How long can I afford to be unemployed?
A runway calculator that tells you exactly how many months you can survive without a paycheck, including COBRA health insurance, unemployment benefits, and severance.
Runway is the question — quit/stay is the wrong frame
"Should I quit?" is the wrong question. The right question is "how long can I afford to be unemployed before I'm in real trouble?" The answer is your runway in months. Conventional wisdom says aim for 6 months; the math on this page tells you whether you actually have it.
What this calculator gets right that most don't
- COBRA bridge: dropping employer health insurance and going uninsured is a bad plan. We add the COBRA premium (the full premium plus 2% — typically 3-6× your current paycheck deduction) to your burn for up to 18 months, the federal COBRA limit, then switch to the post-COBRA premium you enter.
- Unemployment benefits: roughly half your prior weekly wage, capped at your state's weekly max, for the state's maximum duration. The benefit is federally taxable, so we assume the 10% voluntary federal withholding comes out. Quitting voluntarily usually disqualifies you — we flag that.
- Severance + PTO: treated as one-time income, not monthly. PTO payout is taxable; severance is too but often comes pre-taxed.
- Cut-mode multipliers: variable spend can be slashed quickly; fixed cannot. We let you model what happens when you tighten the belt.
Already have a new offer on the table? The job comparison calculator tells you whether it's actually better once you net out benefits, commute, and equity. If the new role is in a different city, run the cost-of-living comparison too.
Common questions
How many months of runway do I need before quitting?
Conventional wisdom is 6 months. The real answer depends on your field — tech hiring cycles run 3-6 months, executive searches run 6-12. This calculator gives you your exact number based on your savings, burn rate, and unemployment eligibility.
Do I get unemployment if I quit voluntarily?
Usually no. Most states require involuntary separation (layoff, reduction in force) to qualify. Quitting voluntarily disqualifies you in most cases, which dramatically shortens your runway. This calculator models both scenarios.
How much does COBRA actually cost?
You pay the full premium — your share plus everything your employer was covering — plus a 2% admin fee. That's typically 3-6× your current paycheck deduction: if you pay $200/month now, COBRA might be $650-1,200/month (about $790/month is a typical single plan). It lasts up to 18 months after a job loss; after that you need a marketplace plan, which this calculator lets you price separately.