Finance · Free tool
Startup Runway Calculator
How many months until the money runs out? For a startup or any business spending more than it earns, that is the number that sets the timing of fundraising, hiring, and cost cuts. This calculator divides cash on hand by monthly net burn and gives the answer in months, for founders, CFOs, and investors.
- OutputMonths of cash
- No sign-up
- Copy or print the result
- How it works ↓
Your entries stay in this browser. Use Fill example to see a finished page first.
What this finance tool gives you
The result shows runway in months next to the cash and burn you entered. It is the figure to open a board update or an investor conversation with, and a quick way to show the team how much time a cost change buys.
What you enter
- Currency: USD by default, or EUR or GBP (only changes how amounts are formatted)
- Cash: cash on hand today, zero or more
- Monthly net burn: cash leaving each month after revenue; a negative number means cash is growing
Worked example
The tool's example holds $180,000 in cash and burns a net $30,000 a month. Dividing $180,000 by $30,000 gives 6 months of runway. If a cost change cut net burn to $20,000, the same cash would last 9 months, three extra months to reach the next milestone or close a round.
How is runway calculated?
Runway in months = cash ÷ monthly net burn, rounded to two decimals. Net burn is what leaves the bank each month after revenue comes in, so it already reflects sales.
If burn is zero or negative, cash is not shrinking, and the tool shows Not a countdown instead of a number. The calculation assumes burn stays flat every month; it does not model growing revenue or new hires. It is not a financing plan.
Tips before you use the result
- Use net burn, not gross spend: subtract the cash that customers pay in each month.
- Average burn over the last three months rather than using a single unusual month.
- Fundraising takes time, so compare runway with how long a round usually takes you to close and start early.
- For a burn that changes month to month, use the 12-month cash projection to see the actual month cash hits zero.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate startup runway?
Divide the cash you have by your monthly net burn, which is cash out minus cash in each month. With $180,000 in the bank and a $30,000 net burn, runway is 6 months. This calculator does exactly that and assumes the burn rate stays constant.
What is the difference between gross burn and net burn?
Gross burn is total monthly spending. Net burn is spending minus the cash that comes in from customers. Runway depends on net burn, because revenue offsets part of the spending. Enter net burn in this tool; using gross burn would understate how long the cash lasts.
What does Not a countdown mean in the result?
It appears when monthly net burn is zero or negative. In that case the business is not losing cash on this arithmetic, so there is no month when cash runs out. The tool still shows your cash and burn, but it does not produce a runway figure.
Is this runway figure private?
Yes. Cash and burn are kept only in local storage on your browser, and the tool works without any sign-up. Close the page and the numbers are still there when you come back on the same device, unless you clear them.
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Results depend on the figures you enter; check them against your own records before you rely on them. Last updated: October 2026 · Kurums editorial team.