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Excel examples use English function names, comma separators and percentages entered with the % sign. Regional settings may require semicolons. Every input is hypothetical. Display two decimal places, but do not round intermediate calculations.
1. Enter the scenario
B2=3000 essential monthly expenses; B3=3 months covered; B4=2000 savings already available; B5=500 new savings per month.
2. Calculate the target and gap
B6: =B2*B3
B7: =MAX(0,B6-B4)
B8: =IF(B7=0,0,IF(B5=0,"No finite date",ROUNDUP(B7/B5,0)))The target is $9,000, the gap $7,000 and the time 14 months. Rounding up matters: a $7,100 gap at $500 per month needs a fifteenth deposit.
3. Check boundary cases
If savings equal or exceed the target, the gap and months are zero. If the gap is positive but saving is zero, do not divide by zero or display a completion date. Monthly interest, withdrawals and inflation are excluded, matching the interactive model.
Match the assumptions
Constant essential expenses and monthly saving; no interest, inflation or withdrawals. A chosen number of months is a scenario, not an adequate buffer recommendation. Existing savings must be accessible and available for this purpose. The final month may require less than the regular deposit.
References and verification
Official references checked for this release on 1 November 2026. Rules and product terms can change.