Protect Your Income
Income replacement and job-search support resources.
Apply as early as you can. Benefit approval, timing, and amount depend on official state rules.
Job loss runway calculator: know your financial runway.
Estimate how long your money may last,what benefits may help, and what choices matter after job loss.
Settings
App info and controls
Privacy+
This site does not require an account, name, email address, username, password, or public profile to use the tools.
Calculator entries are kept only for the current browser session. A new session starts blank.
PDF downloads are free and do not require an email address. Optional email delivery remains separate from the free download.
This site is not designed to sell personal data. Use Clear saved data at any time to remove saved calculator information from this session.
Tools+
Open each input row, tap the item you want to change, and use the large number pad.
Calculation details
Available money equals checking, savings, cash, severance, and other emergency funds entered by the user.
Monthly income includes partner income, side-gig income, severance monthly payment, expected unemployment benefits, and other income.
Runway compares available money with essential expenses, debt minimums, flexible expenses, one-time bills, and income still coming in.
Results are estimates. They depend on the inputs, assumptions, and missing details shown in the result.
The Download PDF Report button creates a PDF copy of the last calculated inputs and results.
Shared Journeys+
Shared Journeys adds a human layer to calculators and articles by showing realistic experiences, tradeoffs, and lessons from people facing similar decisions.
Open Shared JourneysComplete PDF Report+
The calculator results are free to view on this site.
The optional PDF is a convenience export for users who want to save, print, or share their calculation. It is educational, not professional advice.
The PDF report may include the selected tool, information entered, key numbers, assumptions, risk flags, confidence indicators, clear explanation, and the educational disclaimer.
Click Calculate first so the PDF matches the most recent result shown on the page.
Ads are not included in the PDF report.
Disclaimer+
Beyond Job Loss is an educational calculator and decision-support site. It does not provide financial, legal, tax, employment, benefits, medical, insurance, or professional advice.
Results are estimates based on the information entered and assumptions shown. Outcomes depend on personal circumstances, market conditions, applicable rules, timing, and future events that cannot be predicted.
Read full disclaimerCommon Questions+
Is this financial or legal advice?+
No. Beyond Job Loss is an educational calculator and decision-support site. It does not provide financial, legal, tax, employment, benefits, medical, insurance, or professional advice.
Do I need an account?+
No. The tools do not require an account, username, password, email address, or profile.
Why do the results show assumptions?+
Job-loss planning depends on assumptions like monthly expenses, income still coming in, unemployment benefits, severance, one-time bills, and flexible spending. Showing assumptions makes the result easier to question and update.
Can I export my result?+
Yes. The calculator includes a free PDF export so you can save, print, or share your result.
What is Shared Journeys?+
Shared Journeys is a straightforward collection of job-loss experiences people might recognize. It is educational context, not advice.
Optional starting point
Your situation right now
Income & Money
What you have now and income that may continue.
Money Available$0+
Income Still Coming In$0+
Current/expected near-term monthly income: $0. Use take-home monthly income when you can, and include unemployment only if you reasonably expect it. Future new-job pay is excluded from current runway until you model a selected start date.
Future new-job pay is optional and excluded from current income until you model a selected start date.
Benefits, Health Coverage & Assumptions+
These assumptions affect confidence, healthcare deadline reminders, risk flags, scenarios, stress tests, and audit traces. They are educational planning inputs, not official benefits or insurance determinations.
Advanced CalculatorsImprove accuracy for unemployment, COBRA/Marketplace, severance taxes, and first job offers.+
Quick Answer stays simple. Open these only when you want the calculator to estimate key job-loss numbers instead of relying on rough guesses.
State unemployment estimator+
Estimated weekly benefit range
Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0
Estimated monthly benefit range
Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0
Total estimated benefit range over 26 weeks
Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0
Most Likely is the current state formula estimate. Low and High use a 10% margin for typical wage-reporting variation, capped at the state maximum.
This is an educational estimate. State unemployment agencies make the final decision.
State agency sourceSeverance / PTO after-tax estimator+
Taxes are personal — this is not a tax calculation.
Your actual tax rate depends on your total income for the year, filing status, state, withholding elections, and how your employer taxes severance and PTO payouts. This tool does not calculate your tax rate for you — it only does the math on whatever percentages you enter. If you're not sure what to enter, a pay stub from a recent bonus or severance payment, a tax professional, or the IRS withholding estimator can give you a more accurate number than a guess.
Total net exit cash: $0
Net severance: $0
Net PTO: $0
Net bonus/commission: $0
Gross severance is not the same as usable cash. Taxes, timing, and unemployment rules can change the real value.
A lump sum may arrive later than expected and may have taxes withheld before you can use it.
COBRA vs Marketplace estimator+
Amount currently included in monthly expenses: $0. No manual or selected advanced health premium is included in monthly expenses.
| Option | Monthly Cost | 3 Months | 6 Months | 12 Months | Key Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COBRA | Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0 | Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0 | Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0 | Low $0 / Most Likely $0 / High $0 | Enter employer and employee premium shares to estimate COBRA. Range uses a small 5% planning buffer, not an official COBRA rule. Confirm the actual premium with the plan administrator or COBRA notice. |
| Marketplace | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Actual quote requires HealthCare.gov or state marketplace. This row uses the premium and subsidy estimates you enter. |
| Spouse/partner plan | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Employer special enrollment window is not confirmed in this result. |
| Medicaid/CHIP | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Medicaid and CHIP eligibility are not checked in this result; income change or covered children can affect eligibility. |
Lower entered estimate: Enter COBRA and Marketplace estimates to compare
Use Healthcare.gov or your state marketplace for actual quotes. Enter the monthly premium after subsidy if known.
Doctors, hospitals, medications, and networks are not confirmed in this result. Monthly premium is not the whole cost; deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and prescription costs are not compared in this result.
First job offer decision estimator+
Offer decision results are not calculated yet.
Enter offer start date and estimated monthly take-home pay before this tool shows accept/decline runway, scores, rankings, or conclusions.
No default eight-week wait or decline runway is used when no real offer is entered.
How did we calculate this?+
Estimated weekly unemployment benefit
Formula: min(state maximum weekly benefit, highest quarter wages x state quarter multiplier) - estimated partial income reduction
Inputs: stateCode: CA; highestQuarterWages: 0; maxWeeklyBenefit: 450; approxQuarterMultiplier: 0.038461538461538464; weeklySideIncome: 0; weeklyPartTimeIncome: 0; partialIncomeReduction: 0
Result: Low 0 / Most Likely 0 / High 0
Assumptions: California generally reviews wages in a base period and uses the highest quarter to estimate weekly benefits.; Partial earnings may reduce weekly benefits. Report all earnings to EDD.; Most Likely is the current formula estimate; Low and High use a 10% margin for typical wage-reporting variation, capped at the state maximum.; This simplified estimate does not determine eligibility.
Warning: This is an educational estimate. State unemployment agencies make the final decision.
Net severance amount
Formula: gross severance x (1 - federal tax rate - state tax rate - payroll tax rate)
Inputs: grossSeveranceAmount: 0; federal: 12; stateTax: 5; payroll: 7.65; totalEstimatedTaxRate: 24.65
Result: 0
Assumptions: Tax rates are user-entered estimates.; Withholding and final tax outcome may differ.
Total net exit cash
Formula: net severance + net PTO + net bonus/commission
Inputs: netSeveranceAmount: 0; netPtoAmount: 0; netBonusCommissionAmount: 0
Result: 0
Assumptions: Only entered exit-cash fields are included.
COBRA monthly premium
Formula: (employee premium + employer contribution) x (1 + admin fee percent / 100)
Inputs: employeePremium: 0; employerContribution: 0; adminFeePercent: 2
Result: Low 0 / Most Likely 0 / High 0
Assumptions: COBRA often means paying both old employee and employer shares plus up to a 2% administrative fee.; Most Likely is the formula result from entered premium shares and admin fee; Low and High use a small 5% planning buffer. This buffer is not an official COBRA rule. Actual COBRA premiums come from the plan administrator or COBRA notice.
Marketplace net monthly premium
Formula: marketplace monthly premium estimate - expected subsidy estimate
Inputs: marketplaceGross: 0; subsidy: 0
Result: 0
Assumptions: Actual Marketplace premiums require HealthCare.gov or state Marketplace plan data.
Monthly net after job costs
Formula: estimated monthly take-home pay - new job health premium - commute cost - care cost
Inputs: estimatedMonthlyTakeHomePay: 0; employeeMonthlyPremiumNewJob: 0; commuteCostMonthly: 0; childcareOrCaregivingCostMonthly: 0
Result: 0
Assumptions: Take-home pay may differ based on taxes, deductions, and benefits.
Runway if decline
Formula: current monthly runway - expected weeks to next offer / 4.345
Inputs: currentMonthlyRunway: Infinity; expectedWeeksToNextOffer: 8
Result: Infinity
Assumptions: Expected time to another offer is a planning estimate, not a prediction.
Educational estimates only. State agencies, HealthCare.gov/state marketplaces, employer plan documents, tax rules, and qualified professionals are the sources of record for major decisions.
Expenses & Debt
What drains runway: essentials, debt pressure, flexible spending, and one-time bills reserved now.
Essential Monthly Expenses$0+
Credit Card & Debt PressureDebt: $0 · Min: $0+
Debt payments can shorten your financial runway significantly.
Lightweight runway estimate
Card 1
Total credit card debt$0
Estimated monthly interest$0/month
Minimum monthly payments$0/month
Interest is estimated for planning purposes only. Actual lender interest may differ because lenders may use daily balances, statement cycles, fees, compounding, grace periods, and payment timing.
Add debt details to estimate debt payment pressure.
High-interest debt can quietly drain your runway. This is a rough pressure check, not a full debt payoff plan.
Where payment pressure goes
Add debt details to estimate debt payment pressure.
Flexible / Cuttable Monthly Expenses$0+
Preserved Cash / Cushion$0+
This is cash you want to preserve. It is not a monthly expense, is not included in flexible spending, and does not increase monthly burn.
The cushion reduces the comfortable runway view only; current and survival runway keep showing the full submitted funds after reserved bills.
One-Time Bills To Reserve Now+
Upcoming one-time bills are reserved immediately for a conservative estimate.
Upcoming expense 1
Upcoming expense 2
Upcoming expense 3
What Extends My Runway?
Runway extension ideas will appear after you click Calculate My Runway.
Important job-loss rules to checkDeadlines and benefit rules that can change the real picture.+
These are educational prompts to verify with official sources or a qualified professional. They do not change the calculator formula and they are not legal, tax, benefits, or employment advice.
WARN Act notice may apply to some larger layoffs+
Federal WARN rules generally apply to employers with 100 or more employees and require 60 calendar days of written notice for covered plant closings and mass layoffs, including certain layoffs affecting 50 or more employees at one employment site. Exceptions and state rules can matter.
Source: U.S. Department of LaborWorkers 40+ get extra severance-review protections+
The OWBPA generally requires at least 21 days to consider an age-claims waiver, 45 days in some group layoff programs, and 7 days to revoke after signing. Do not rely on this tool as legal advice before signing a severance agreement.
Source: EEOCCashing out a 401(k) can be costly+
Vanguard reported that roughly a third of participants cash out savings when they leave jobs. Taxes, possible early-withdrawal penalties, lost growth, and rollover choices can change the real cost. If you separated in or after the year you reached 55, a narrow IRS qualified-plan exception may apply to that employer's plan, but IRA rules differ.
Source: Vanguard / IRS contextA 401(k) loan can come due after separation+
If you leave a job with an outstanding 401(k) loan, the remaining balance may need to be repaid on a shorter timeline, sometimes by the next tax filing deadline. If it is not repaid or rolled over in time, the offset amount can become a taxable distribution, and a possible early-withdrawal penalty may apply if you are under 59½.
Source: IRSSeverance can affect unemployment timing in some states+
Severance, salary continuation, or other separation pay can delay unemployment benefits or reduce the weekly amount in some states. There is no single national rule, so verify timing and offsets with your state unemployment office before assuming benefits start on a specific date.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor / state unemployment officesToday's Survival ChecklistOpen for official benefit, health coverage, housing, utility, food, and job-center links.+
Enter your ZIP code and we'll point supported links to your state or local official resources. Links open in a new tab so your plan stays here.
Optional. Press Enter or tap Use ZIP to customize supported links.
Most important first
Protect Your Health Insurance
Coverage choice information, organized by deadline.
COBRA can be useful, but it is often expensive. Compare before you decide.
Protect Your Housing & Utilities
Look for official help with housing and utility pressure.
If rent, mortgage, power, gas, or water is at risk, check help before you fall behind.
Protect Food & Essentials
Find food and essentials support near your household.
Food help exists for temporary emergencies too. You do not have to wait until things are desperate.
These links open official or widely recognized resource directories in a new tab. Beyond Job Loss does not collect your ZIP code or send it to our server.
Review Dates
Last updated July 7, 2026.
Last reviewed July 8, 2026.
Calculator Assumptions
Blank numeric fields are treated as zero. Unemployment, COBRA, Marketplace, severance, PTO, and job-offer estimates depend on entered values and visible planning assumptions.
Sources & Freshness
State unemployment estimates use stored state configuration reviewed July 8, 2026. COBRA, Marketplace, tax, and job-offer figures use entered values or displayed planning formulas.
Shared Journeys
Real stories are being collected.
Shared Journeys will feature approved stories from real visitors. Until then, the library stays open for new submissions instead of showing sample story cards.
Share a job loss journeyJob Loss Articles
Read next when the numbers are clear
I Lost My Job. What Should I Do First?
A clear article about the first 24 hours and first week after losing a job, including severance, PTO, unemployment, health insurance, and avoiding panic decisions.
How Long Can I Afford To Be Unemployed?
Learn how to estimate your financial runway after a job loss by reviewing savings, emergency funds, monthly expenses, debt obligations, budget cuts, and warning signs.
What Happens To My Health Insurance After Losing My Job?
Understand health insurance options after losing a job, including COBRA, Marketplace plans, Medicaid, Medicare, prescription coverage, doctor networks, and common mistakes.
Should I Take The First Job Offer I Receive?
Learn how to evaluate the first job offer after unemployment, including financial pressure, salary, benefits, career pivots, and long-term consequences.
Helpful Resources
Official sources to check after you estimate your runway.
One step at a time.