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Free Severance Runway Calculator

How long will your severance actually last?

A severance runway is how many months your severance pay plus liquid savings will cover your essential expenses while you are out of work. This free Severance Runway Calculator answers “how long will my severance last,” gives an estimated run-out date, and returns a 0–100 Severance Survivability Score — a normalized measure of how much time your money buys against a six-month benchmark.

Enter your severance, savings, and monthly expenses below to see your runway in months — instantly, free, no account.

Severance Runway Calculator

Your severance

Example

Survivability score

57/ 100

Solid runway

Example: $18k severance + $8k savings, $6k/mo expenses. Enter your own numbers on the left to see yours.

TodaySeptember 2026
ConservativeWith gross severance

Runway (conservative – baseline)

3.4 months – 4.3 months

Net monthly burn

$6,000/mo

Enter your numbers to see your runway — free.

Your months of runway, run-out date, and survivability score — instantly, in your browser, no account. When you're ready to act on the number, the Severance Action Plan ($149, one-time) tells you what to do about it:

  • The clauses to push back on — and your 40+ waiver, checked.
  • Where your offer actually stands.
  • The number to ask for.

Earns its $149 or a full refund within 30 days — keep your results either way.

Built on public BLS job-tenure, DOL / state unemployment, and IRS supplemental-wage data. Educational planning tool — not financial advice.

Want to know if the offer itself is fair? See how your severance benchmarks vs. your peers — free →

When you're ready to act on the number

The runway above is free. The plan that buys you more weeks is the Severance Action Plan.

The full Severance Action Plan

$149one-time · yours instantly

An attorney's flat fee just to review a severance agreement typically runs $350–$995 — and they'll ask you to gather most of this first anyway. Here it is, done, for $149. Private by design — nothing you share is stored.

  • The clauses to push back on — and your 40+ waiver, checked.

    What the danger clauses mean — non-compete, claw-back, release scope — so you know exactly what to question, plus a check of whether your agreement grants the review and 7-day revocation windows the law gives you if you're 40 or older.

  • Where your offer actually stands.

    Your severance benchmarked against the norm for your role and tenure — so you know if the first number was low.

  • The number to ask for.

    A specific counter-offer range. Not "negotiate" — an actual range to put in the email.

  • The email, already written.

    A ready-to-send counter. You add your details and send it.

  • A runway plan to your run-out date.

    A month-by-month spend-down to your run-out date, and which costs to cut first.

  • A private page that keeps working after you sign.

    Your deadlines — COBRA, health-plan enrollment, equity windows — counted down on every visit, follow-up scripts for each stage of the negotiation, and every template we publish later. At your private link, for as long as severancereport.com operates.

  • The whole thing as a PDF.

    Yours to keep, share with a spouse, or hand to a lawyer — no matter what.

Build my Severance Action Plan →or see a full sample first →

30‑day money‑back guarantee.

If your plan doesn't surface at least three concrete things worth negotiating, or it otherwise doesn't earn its $149, email us within 30 days for a full refund. Keep the PDF either way.

How this calculator works

The model spends your starting cash (savings plus severance) down against your essential monthly expenses, month by month. Unemployment benefits are treated as a windowed top-up that reduces your burn while they last; partner or other steady income reduces your burn for the whole horizon. The conservative end of the range applies a haircut to a lump-sum severance to approximate taxes and withholding. All math is deterministic and runs in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere unless you choose to get the full plan.

Methodology & sources

  • Severance taxes. Severance is supplemental wages, so the conservative estimate applies the IRS 22% federal supplemental withholding rate to a lump-sum payout. This is an estimate; your actual withholding and final tax can differ — confirm with a CPA.
  • Unemployment benefits. The optional UI top-up uses U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and state unemployment-insurance benefit durations (typically up to 26 weeks in most states) as a time-limited reduction in your monthly burn.
  • Survivability benchmark. The 0–100 Severance Survivability Score normalizes your conservative runway against the widely cited six-month emergency-fund benchmark, then clamps it to a 0–100 scale.

Reviewed by the Severance Report editorial team. Methodology last updated for 2026. We publish our assumptions in full so you can pressure-test every number.

Severance runway by company

Laid off from a specific employer? Start with its typical package pre-filled.

Frequently asked questions

What is a severance runway?
Your severance runway is how many months your severance pay plus your liquid savings will cover your essential monthly expenses while you are out of work. It tells you how much time you have actually bought to find your next role.
How is the survivability score calculated?
The score normalises your conservative runway (with the severance haircut for taxes/withholding) against a six-month benchmark, then clamps it to a 0–100 scale. It is a runway/survivability measure of time-bought — not a verdict on whether your severance offer is fair.
Does this include taxes on my severance?
The conservative end of the range haircuts a lump-sum severance to approximate withholding, because severance is supplemental wages and is rarely paid out in full. It is an estimate only; confirm your actual tax with a CPA.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is an educational planning tool, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and using it creates no adviser relationship. Confirm your situation with a licensed CPA or financial adviser before making decisions.

This is an educational benchmark, not legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed employment attorney in your state.