Contingency reserve fund calculator
Project your strata's reserve fund thirty years ahead using the work in your depreciation report. See the years it runs short, the contribution that avoids a special levy, and whether you meet the 10% legal minimum.
How the projection works
Each year the calculator takes the opening balance, adds that year's contribution (increasing by the rate you choose), adds interest on a positive opening balance, and subtracts the planned work due that year at its inflated cost. The result is the closing balance, which becomes next year's opening balance.
| Output | What it tells council |
|---|---|
| First shortfall year | The first year the fund would be overdrawn: in practice, a special levy, a loan, or deferred work. |
| Lowest balance | How close the plan comes to the edge, and when. |
| Contribution that never runs short | The smallest first-year contribution, rising at your chosen rate, that pays for every item on time. |
| 10% minimum check | Whether the contribution meets Strata Property Regulation 6.1(2): at least 10% of the operating fund contribution. |
It is deliberately simple. A depreciation report's own cash-flow models will differ because preparers handle interest timing, taxes on interest, and contingencies in their own ways. Use this to compare options in a council meeting, then put the funding models from your report in front of owners.
The legal minimum, and why it is only a floor
Since the 2023 amendments, the regulation sets one rule for every strata: the annual contribution to the contingency reserve fund must be at least 10% of the total budgeted operating fund contribution (Regulation 6.1(2)), and it must be decided after considering the most recent depreciation report (Regulation 6.1(1)). The older rule that let a strata stop contributing the minimum once the fund reached 25% of the operating budget is gone. More detail is in our contingency reserve fund guide.
Questions councils ask
What is the minimum contingency reserve fund contribution in BC?
At least 10% of the total amount budgeted for the contribution to the operating fund for the year, every year (Strata Property Regulation 6.1(2)). The contribution must also be set after considering the most recent depreciation report (6.1(1)). The older rule that let a strata stop at 25% of the operating budget no longer exists.
How much should a strata have in its contingency reserve fund?
There is no single right number. The legal minimum is a floor, not a target. The right contribution is the one that pays for the work in your depreciation report when it falls due without relying on special levies, which is what this calculator estimates.
What vote is needed to spend from the contingency reserve fund?
A majority vote at a general meeting for obtaining a depreciation report and for repair, maintenance or replacement recommended in the most current depreciation report, and a 3/4 vote for most other spending. Emergency spending to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage is allowed without a vote, with owners informed as soon as feasible (sections 96 and 98).
Is this a substitute for a depreciation report?
No. A depreciation report from a qualified person is required for strata corporations with five or more lots. This calculator is for testing funding plans against the figures in that report.
Budget decisions belong in the minutes
The reserve contribution, the vote to spend from the fund, and any special levy all need to be recorded properly. StrataMinutes turns your council's rough notes into complete, professionally formatted minutes, usually within minutes.
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Related guides
The Contingency Reserve Fund
Depreciation Reports in BC: the Complete Guide
Special Levies
The Annual Budget
Depreciation Report Providers
A planning aid for BC strata councils, not financial or legal advice, and not a substitute for a depreciation report. See the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.