Layoff Survival Budget Planner Spreadsheet | Runway Calculator, Severance & Unemployment Tracker, Excel + Google Sheets

The Layoff Survival Runway Kit is an Excel workbook that shows exactly how many months your money lasts after a layoff. List your spending, flip each row between Essential and Lifestyle, and the sheet computes your Survival Number (your essentials-only burn rate), then runs an 18-month runway countdown against your cash, severance, and unemployment.

This is for someone who just lost their job and needs to know exactly how long their money lasts and how to stretch severance and unemployment benefits.

A layoff is a cash-flow problem with a clock on it. The first question is always the same: how long can we keep the lights on? This kit turns that panic question into a clear, month-by-month answer, so you spend your energy finding the next job, not guessing about money.

### What you get

A 5-tab Excel workbook (works in Google Sheets too) with a built-in demo household: fictional example figures preloaded so you can see exactly how it works, then overwrite with your own numbers. Plus a printable 1-page "First 48 Hours After a Layoff" checklist to keep by your side through the first two days.

Live preview (view-only): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VJJtPO6YL9pnunMFV9JMCob6SZIWGQKXrBX99FiUi80/view

### What's inside

**Cover**: orientation page with 5-minute setup guide and honest notes on how the math works.

**Expense Inventory**: list your spending and flip each row between Essential and Lifestyle with a dropdown. The sheet computes your monthly Survival Number (your true essentials-only burn rate) live.

**Income Offsets**: what keeps money coming in. Cash on hand, severance (handles both lump sum and salary-continuation payouts, with a schedule that must add up to the penny), unemployment benefits, partner or other household income, minus the cost everyone forgets: COBRA / health continuation.

**Runway Countdown**: the 18-month month-by-month table. Starting cash, survival burn, each offset, ending cash, months of runway left, and a per-month status flag. Includes a cash-balance line chart and a 3 / 6 / 12 / 18-month view toggle.

**Last Paycheck Planner**: your milestone and key-dates table. Last day, last paycheck, unemployment filing date, health-coverage end, the COBRA election deadline, the 401(k) rollover window, and 14 / 30 / 90-day money checkpoints, each with a Not started / In progress / Done status.

### Who it's for

Anyone facing a layoff or afraid one is coming: tech workers caught in AI-era restructuring, or anyone in any industry who wants a real number instead of a vague fear. No finance background needed: cream cells are the ones you type in, everything else calculates itself.

### What's NOT included

Honest scope, because this is your money: this is a planning tool, not financial advice and not a substitute for it. Unemployment benefit amounts, weeks, and start timing are YOUR inputs. The kit does the math, it doesn't do the agency lookup (every input cell tells you to check your state/province agency). It doesn't replace an emergency fund, it won't pick your debts for you, and no number here is a promise: it's honest arithmetic on the figures you enter.

**About Kollaz**
Smart financial tools for modern money.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/kollaz

I just got laid off — how long can I survive?
The Runway Countdown tab is an 18-month month-by-month table: starting cash, survival burn, each income offset, ending cash, months of runway left, and a per-month status flag (OK / under 3 months / cash out), with a cash-balance line chart and a 3 / 6 / 12 / 18-month view toggle.

What counts as my survival number?
The Expense Inventory tab lists your spending with an Essential/Lifestyle dropdown per row. The sheet computes your monthly Survival Number (your true essentials-only burn rate) live, so the runway math runs on needs, not lifestyle.

What money is still coming in?
The Income Offsets tab covers cash on hand, severance (lump sum or salary-continuation, with a schedule that must add up to the penny), unemployment benefits, partner or household income, minus the cost everyone forgets: COBRA and health continuation.

Does this look up my unemployment benefits?
No. Unemployment benefit amounts, weeks, and start timing are your inputs. The kit does the math, not the agency lookup. Every input cell tells you to check your state or province agency.

Is this financial advice?
No. It's a planning tool: honest arithmetic on the figures you enter. No number here is a promise.

Will it pick which debts to pay first?
No. It won't pick your debts for you, and it doesn't replace an emergency fund. It answers the cash-flow question: how long your money lasts.

Format: Excel .xlsx workbook, 5 tabs: Cover, Expense Inventory, Income Offsets, Runway Countdown, Last Paycheck Planner; no macros
Also included: printable 1-page "First 48 Hours After a Layoff" checklist (PDF)
Features: Essential/Lifestyle toggle per expense row, severance schedule reconciliation, 18-month runway table with status flags, Last Paycheck Planner with milestone dates (last day, last paycheck, unemployment filing, COBRA deadlines, 401(k) rollover window) and 14/30/90-day money checkpoints
Works in: Microsoft Excel + Google Sheets (live import + real Excel review done 2026-10-01)
You get: workbook (.xlsx) + 1-page checklist (PDF) + built-in demo household with fictional example figures