Foundation
The $400 test is a small-shock test, not a full emergency fund.
63 percent of U.S. adults would cover $400 with cash, savings, or a card paid off at the next statement. A card balance you carry is not that.
Read the FoundationUnited States · Education only
FourHundred
Money information for people already under pressure.
If a $400 bill would create a problem, start here. We show core money knowledge, current methods, and primary-source data. We do not give personalized advice.
What is true right now?
I may not make this month’s bills
My credit card balance is growing
I do not have a cash buffer
I got a bill I cannot pay
I earn enough and still run out
I am late, or in collections
Or browse the three layers: Foundations · Playbook · Evidence
This week
One item from each layer. Week of September 29, 2026.
Playbook
The minimum payment keeps the account current. It does not retire the balance.
On a $2,000 balance at 22 percent APR, a typical first minimum puts most of the payment on interest. Use the warning box on your own statement first.
Read the PlaybookEvidence
37 percent would not use cash or its equivalent. That is not the same as 37 percent having zero dollars.
12 percent of adults said they could not pay $400 by any means. Definitions stay on the card.
Read the Evidence cardFive gauges
National pictures, not a score for your household. Each card links to a definition.
$400 shock
Stable, 2022–2025
63%
of U.S. adults would cover $400 with cash or its equivalent. Unchanged for four surveys, below 68 percent in 2021. 12 percent could not pay by any means.
Fed SHED 2025, released May 2026
Open the definitionBills last month
Similar to 2024
16%
of U.S. adults did not pay all bills in the prior month. Same survey: 8 percent said someone in the family sometimes or often did not have enough to eat.
Fed SHED 2025, Economic Hardships
Open the definitionUnmanageable debt
Worse · highest in nine Pulse years
31%
of U.S. households say they have a bit more or far more debt than is manageable. Up from 29 percent. Financially vulnerable households rose to 17 percent.
Financial Health Pulse 2026, September 2026
Open the definitionCard balances under pressure
Worse for that group
+$2,530
average card-balance change, 2023 to 2025, among adults “finding it difficult to get by.” Adults “living comfortably” saw +$59.
Fed SHED 2025, credit records match
Open the definitionMost common surprise bill
Common, not rare
30%
of U.S. adults had a major vehicle repair or replacement in the prior 12 months. 59 percent had at least one major unexpected expense.
Fed SHED 2025, Economic Hardships
Open the definitionHow FourHundred is built
Foundations
Stay stable. We revise them when a definition or a law changes. Live now: the $400 test and the 7-day cash map.
All FoundationsPlaybook
Updates weekly. One method, with who it is for and who should skip it. This week: minimum payments.
All Playbook pagesEvidence
Updates when the source updates. Five live cards. Different surveys stay on different cards.
All Evidence cardsAI
What AI is allowed to do here
AI can help you understand a term on FourHundred, compare two methods we already published, or draft questions for a landlord, issuer, or nonprofit counselor. It should not pick a product, tell you to file anything, or receive live account access.
Read the AI tools pageFigures on this page come from the Federal Reserve SHED 2025 report (May 2026) and the Financial Health Pulse 2026 U.S. Trends Report. Fed executive summary · Financial Health Network