Free tool · no download, no email
Savings goal calculator
Pick a target, say what you have already put aside, choose a deadline in months, and see the monthly and weekly amount that gets you there. Then read on for how to pick a deadline you will actually keep and how to make the transfer automatic.
You need to save per month ( per week) to hit in .
How the calculation works
The tool subtracts what you have already saved from the goal, then divides what is left by the number of months. The weekly figure divides the monthly amount by 4.33, the average number of weeks in a month. Interest is deliberately left out: on a one- or two-year goal in a savings account it changes the answer by a few dollars, and leaving it out keeps the target honest rather than optimistic.
Picking a deadline you will keep
A savings goal fails in one of two ways: the monthly amount is too big to survive a bad month, or the deadline is so far away that nothing happens. The fix for both is the same: work backwards from a real date, then check the monthly amount against what is genuinely left after bills.
- Emergency fund. Start with one month of essential expenses, not the full three to six months everyone quotes. One month is reachable, and reaching it is what makes the next month feel possible.
- A known bill. Car insurance, a holiday, school costs, the annual subscription. Divide by the months until it is due and that becomes a fixed line in the budget, so the bill never arrives as a surprise. Budgeters call this a sinking fund.
- A big purchase. Set the date from the amount you can spare, not the other way round. If the honest monthly number is $150, the deadline is the goal divided by 150, and that is the true date.
Make it automatic
- Open a separate savings account, ideally one that is slightly annoying to reach.
- Set a standing transfer for the monthly amount on the day after payday, so the money moves before it can be spent.
- If you are paid every two weeks, split the monthly figure across the two checks. Weekly pay, split it across four or five checks. The amount per paycheck is what you will actually feel.
- Review once a month, not once a day. The goal moves in months; watching it daily only invites tinkering.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator include interest?
No. Over the one- to three-year horizon of most savings goals, interest in a savings account changes the monthly amount by very little, and leaving it out means you reach the goal slightly early rather than slightly late.
What if I cannot afford the monthly amount?
Move the deadline, not the goal. Add months until the monthly amount fits comfortably inside what is left after bills. A goal reached in eighteen months beats one abandoned in three.
How do I save for several goals at once?
Run the calculation for each goal, add the monthly amounts, and check the total against your budget. If it is too much, the goal with the nearest real deadline keeps its amount and the others stretch. Budgeting apps with sinking funds track each goal's balance separately inside one account.
Other free tools
From the blog
Track several goals inside one account
Budget Planner keeps multiple sinking funds with targets and contribution plans, and the Annual Budget Tracker shows the whole year's savings rate on one grid.