Work out how big your emergency fund should be from your actual outgoings — and how long it will take to get there at your current saving rate.
Open the emergency fund calculator →List your essential monthly outgoings — rent or mortgage, bills, food, transport, insurance, minimum debt payments. Not holidays, not subscriptions you would cancel. Choose how many months of cover you want, and Palarid shows the target, the gap from what you already have, and the month you will reach it at your current saving rate.
The point of the calculation is not the number. It is seeing how many months of breathing room you would actually have if your income stopped tomorrow.
Palarid runs entirely in your browser. There is no account, no tracking, and no server copy of anything you enter. Export everything as JSON whenever you like.
Three to six months of essential outgoings is the common guideline. Lean higher if your income is variable, you are self-employed, you are the only earner, or people depend on you.
Outgoings. The fund exists to cover what you must pay when income stops, so essential spending is the right basis. Using income usually overstates the target and makes the goal feel impossible.
Somewhere instant-access and separate from your current account, so it is not spent by accident. An emergency fund is not an investment — its job is to be available immediately, not to grow.
A widely used approach is a small starter buffer of around one month, then clearing high-interest debt, then building the full fund. With no buffer at all, the next unexpected bill simply goes back on the credit card.
No. It is a planning tool based on figures you enter. For advice about your circumstances, speak to a regulated adviser. Free UK debt help is available from StepChange and Citizens Advice.
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