Layoff Runway And Cut Plan Calculator

📖 Overview

This calculator converts stress planning into a clear runway timeline.

It models cash burn support income and realistic cuts together so you can see if your current plan gives enough time to recover.

Use these default and higher-pressure example inputs to explore how sensitive this calculator is before using your real numbers.

Input	Base Case	Higher Pressure Case
Current Cash Reserve ($)	42,000	37,800
Current Monthly Burn ($)	5,200	6,240
Monthly Expense Cuts You Can Sustain ($)	1,400	1,610
Monthly Support Income ($)	900	810
One Time Emergency Costs ($)	3,500	4,200

Estimates survival runway under job-loss conditions by combining available cash, one-time shocks, monthly support, and a practical cost-cut plan.

The Formula

Runway (months) = (Cash − One-time Costs) ÷ (Burn − Cuts − Support)

Cash	Liquid funds available for immediate survival use
Burn	Current monthly outflow including essential obligations
Cuts	Monthly reductions you can sustain without breaking essentials
Support	Monthly severance/unemployment/guaranteed inflow
One-time Costs	Immediate obligations that reduce usable runway cash

💡This calculator is scenario-based. Better input quality leads to better decision quality.

⚠️Runway is a planning estimate, not a guarantee. Unexpected healthcare, housing, or dependent costs can reduce runway materially.

Use this tool when you need a fast decision during active planning or execution.
Use this before committing money, time, or tradeoffs that are hard to reverse.
Use this to compare options using the same assumptions across scenarios.

Results can be misleading if key inputs are missing, stale, or unrealistic.
Very small or very large values may amplify rounding effects and interpretation risk.
If assumptions change mid-decision, recalculate before acting.

💡 Model baseline and cut-plan scenarios side by side.

💡 Treat optimistic support assumptions cautiously until confirmed.

💡 Prioritize fixed-cost cuts first; they improve runway every month.

❓ What if net burn becomes zero or negative?

That means cash-flow is neutral/positive and runway is no longer cash-limited under current assumptions.

❓ Should retirement savings be counted as runway cash?

Only if truly accessible and acceptable to use under your contingency plan.