income for the whole household, children or others who depend on you. - If 3 months feels out of reach, start with one. A single month of expenses covered already changes how a surprise feels. The emergency fund is for the unexpected, not for expenses you know are coming (holidays, the annual insurance bill, a bonus that's already spoken for). Those work better as goals of their own, with a date. ## The fund as a goal in Kesef In Kesef, savings goals come with an "Emergency fund" template. Enter the amount the calculator gave you and, if you like, a date; every time you set money aside you log it as a contribution, and the app tells you how much is left, your pace, and how much per month you'd need to get there on time. Contributions don't count as spending for the month: it's money you set aside, not money you spend. ## This in Kesef [Savings goals: set the amount and Kesef tells you whether you'll make it](https://getkesef.app/en/features/savings-goals): A trip, an emergency fund, a laptop: set the amount and, if you like, a date. Kesef tells you your pace and how much to set aside per month. 2 goals free. ## Frequently asked questions ### How big should an emergency fund be? One month of essential expenses multiplied by the months you want to cover. The most common range is 3 to 6 months; more if your income is irregular or the household depends on a single income. ### Which expenses count as essential? The ones you'd still pay if your income stopped: housing, food, utilities, transport, health, and the debts or instalments you already have. What you'd cut in an emergency, like nights out or subscriptions, doesn't count. ### Where should I keep the emergency fund? Somewhere you can withdraw it quickly, without losing money, if you need it overnight. The calculator doesn't recommend any product: the blog post on emergency funds explains what to look at (liquidity, risk, currency) to decide. ### What if I've already saved part of it? Enter it under "what you've already saved" and the calculator subtracts it. If it already covers the whole fund, it says so, and what you set aside from then on can go to another goal. ## Your emergency fund, as a goal in Kesef A ready-made template, contributions that don't count as spending, and how much per month to get there. Free, on iPhone and Android. ## Download - iPhone (App Store): https://apps.apple.com/app/id6758053806 - Android (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kesef.app --- Esta página en español: https://getkesef.app/herramientas/fondo-de-emergencia.md HTML: https://getkesef.app/en/tools/emergency-fund-calculator