Runway Calculator: How Long Will Your Cash Last?
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Enter your cash balance, monthly expenses and revenue – the calculator shows your runway in months, the date your cash runs out and the latest point to start fundraising. Free, no sign-up, nothing is stored.
Your result
- Netto-Burn pro Monat
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- Kasse leer am
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- Fundraising spätestens starten
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- Runway ohne Umsatzwachstum
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How the runway calculator works
Net burn = monthly expenses minus monthly revenue. Runway = cash balance divided by net burn. Example: €600,000 cash, €120,000 costs and €40,000 revenue give €80,000 net burn and 7.5 months of runway.
If you enter revenue growth, the calculator works month by month: revenue rises by the percentage, burn falls accordingly and the runway gets longer. Once revenue exceeds costs you reach break-even – and the runway becomes unlimited.
The fundraising start date is the cash-out date minus lead time. The lead time covers pitching, due diligence, negotiation and payout. With less than twelve months of runway you should already be preparing the round; below six months you negotiate from weakness.
What the calculator doesn't cover
- One-off payments such as taxes, bonuses, severance or capex – add them to the months in which they fall due.
- Payment terms: revenue only counts once the money is in the bank. With 60-day terms, receipts shift by two months.
- Credit lines, convertible loans and grant commitments that haven't been paid out yet.
For a robust view you need a 13-week cash flow forecast and an integrated financial plan. We build both as part of FP&A or Fractional CFO.
A matching Excel template is free, no sign-up needed: 13-week cash flow forecast and other finance templates (files in German).
Frequently asked questions about runway
What is a startup's runway?
Runway is the number of months a company can keep operating on its existing cash before the money runs out. It's calculated as cash balance divided by net burn (expenses minus income per month).
How much runway should a startup have?
As a rule of thumb, 18 to 24 months after a funding round. Less than twelve months means the next round needs preparing. Below six months it gets critical, because investors see the pressure and terms deteriorate.
What is the difference between burn rate and net burn?
Gross burn rate is total monthly expenses. Net burn deducts income and shows how much cash the company actually loses per month. Runway is based on net burn.
When do I need to start fundraising?
At the latest when your remaining runway equals the round's lead time plus a safety buffer. With six months of lead time and two months of buffer, that's eight months of runway left. The calculator shows you the date.
How do I extend runway without new funding?
Three levers: cut costs (usually staff and marketing), accelerate revenue (prepayments, shorter payment terms, annual contracts) and improve working capital (reduce inventory, extend supplier terms). An interim CFO draws up an action plan for this in two to four weeks.
Are my inputs stored?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Only if you request the result by email do we send the entered values together with your email address to nugrow.