Free tool
Emergency fund calculator
The fund that stops a bad month becoming a bad year. Size it from what you actually must spend, see how covered you are today, and find out when it will be full.
Months of cover to aim for
Your target
₹2,40,000
Still to save
₹1,50,000
Full in
10 months
Today you have 2.3 months of cover. Keep it somewhere boring and reachable within a day — a savings account or a liquid fund — not in equity, and not in something with a lock-in.
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice. Lenders may round figures slightly differently.
Size it on essentials, not income
An emergency fund covers the months you are not earning — and in those months the discretionary half of the budget is the first thing to go. So the figure that matters is what you would still have to pay: rent, food, bills, EMIs, insurance, medicines, school fees. Not holidays, not subscriptions you would cancel.
Target = essential monthly spending × months of cover
At ₹40,000 of essentials and six months of cover, the target is ₹2,40,000. With ₹90,000 saved you are covered for 2.3 months, and saving ₹15,000 a month closes the gap in 10 months.
How many months is right
- Three months — a steady salary, a second income in the house, skills that are quick to re-employ.
- Six months — the sensible default for most salaried people in India, where there is no unemployment benefit to fall back on.
- Nine months — a single income supporting dependants, or a specialised role where the search takes longer.
- Twelve months — freelance, commission-based or business income, where a quiet quarter is a normal event rather than an emergency.
Where to keep it
Somewhere boring, reachable within a day, and separate from your spending account. A savings account, a sweep-in deposit or a liquid fund all qualify. Equity does not — the months you need this money are disproportionately the months markets are down.
Keep it out of the goal you are saving for, too. Our goal savings calculator treats those as separate pots on purpose.
Questions people ask
Should I build the fund before investing?
Generally yes, at least a first month or two of cover. Without it, one bad month forces you to sell an investment at whatever price the market offers that week — or to borrow expensively.
Do EMIs count as essential spending?
Yes. The loan does not pause because your income did, so every EMI belongs in the essentials figure.
Is a credit card a substitute?
No. A card converts an emergency into expensive debt at 36-48% a year. It is a bridge of a few weeks at most, not a fund.
What if I have expensive debt too?
Build a small buffer of about one month first, clear the expensive debt, then finish the fund. Carrying credit-card debt while saving at 6% is paying 40% to earn 6%.
More free tools: EMI calculator · SIP calculator · Goal savings calculator · Rent vs buy calculator · Rental yield calculator · Savings rate calculator · Life in weeks
Know your essentials, not a guess at them
Becom's budget planner separates fixed costs, EMIs and day-to-day spending each month, which is exactly the figure this calculator needs.
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