How many months of runway should a freelancer have?

Common guidance is three to six months of costs, more if your income swings a lot. Estimate yours in the free runway calculator.

How big should a freelancer emergency fund be?

Think of it as runway: enough months of costs to ride out your longest likely gap between clients, plus the tax you owe.

Does FreelanceCFO connect to my bank?

No. Transactions come in by CSV import or manual entry.

Runway apps for freelancers

By FreelanceCFO. Updated 11 November 2026.

Short answer

FreelanceCFO shows how many months a freelancer's money lasts, from the balance you enter and your average monthly costs. For one number, the free runway calculator needs no signup.

What runway means for a freelancer

Runway is how many months your cash covers your costs if no new work comes in. Divide the money you have by what a month costs you.

Example figures: $12,000 saved and $3,000 a month in costs is 4 months of runway.

How many months to aim for

Common guidance is three to six months of costs, and more if your income swings a lot or one client pays most of it. There is no official rule. The runway guide walks through picking a target for your own numbers.

Tools that show your runway

Tools that show a freelancer how many months of runway they have
Tool	Shows months of runway	Includes tax set-aside	Free option
FreelanceCFO app	Yes, with a projected zero date	Yes, a separate monthly estimate	Free plan. Source
FreelanceCFO runway calculator	Yes, one number	No	Yes, no signup
Spreadsheet	If you build it	If you build it	Yes
SteadyCash	Yes, per its site. Source	See vendor site	No. A $70 one-time purchase. Source
Freelance Runway	Yes, per its site. Source	See vendor site	Yes, listed as free forever. Source

Vendor details from their own home pages, checked 11 November 2026.

Which one to pick

FreelanceCFO if you want runway next to your tax set-aside and unpaid invoices, kept current as you import a CSV or add transactions. The free calculator if you want one number today. SteadyCash if you prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription. Freelance Runway if you want a free tool that also makes invoices. A spreadsheet if you will keep it updated yourself.

Check your runway free with the runway calculator, or start FreelanceCFO on the free plan. Pro Early Bird is $10 a month, locked for life, for the first 100 customers.

Start free

Sources

Checked on 11 November 2026. Prices and features change, so follow the link before you rely on any of them.