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Emergency cash calculator

Short answer: GOV.UK Be Ready doesn't set an amount. Keep enough cash for about 3 days of your household's essentials, in a mix of coins and notes, in case card payments or cash machines stop working. Add up your own costs below.

From GOV.UK Be Ready, read 1 November 2026. The starting numbers are examples, not official figures: change them to yours.

Your household

Be Ready asks households to be ready for 3 days.

What you'd need to buy

£ per person per day: per person, per day: bread, milk, fresh food
£ per day: per day, if you need them
£ per day: per day, if you need it
£ one-off: one-off: a prescription charge or pharmacy items
£ one-off: one-off: a tank top-up or a taxi to a relative
£ one-off: one-off: gas or electricity top-up, laundrette, parking

Runs on this page. Nothing is sent to us.

How the sum works

  1. Daily costs: food per person × the number of people, plus baby and pet costs, times the number of days.
  2. One-off costs: medicines, travel and anything else, added once.
  3. Rounded up to the next £5, and split into coins and £5 and £10 notes, because Be Ready asks for a mix of coins and notes.
  4. Grab bag: we suggest keeping about one day's share in your grab bag, in case you need to leave home. That's our suggestion, not an official figure.

Keeping it safe

  • Keep it somewhere dry and secure, and tell another adult at home where it is.
  • Check for old paper £20 and £50 notes: the Bank of England says they stopped being legal tender on 30 September 2022. You can still pay them into a bank account.
  • Check your home insurance to see how much cash, if any, it covers.
  • Look at it every six months, when you check your kit, and top it up if you've spent some.

More: how much cash to keep at home · 72-hour kit · emergency supplies calculator · important documents checklist

Frequently asked questions

How much cash should I keep at home in the UK?

GOV.UK Be Ready doesn't give a figure. It asks you to keep cash, a mix of coins and notes, plus cards, in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted, and says the amount depends on your family's needs for essentials. Be Ready asks households to be ready for 3 days.

Why coins and small notes?

Be Ready asks for a mix of coins and notes. If tills are down, a shop may not be able to give change, and you may only need a few small things.

Are the starting numbers in the calculator official?

No. They are examples to show how it works. Put in what your household actually spends. The only official figures used are Be Ready's 3 days and its mix of coins and notes.

Are my old paper notes still OK?

No. The Bank of England says paper £20 and £50 notes stopped being legal tender on 30 September 2022. You can pay them into a UK bank account or exchange them with the Bank of England by post.

Is there a limit on how much cash I can keep at home?

We haven't found a UK rule that limits it. Check your home insurance: many policies cover only a small amount of cash, or none.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK Be Ready: Be ready for emergencies (cash, 3 days), read 1 November 2026
  2. Bank of England: Withdrawn banknotes, read 29 October 2026

General information, not financial advice. How much cash you keep is your decision. Scottish and Northern Irish banks issue their own notes; check with the issuing bank for those.

Civilian Survival Handbook is an independent UK site. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government or the Bank of England.