Money runway calculator: how long your savings last between jobs
Put in your savings, what you spend in a week and any weekly income. The calculator shows how many weeks your savings last, counting the stand-down before a first benefit payment, when nothing comes in.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
| Savings to start with | $9,400 |
|---|---|
| Spending a week | $690.00 |
| Income a week, once it starts | $372.55 |
| Weeks before the first payment | 2 |
| Weekly gap once income starts | $317.45 |
- A stand-down of one or two weeks usually applies once a Jobseeker Support application is approved. Nothing is paid for it, and payments are made a week in arrears, so the first one usually arrives two or three weeks after approval.
- Rates are Work and Income's weekly rates after tax from 1 April 2026. Check yours with Work and Income.
Free while you are between jobs. Your account fills in the money runway on Insights, after asking, and you can change any figure there.
How the runway is worked out
Until the first benefit payment, your whole weekly spending comes out of savings. After it, only the gap between your spending and your income does. The calculator steps through the weeks the same way until the savings reach zero, and stops counting at a year.
The stand-down
Work and Income usually applies a stand-down of one or two weeks before Jobseeker Support starts, and nothing is paid for it. Payments are then made a week in arrears, for the week just gone, so the first money usually arrives two or three weeks after your application is approved. Leaving a job without a good reason, or being dismissed for misconduct, can mean a longer wait. Our guide to job hunting on Jobseeker Support covers how applying works.
When the runway is short
Under eight weeks is the point to ask about everything you can get. The Accommodation Supplement and hardship assistance are assessed separately from Jobseeker Support, and Work and Income's own estimator shows what they could add. Redundancy pay, final holiday pay and any tax refund all lengthen the runway: put them into savings.
Questions
How long will my savings last if I lose my job?
Divide your savings by the gap between what you spend each week and what comes in. Before any benefit starts, the gap is your whole weekly spending. The calculator does both stages.
How much is Jobseeker Support a week?
From 1 April 2026, a single person aged 25 or over gets $372.55 a week after tax at the M tax code. Rates depend on your age, whether you have a partner and children; Work and Income lists them all.
Is there a stand-down before Jobseeker Support is paid?
Usually one or two weeks once your application is approved, with nothing paid for it. The first payment then comes about a week after the stand-down ends, because Jobseeker Support is paid in arrears. Leaving work without a good reason can mean a longer one.
What happens when I save the runway?
Your account fills in the money runway on Insights in Your Job Hunt, after asking. It is free while you are between jobs, and you can change any figure there.
Sources
- Work and Income: Jobseeker Support.
- Work and Income: benefit rates from 1 April 2026.
- Work and Income: what is a stand-down.
More free tools: see all the calculators.