2026 · scenario

How long will my severance last?

Severance feels like a cushion until you divide it by your monthly spending. Here's the honest month count. And how much unemployment extends it.

A severance number sounds reassuring right up until you divide it by what you spend each month. The real question isn't "how big is my severance"it's "how many months does severance plus savings buy me, once rent, food, and a health premium keep going out the door." And it's not just severance: unemployment, if your state pays it, can stretch the runway substantially.

Severance alone vs severance plus unemployment

$30,000 net severance, $10,000 savings, $4,500 spending + $700 health premium a month:

ScenarioRunway
Severance + savings only7 months (need income by month 8)
+ $2,000/mo unemployment for 26 weeks10 months (need income by month 11)

Unemployment turns 7 months into 10 here, six months of benefit materially changes your job-search deadline. That's why the runway calculator chains all four numbers together rather than looking at severance in isolation.

From the other calculators

From the severance calculator.

From the unemployment calculator.

From the COBRA vs marketplace calculator.

Your situation

Rent, food, utilities, minimum debt, not the health premium.

Partner's income, side work.

Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, it runs in your browser.

Questions

How do I make severance last longer?

Three levers: claim unemployment if you're eligible (it's often the biggest one), cut essential spending during the search, and choose the cheaper health-coverage option. The runway calculator lets you test each.

Should I count severance before or after tax?

After tax, use your net severance check, not the gross. The severance tax calculator gives you the net figure to carry in here.

Your layoff toolkit

An estimate on your own numbers, no inflation or growth modeled. Nothing you enter is stored. Not financial advice.