Layoff survival tool

How long is your runway?

Liquid runway is the heaviest-weighted category in the readiness audit, because it is the actual survival clock. This models the full picture after a layoff: your savings, any severance, and what your state's unemployment insurance really pays — which is probably less than you think.

Your situation

Monthly income, pre-taxSets your severance value and benefit estimate.Monthly essentialsHousing, food, insurance, minimum payments — the bare-bones burn.Liquid savingsCash you can reach without penalties or selling at a loss.Expected severanceA common formula is 1–2 weeks per year of tenure. Zero is safest to assume.Your stateCalifornia pays up to $450/week for up to 26 weeks (2025).

If your income stopped tomorrow

You could last 9.8 months

You clear the six-month bar. In the Great Recession, the median spell of unemployment stretched past six months — you could ride that out.

Savings+5.6 monthsSeverance+1.6 monthsUnemployment+2.6 months

Savings alone: 5.6 months
Severance value: $7,385
Est. weekly benefit: $450
Benefit duration: 26 weeks

Estimates are pre-tax; severance and unemployment benefits are both taxable, and severance can delay benefit eligibility in some states. Approximate maximum weekly benefit and maximum regular-benefit duration by state. Amounts change every year, several states use sliding-scale durations tied to the unemployment rate, and some add dependent allowances — always verify with your state's agency.

Why six months is the bar

In ordinary times, a job search runs two to three months. In the Great Recession, the median spell of unemployment peaked above six months, and nearly half of the unemployed were out for more than 27 weeks — past the point where most states' benefits stop. Runway is what lets you decline a bad offer, and desperation pricing on your own labor is expensive.

This is a planning model, not legal or tax advice. Benefit amounts are approximate and change every year; eligibility, dependent allowances, and severance offsets vary by state.