Emergency fund calculator

The target is essential monthly costs times the number of months you want covered. It is cash you can reach, not a SIP you would have to sell.

CurrencyChanges the symbol only. Amounts are not converted.

Essential monthly costs20,000

Rent, food, transport, bills, and active EMIs only. Exclude dining out and luxuries.

Months of protection6 mo

3 months for stable corporate jobs. 6 months standard. 9-12 for freelancers/startups.

Already set aside in bank0

Cash in a separate high-yield savings account or liquid fund.

Monthly savings contribution5,000

How much you can redirect into the buffer account each payday.

Buffer0% Funded

Saved: ₹0Target: ₹1,20,000

Total Emergency Buffer Goal

Target

₹1,20,000

6 months × ₹20,000 essential costs.

Remaining Gap

₹1,20,000

Still to accumulate

Time to Reach Goal

24 months

At ₹5,000/mo

Next Move: Keep this buffer in an auto-sweep or separate savings account before locking money into high-risk market equity. This stops you from having to break investments during emergencies.

How to pick the months

Three months is a reasonable start when a salary arrives on a known date and you could replace the job without a long gap. Six months is the usual recommendation. If income is freelance or commission, use more, and treat the target as a floor the account should not fall through.

Count rent, food, local travel, bills, and any EMI. Leave out eating out and shopping. Those are the costs you can cut. The fund is for the costs you cannot.

Where to keep it

A separate savings account is enough at the start. The job of this money is to be there, not to earn the highest rate. Chasing an extra percent in a fund you might need next month misses the point. The article on building the buffer before a SIP goes further.