Emergency fund
Enough to hold on for a few months if the income stops or a large cost falls. How much, and how long it takes.
Everything is worked out in your browser: nothing is sent, nothing is kept.
How it is worked out
An emergency fund is counted in months of fixed costs: rent, energy, insurance, subscriptions, loans and groceries. Three to six months is common advice, more for the self-employed.
The calculator multiplies the fixed costs by the number of months, takes off what is already put aside and divides the rest by what you put aside each month.
Going further
Questions
Where to keep it?
Somewhere available at any time and without risk, like a savings account, not in a locked or volatile investment.
Three or six months?
Three with a steady job and two incomes in the household, six or more with one income or self-employment.
Should it come before investing?
It is the most prudent: it avoids selling an investment at the wrong time for an unexpected cost.