What is a healthy burn rate?

There is no universal value — what matters is runway versus remaining scope and risk.

Forecasting

Burn Rate Calculator

Calculate project burn rate to understand how quickly budget is consumed and how long current funding will last.

Calculator

Burn Rate = Total Spend / Periods Elapsed

Total spend to date

Periods elapsed (e.g. months)

Remaining budget

Enter values to compute.

Interpretation Guide

Runway > 6 periodsHealthy.
3 – 6 periodsPlan funding extension.
< 3 periodsCritical — escalate.

Example

Spent $120k over 6 months with $60k remaining → burn $20k/mo, runway 3 months.

Real-world use cases

Funding requests
Agile programme tracking
R&D project oversight

Common mistakes

Using fluctuating early-period burn as a steady baseline

Professional tips

Smooth burn with a 3-period rolling average

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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