Cash Runway Calculator
Find how many months of cash your business has left.
Results update as you type.
How it works
Cash runway is one of the most important numbers for any startup or business that is not yet profitable, and this calculator finds it. You enter your cash on hand and your monthly net burn, the cash you lose each month after subtracting revenue from expenses, and it returns how many months and days of runway you have. The calculation is simply cash divided by burn, but the number it produces drives critical decisions. Runway tells founders how long they have to reach profitability, hit a milestone, or raise more funding before the money runs out. A common rule of thumb is to raise or turn profitable well before runway drops below about six months, since fundraising itself takes time and negotiating from a position of near-zero cash is dangerous. If your burn rate changes, the runway changes proportionally, so cutting costs or growing revenue directly extends how long you can operate. This calculator uses net burn, which accounts for incoming revenue; a pre-revenue company's net burn equals its gross expenses, while a company with some revenue has a smaller net burn and longer runway. Monitoring runway monthly, and modeling how it responds to hiring, spending, or revenue changes, is a core discipline of financial management. If your business is profitable, net burn is zero or negative and runway is effectively unlimited. Enter your cash and monthly burn to find your runway.
Runway (months) = cash on hand / monthly net burn
Cash runway is how long a business can keep operating before its cash runs out. It equals the current cash balance divided by the monthly net burn, the amount of cash the business loses each month. A higher cash balance or a lower burn extends the runway.
Source:Startup finance
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter cash on hand and monthly net burn.
- 2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
- 3
Read your result
Runway updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
What is cash runway?
Cash runway is the length of time a business can continue operating before it runs out of money, assuming its current rate of cash consumption. It equals cash on hand divided by monthly net burn. Runway is a critical metric for startups and any business spending more than it earns, guiding when to cut costs or raise funds.
What is net burn versus gross burn?
Gross burn is total monthly cash expenses, while net burn is expenses minus revenue, the actual cash lost each month. This calculator uses net burn because it reflects how fast your balance really declines. A company with revenue has a lower net burn and longer runway than gross burn alone would suggest.
How much runway should a startup have?
A common guideline is to maintain at least six months of runway, and ideally 12 to 18 months after a fundraise, because reaching profitability or closing a new funding round takes time. Letting runway fall too low forces rushed decisions and weak negotiating positions, so founders monitor it closely and act well before cash gets critical.
How can I extend my runway?
Runway extends by increasing cash, through fundraising or revenue, or by reducing burn, through cost cuts. Since runway equals cash divided by burn, halving your burn roughly doubles your runway. Founders often model different scenarios, balancing growth spending against survival, to decide how aggressively to spend versus preserve cash.
What if my business is profitable?
If your business earns more than it spends, your net burn is zero or negative, meaning your cash balance is growing rather than shrinking. In that case runway is effectively unlimited, and the calculator's result does not apply. Runway is most relevant for pre-profit companies burning cash to fund growth or operations.