How the number is worked out
The same rule Freeboard uses every morning, in six steps. Nothing else is hidden in the result.
Start from today’s balance
All the money on your accounts today, in euros.
Weigh each income by how sure it is
Certain income counts in full, half-certain income counts half, uncertain income counts for nothing. A signed retainer is certain; a client who usually pays is half; a proposal you have only sent is uncertain.
Take off what goes out
Your monthly expenses, and any big one-off payment in the month it falls.
Set the tax share aside
A percentage of every income you count leaves the balance as it arrives, so tax money never looks spendable.
Find the lowest point
Month by month for twelve months the balance goes up and down. The month where it is lowest is the one that decides.
Keep the emergency fund
From the lowest point, take off the emergency fund. What is left is what you can spend today: spend it, and you still never drop below your safety net.
Why the lowest point, not the average
Because the lowest point is the only figure that tells you whether spending today will hurt later. A year that ends well can still have a hole in March: spend on the average and you meet it with less money than you thought.
It moves when a payment moves. Put the tax advance in the right month and the calculator shows you the dip months before it happens.
Why uncertain money counts for nothing
Because income that doesn’t arrive is the usual way a freelancer’s plan breaks. Counting it at zero doesn’t mean ignoring it: when it arrives, it is in your balance and the number goes up.
Half is the middle ground for income that usually comes but isn’t promised: a regular client without a contract, platform work that is steady but not booked.
What this calculator leaves out
- The rest of this month. Add to today’s balance what still has to come in, and take off what still has to go out.
- Several currencies. Convert first. The multi-currency budget guide explains how, with a free template.
- Tax you already owe on money you have received this year. Put it in as a one-off payment in the month it is due.
- Income that changes every month. Use a cautious monthly figure, or the lowest of the last few months.
- Goals with money set aside, like a move or a visa. Take that money off today’s balance.
The same number, every morning
Questions
What does safe to spend mean?
The money you can spend today without dropping below zero, or below your safety net, at any point in the coming months. This calculator looks twelve months ahead and keeps your emergency fund and tax share out.
Is what I type sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and the numbers you type never leave the page.
Why does it say zero?
Because at some point in the next twelve months, counting only the income you can rely on, your balance would drop below your emergency fund. The breakdown shows by how much and in which month: lower an expense, move a one-off payment, or accept a thinner safety net for a while.
Should I count money I haven’t received yet?
Only as much as you can rely on. A signed retainer counts in full; a client who usually pays counts half; a proposal counts for nothing until it is accepted. When the money arrives, it is in your balance and the number goes up.
Keep reading
- Budgeting on irregular income in EuropeThe method around the number: certainty, a salary, the emergency fund, taxes.
- Upwork, Fiverr and Stripe payouts in eurosWhat lands in your account after fees, timing and conversion.
- Quanto posso spendere oggi? (Italiano)The same calculator in Italian.