MONEY & RUNWAY

How long your money lasts

Runway is just math: what you've got, divided by what you spend. Fill in what you know and estimate the rest. The number below updates as you go, and the more accurate your inputs, the more honest the picture. Far easier to plan around than dread, and there's no wrong starting point.
–
months of runway
Today
6 mo
1 year+
Fill in the numbers below and your runway appears here.
Savings you can use
Cash you can actually spend
$
Severance (total)
Lump sum or remaining payments
$
Monthly unemployment
Estimated benefit, if approved
$
YOUR MONTHLY COSTS
Rent / mortgage
Your housing payment
$
Utilities
Power, water, internet, phone
$
Groceries & food
What you spend to eat
$
Insurance
Health, auto, home / renters
$
Transportation
Car payment, gas, transit
$
Minimum debt payments
Cards and loans: the minimums
$
Other essentials
Childcare, medical, anything else
$
Total monthly costs
$0
STOP THE BLEEDING
Tap what you can pause while there's no paycheck. Watch it add up. Prices are typical 2026 figures; check your statements for the exact amounts.
Streaming video
~$83/mo
~$18/mo
~$16/mo
~$15/mo
~$11/mo
Music & audio
~$17/mo
~$15/mo
~$12/mo
Gaming
~$20/mo
~$15/mo
~$4/mo
Fitness
~$230/mo
~$79/mo
~$50/mo
~$44/mo
~$25/mo
~$13/mo
Apps & productivity
~$60/mo
~$40/mo
~$25/mo
~$20/mo
~$13/mo
~$12/mo
~$10/mo
~$10/mo
~$4/mo
Food & delivery
~$280/mo
~$10/mo
~$10/mo
Tap the items above you're cutting. Your monthly savings show up here.
IF MONEY IS REALLY TIGHT
211.org
Food, utilities, rent help in your area. The single most useful number most people don't know.
Benefits.gov
A 10-minute screener for every federal program you may qualify for.
OWED MONEY YOU DIDN'T GET?
Worth a lawyer's eyes if…
Your final paycheck, earned commissions, or accrued PTO weren't paid (many states set a hard deadline for this).
Unpaid overtime, or you were called “exempt” when the actual work wasn't.
You were a “1099 contractor” but worked like an employee (misclassification).
HOW TO FIND ONE, AFFORDABLY
You may need a lawyer less often, and more affordably, than you think. Many employment lawyers give a free first consultation, and wage and discrimination cases are often taken on contingency, meaning you pay nothing up front.
Find an employee-side employment lawyer (NELA)
Your state bar's lawyer referral service
Free or low-cost legal aid (income-based)
Facing discrimination? Start with the EEOC
This isn't legal advice. It's a nudge to get a professional's read when the stakes are real.
DON'T TOUCH THIS YET
Your 401(k) after a layoff
What happens to it, your four options, and why cashing out is usually the costly one.
Estimates only: for planning, not financial advice. Prices are typical 2026 figures and change often; your real numbers and any benefit amounts depend on your situation and state.

Common questions

How do I figure out how long my money will last?

Add your accessible savings plus any severance, then divide by your monthly burn (your real expenses minus unemployment, if you're getting it). That gives you the month you'd run out. The runway calculator does the math once you enter your actual housing, utilities, food, insurance, transport, and debt numbers.

What expenses should I count after a layoff?

The essentials: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, insurance, transportation, minimum debt payments, and childcare. Use your real amounts, not estimates, because the runway number is only as honest as what you put in.

What's the fastest way to cut my monthly costs?

Subscriptions and recurring services are the quickest wins, since they're easy to forget and they add up. The calculator lets you check off what you cancel and shows how many extra weeks of runway each cut buys.

Where can I get help if money is running out?

Call 211 (211.org) for local help with food, utilities, and rent, the number most people don't know they have. Benefits.gov has a 10-minute screener for federal programs you might qualify for. And if an employer never paid wages you were owed, that's collectable.