Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Cash runway
16
Runway in months
3.6
Total cash + confident receivables
$125,000
Net monthly burn
$35,000
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How to use this
- 1Enter current cash on hand ($).
- 2Enter confident receivables (next 60 days) ($).
- 3Enter monthly cash burn (expenses) ($).
- 4Enter reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above) ($).
- 5Read your cash runway on the right — it updates as you type.
- 6Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Reserve months tell you a static health snapshot, but cash runway tells you something more urgent: given your actual current cash balance, incoming receivables you're confident will land, and your current burn rate, how many weeks do you actually have before the account hits zero. This is the number a finance committee needs before deciding whether to draw a line of credit, delay a hire, or make an emergency ask, and it's especially critical for organizations waiting on reimbursement-based government contracts, where revenue is earned but cash doesn't arrive for 30-90 days after expenses are incurred, creating a cash crunch even when the P&L looks healthy.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Current cash on hand: 85000 $
- Confident receivables (next 60 days): 40000 $
- Monthly cash burn (expenses): 60000 $
- Reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above): 25000 $
Results
- Cash runway: 16
- Runway in months: 3.6
- Total cash + confident receivables: $125,000
- Net monthly burn: $35,000
What each field means
Inputs
- Current cash on hand ($)
- The current cash on hand used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 85000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Confident receivables (next 60 days) ($)
- The confident receivables (next 60 days) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 40000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Monthly cash burn (expenses) ($)
- The monthly cash burn (expenses) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 60000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above) ($)
- The reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 25000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Cash runway
- Returned as a whole number and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Runway in months
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total cash + confident receivables
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net monthly burn
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What counts as a 'confident' receivable?
A signed contract or grant agreement with an invoice already submitted and a predictable payment history from that funder. Don't include a verbal commitment, a pending proposal, or a funder known for erratic payment timing, those belong in a separate, more conservative scenario.
How is this different from months of operating reserve?
Reserve months is a static balance-sheet health metric checked periodically. Cash runway is a live, tactical number recalculated whenever cash is tight, incorporating near-term receivables and actual burn trends rather than an annual average, and it's what you bring to an emergency finance committee meeting.
What should we do if runway drops under 8 weeks?
Most finance committees treat under 8 weeks as a red-alert threshold: freeze discretionary spending, accelerate any invoicing or reimbursement requests sitting in a queue, call your line of credit if you have one, and brief the board immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled meeting.
Why do reimbursement-based government grants cause cash crunches?
You spend the money first, submit a reimbursement request, then wait 30-90 days (sometimes longer) for the check, meaning your P&L shows earned revenue while your bank account shows a growing gap. A working capital line of credit or bridge reserve is the standard fix for organizations heavily reliant on this funding type.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nonprofit-cash-runway
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nonprofit-cash-runway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nonprofit-cash-runway) (2026).