How Long Will My Savings Last for Long-Term Care? Free Calculator
Cost figures last verified against CareScout/Genworth published survey data in October 2026.
Long-Term Care Savings Runway Calculator
Enter your numbers below. The result appears instantly — no email, no signup, nothing saved.
Include checking, savings, CDs, brokerage accounts, and retirement accounts you plan to draw from. Do not include your home's value unless you plan to sell it and use those proceeds directly for care — home equity you will continue to live in does not pay care bills.
Include Social Security, pension, annuity payments, and planned retirement account withdrawals. Not sure of your required withdrawal amount? Use our free RMD Calculator first. Not sure of your Social Security amount? The Social Security Benefits Estimator can help.
These are 2025 national medians from the CareScout/Genworth Cost of Care Survey (an industry research survey, not a government source). Your actual local cost may be significantly different. See state-level cost data here.
Pre-filled with the national median for the care type selected above. Change this if you have a local quote from a specific facility or agency.
CareScout/Genworth data shows care costs have increased roughly 1–5% annually over the last decade. Leave at 0% for a simple flat-cost estimate. Try 3% to model a realistic long-term scenario.
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What Your Result Actually Means
The number this calculator produces is a planning estimate, not a financial guarantee. Here is a plain-English guide to reading what different results mean for your situation, and what each one typically calls for next.
Your monthly income from Social Security, pension, or other sources equals or exceeds the care cost. This means your savings do not need to be drawn down at all for this level of care at current prices. This is a strong result. The practical next step is to verify the number is accurate: make sure your income figure includes all sources, and check that the care cost reflects a real local quote rather than just the national median. Use our Care Facility Cost Comparison to find your state's actual median.
Note: Care costs typically rise each year. A result that works today may look different in 3 to 5 years if care costs outpace your income. Run the calculator again with the inflation slider set to 3% to see how that affects the picture.
A result under 24 months means the Medicaid transition timeline is likely already relevant to your planning. Medicaid applications typically take 45 to 90 days to process, and many nursing facilities require an application to already be underway before accepting a resident under Medicaid. Starting now rather than waiting until savings are near zero is the practical move. Use our Medicaid Eligibility Calculator to check your state's 2026 income and asset limits. A free SHIP counselor can walk through the application with you at no cost.
This is not a reason to panic. Medicaid exists precisely to cover this situation — it currently funds over 60% of all nursing home days in the U.S. The goal is to be prepared before the coverage gap appears, not after.
This is the most common planning window families find themselves in. It is enough time to make deliberate decisions, but not so much time that the topic can be safely deferred. A few things worth doing with this result: verify the care cost figure against actual local quotes (call two or three facilities and ask for their current rate sheet); run the calculation again at 3% annual inflation to see the realistic range; and begin learning how Medicaid eligibility works in your state so the application process is not a surprise when the time comes.
If a married couple is involved, note that Medicaid has special "community spouse" rules that protect a portion of assets and income for the spouse remaining at home. This calculator does not model those rules. A SHIP counselor or elder law attorney can explain how they apply to your situation.
A result of 5 or more years suggests meaningful financial cushion at the currently selected care level. The most useful next step is to test whether that result holds when you model care cost inflation. Set the slider to 3% and recalculate — for a 10-year horizon, that can reduce your runway by 15 to 20%. It is also worth checking whether the care type selected actually matches likely clinical need. Someone with early-stage dementia who would need memory care (15 to 30% above assisted living rates) has a shorter real runway than an assisted living estimate shows. Use this result as a starting point for more detailed planning, not as a final answer.
Long runways at current costs sometimes lead families to skip reviewing the picture for years. Annual recalculation is worth it — local costs, income amounts, and savings balances all change.
Why We Built This Independent Calculator
This is one of the hardest questions a family faces, and it usually comes up at the worst possible moment — after a fall, a diagnosis, or a hospital discharge conversation at 6 p.m. on a Thursday. We built this tool because families deserve an honest, independent number fast, without being pushed toward an insurance product at the end. Put in your numbers. Get your estimate. Then use the next-step links below to go deeper if you need to.
- Adult children and caregivers helping a parent plan for an upcoming care transition
- Retirees who want to know whether their savings and income can cover a specific level of care before needing to look at Medicaid
- Anyone trying to understand when Medicaid might realistically enter the picture as savings draw down over time
How to Use This Calculator
This is the money that would actually be drawn on to pay care bills — checking, savings, CDs, brokerage accounts, IRAs, and 401(k)s you plan to use. Do not include your home's value unless the plan is to sell it and redirect proceeds to care. The equity in a home you still live in cannot pay a nursing home invoice.
Add every regular monthly income source: Social Security check (full gross amount before Medicare deductions), pension, annuity, and any retirement account withdrawals you take each month. Income reduces the monthly shortfall dollar-for-dollar — the difference between a $2,500 income figure and a $3,500 income figure can mean one to two extra years of runway. If you are unsure of your required minimum distribution, use our free RMD Calculator to get that number first. If you need to look up your Social Security benefit, the Social Security Benefits Estimator will give you that figure.
Each option pre-fills with the 2025 national median from the CareScout/Genworth Cost of Care Survey. If you already have a local quote from a specific facility, type that number directly into the monthly cost field — it gives you a more grounded result. If you are comparing options, our Care Facility Cost Comparison tool shows state-level median data side by side.
Leaving inflation at 0% gives you a clean, simple estimate using today's cost flat throughout. Setting it to 3% models historical care cost increase rates from the same CareScout/Genworth dataset. Run it both ways to see the range — the difference is often meaningful for multi-year planning horizons.
The result shows the estimated number of months your savings would cover the care shortfall. If the projection shows savings dropping below the Medicaid asset threshold ($2,000 individual / $3,000 couple), a specific note tells you at what point Medicaid may become a factor — with a direct link to our Medicaid Eligibility Calculator to check your state's exact rules. The calculator also flags if your income alone covers the care cost — a genuine planning win that many families discover they were not expecting.
What This Looks Like in Practice
These three examples are based on 2025 national medians and are for planning illustration only. Real results depend on local costs, state Medicaid rules, and individual circumstances.
Robert moved into an assisted living community after his wife passed. His monthly income is $3,800: $2,100 in Social Security and $1,700 from a teacher's pension. His family assumed his savings — $210,000 — would be depleted within a few years.
When they ran the calculator using the $6,200/month national assisted living median, the monthly shortfall turned out to be $2,400. At that rate, Robert's $210,000 in savings would last approximately 87 months — just over 7 years. Modeled at 3% annual inflation, that drops to roughly 74 months — still over 6 years. His family had significantly overestimated the financial pressure.
Robert's situation shows why including income matters so much. His $3,800/month income covers 61% of his care cost before savings are touched at all. Robert also checked our Medicare Savings Program Estimator to verify he was not overpaying for Medicare premiums he could have reduced.
Helen requires nursing home care after a stroke. She lives in Ohio and has $250,000 in savings. Her only income is $1,340/month in Social Security. Using the semi-private nursing home median of $9,581/month:
Helen's family used our Medicaid Eligibility Calculator to verify Ohio's exact 2026 income and asset thresholds, then contacted a free SHIP counselor to start the pre-application process 6 months early, avoiding a coverage gap.
James needs full-time non-medical home care at home. The couple has $380,000 in combined savings. Their combined income is $4,600/month from Social Security and a small pension.
| Care option | Monthly cost | Monthly shortfall | Estimated runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time home care (44 hrs/wk) | $6,673 | $2,073 | ~183 months (15+ years) |
| Assisted living (for comparison) | $6,200 | $1,600 | ~237 months (19+ years) |
| Nursing home semi-private | $9,581 | $4,981 | ~76 months (6.3 years) |
The financial difference between care levels is dramatic. The right choice depends on clinical need, not just cost. Families benefit from seeing both dimensions at once. Check our Care Facility Cost Comparison for state-level data before entering a local figure into your calculation.
2025 National Care Cost Reference — Four Care Types
44 hours/week of non-medical home care aide services. Does not include medical home health visits (typically covered by Medicare).
Private apartment with meals, housekeeping, and assistance with daily activities. Does not cover nursing home-level clinical care.
Skilled nursing facility, shared room. 24-hour nursing and medical care. This is the most common Medicaid-reimbursed setting.
Same clinical care as semi-private, private room. Medicaid typically reimburses at the semi-private rate even if the resident occupies a private room.
Want state-level cost data rather than national medians? Our Care Facility Cost Comparison tool shows state medians by care type side by side.
Mistakes That Lead Families to Wrong Estimates
The national figures are the best available starting point, but a family in Connecticut or New York facing the same care need may pay $3,000–$5,000/month more than the national median suggests. Before treating any result from this calculator as a real plan, get a current rate sheet from actual local facilities. One phone call or email to three nearby nursing homes takes 20 minutes and gives you a dramatically more accurate number.
The national figures are the best available starting point, but a family in Connecticut or New York facing the same care need may pay $3,000 to $5,000 per month more than the national median suggests. The CareScout/Genworth interactive cost map shows state-level medians by care type. Before treating any result from this calculator as a real plan, get a current rate sheet from actual local facilities. Our Care Facility Cost Comparison tool shows state medians side by side as a quick benchmark.
Families often enter their net worth rather than their liquid assets. If the family home will stay in the family, its equity is not available to pay care costs. If the plan is to sell and use the proceeds, that is legitimate. Enter only the net proceeds you expect after real estate commissions, any capital gains tax, and any remaining mortgage balance. The federal ACL longtermcare.gov site has a plain-English guide on using home equity for care costs.
A 3% annual increase in care costs sounds small but compounds meaningfully over a long care horizon. Year one at $9,581/month becomes Year five at approximately $11,100/month and Year ten at approximately $12,870/month. If your runway calculation shows 5 to 10 or more years, run it again at 3% inflation. The difference in total lifetime cost can be $50,000 to $100,000 or more over a long stay. The CareScout/Genworth historical data supports using 1 to 5% as a realistic planning range.
Many families calculate "how long will $250,000 last at $9,581/month," which gives 26 months. But if the person has $2,500/month in Social Security income, the real shortfall drops to $7,081/month and $250,000 lasts 35 months. That is nine extra months of coverage. Getting the income figure right is as important as getting the savings figure right. If you are unsure of your Social Security amount, check your my Social Security account or use our Social Security Benefits Estimator. For required minimum distributions, use our RMD Calculator to get that figure first.
Medicaid applications take 45 to 90 days in most states, and nursing facilities typically want an application in progress before accepting a new resident under Medicaid. If the runway calculator shows savings depleting within 12 to 18 months, starting the Medicaid information-gathering process now prevents a painful coverage gap later. The first step is checking eligibility: our free Medicaid Eligibility Calculator checks your state's 2026 income and asset limits in two minutes. A free SHIP counselor can walk through the application process with you at no charge.
Sources Used in This Calculator
| Source | Type | What We Used It For | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| CareScout/Genworth 2025 Cost of Care Survey | Industry Research Survey — Not a Government Source | All four national median monthly cost figures: full-time home care ($6,673), assisted living ($6,200), nursing home semi-private ($9,581), nursing home private room ($10,798). Data collected July–November 2025 from 15,000+ completed surveys across all 50 states. | genworth.com/cost-of-care |
| SSA — SSI Federal Benefit Rate 2026 | Federal Government | Medicaid asset trigger thresholds used in the result block: $2,000 (individual) and $3,000 (couple) — the federal SSI-based asset limits that most states use as their Medicaid baseline. | ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html |
| Medicaid.gov — Eligibility Guidance | Federal Government | Medicaid spend-down rules and the role of Medicaid as primary payer for long-term nursing home care referenced in result copy and FAQ answers. | medicaid.gov |
| Administration for Community Living — longtermcare.acl.gov | Federal Government | Background guidance on care types, duration of care statistics (70% of people turning 65 will need some long-term care), and federal long-term care planning resources referenced in FAQ and scenarios. | longtermcare.acl.gov |
Seniors Audit is an independent educational platform with no affiliation with CareScout, Genworth, or any insurance company. The CareScout/Genworth survey is used here because it is the most widely cited industry benchmark for long-term care costs in the United States. We receive no compensation for referencing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my house count as savings for this calculator?
No — not unless you plan to sell it and use the proceeds for care. Home equity that you will continue to live in, or that stays in the family, should not be entered as available savings here. If the plan is to sell the home to fund care, include only the net proceeds you expect after selling costs, taxes, and payoff of any mortgage. The federal Administration for Community Living's longtermcare.acl.gov has a plain-English guide on using home equity for care at longtermcare.acl.gov/costs-how-to-pay/paying-privately/home-equity.html.
How accurate are the national median cost figures used in this calculator?
The figures come from the CareScout/Genworth 2025 Cost of Care Survey — the most widely cited industry benchmark, based on over 15,000 completed surveys across all 50 states. They are the best available national reference. However, they are national medians. A family in Massachusetts or New York may face costs 30 to 50% higher than the median; a rural Midwest family may face lower costs. Always get a local quote from the specific facility or agency you are considering before making a financial plan.
What happens when my savings run out?
When countable savings drop below the Medicaid asset limit for your state (typically $2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple), you may become eligible for Medicaid to pay for nursing home care. Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term nursing home care in the U.S. — it funds over 60% of all nursing home days nationally. Eligibility depends on both income and assets, and varies significantly by state. Our free Medicaid Eligibility Calculator at seniorsaudit.com/tools/medicaid-eligibility-calculator/ can check your numbers in about two minutes.
Should I include monthly income in the runway calculation?
Yes — and it is the most important number many families overlook. Social Security, pension payments, and required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts all reduce the monthly shortfall, meaning your savings last longer. A person with $3,000/month in income facing $9,581/month nursing home costs has a monthly shortfall of $6,581, not $9,581. That difference can represent years of additional runway. If you are unsure of your RMD amount, use our free RMD Calculator at seniorsaudit.com/tools/rmd-calculator/ to get that figure first.
What is the federal Medicaid asset limit for nursing home eligibility?
The federal SSI-based asset limit that most states use as their baseline is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a married couple. Some states have higher limits — New York allows approximately $32,000 for an individual, and California currently has no asset test at all. These figures are for 2026. Use our free Medicaid Eligibility Calculator to check your specific state's current rules — rules vary enough that a single national figure can be misleading.
Does the calculator account for care cost inflation?
The optional inflation field lets you model annual cost increases from 1 to 5%. CareScout/Genworth historical data shows care costs have increased at roughly this rate over the past decade. If you leave it at 0%, the calculator uses today's costs flat throughout — which understates total lifetime cost but gives a simpler first estimate. We recommend running the calculation twice: once at 0% and once at 3% to see the range.
What is the difference between assisted living and a nursing home for cost purposes?
Assisted living provides housing, meals, and help with daily activities (bathing, dressing, medications) in an apartment-style setting. The 2025 national median is $6,200/month. A nursing home (skilled nursing facility) provides around-the-clock medical and nursing care for people who need higher levels of clinical support. The 2025 national median is $9,581/month (semi-private) to $10,798/month (private room). The right level of care depends on the individual's clinical needs, not budget alone. The federal longtermcare.acl.gov site has plain-English descriptions of each care type.
How is memory care different, and what does it cost?
Memory care is a specialized level of assisted living for people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. Facilities have secured buildings, higher staff-to-resident ratios, and structured cognitive programming. The added cost is typically 15 to 30% above standard assisted living — meaning roughly $7,130 to $8,060/month at current national medians. We present this as a range because the premium varies significantly by facility and region.
Can I use this calculator for home care?
Yes. The "Full-time home care" option uses the CareScout/Genworth 2025 national median for 44 hours per week of non-medical home care ($6,673/month). If your family is using fewer hours, or a mix of paid care and family caregiving, enter a custom monthly cost that reflects your actual situation. Note that this figure covers non-medical aide services only — Medicare covers separate skilled home health visits when medically necessary.
Does the calculation account for a married couple where one spouse goes into care and one stays home?
The current tool calculates individual care runway. For married couples, the situation is more complex — Medicaid has specific "community spouse resource allowance" rules that protect assets and income for the spouse who remains at home. The number this calculator generates for a married household is a general planning estimate only. A SHIP counselor (shiphelp.org) or elder law attorney can walk through the full spousal rules at no charge or modest cost.
How do I find out what care actually costs in my city or state?
The most reliable method is to contact facilities directly for their current rates. For a broader state-level picture, the CareScout/Genworth interactive map at genworth.com shows state medians by care type. The federal Administration for Community Living's longtermcare.acl.gov website is a free official resource. Our Care Facility Cost Comparison tool at seniorsaudit.com/tools/care-facility-cost-comparison/ provides state median data drawn from the same survey for a quick side-by-side view.
Related Free Tools
For a deeper explanation of how Medicaid pays for nursing home care and what the eligibility rules look like, read our guide on who qualifies for Medicaid. If you want to understand how care costs have changed in your state specifically, the Care Facility Cost Comparison tool shows state medians from the same CareScout/Genworth dataset. Once you know your required minimum distribution, you can see how it affects long-term care affordability by returning to this runway calculator with that figure as part of your monthly income — use our RMD Calculator to get that number. For families using a mix of paid care and family caregiving, the Family Caregiver Cost Calculator models the combined financial picture.
About This Educational Estimate: This tool is for educational purposes only. Seniors Audit uses the official formulas published by Medicaid.gov / Administration for Community Living, but results are estimates based on the information you entered. Rules, rates, and eligibility thresholds change annually and vary by individual circumstance.
Always verify your specific result directly with Medicaid.gov / Administration for Community Living at 1-800-677-1116 or at longtermcare.acl.gov before making enrollment, coverage, or financial decisions.
If you have Medicare questions, a free SHIP counselor in your state can review your specific situation at no cost — find yours at shiphelp.org.
Seniors Audit is independent and not affiliated with any government agency or insurance company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government agency, insurance company, or financial services firm. All calculations use the official formulas and current figures published by the agencies listed above. We do not receive payment for referrals, leads, or any action taken by visitors to this site. Last reviewed: October 2026.