Retirement Calculator

Work out how much you need to retire, project your savings year by year, and see how long the money lasts once you stop working.

Quick start

About you

Move this up or down to see how a few years changes the result.

Planning to 90 leaves a safety margin if you live longer than average.

What you save

Count workplace pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs, and any investment accounts.

Add your own payments plus whatever your employer puts in.

Raise your monthly saving by this much each year as your pay grows.

Growth and inflation

A mixed stock and bond portfolio has returned roughly 6% to 8% a year over long periods.

Most people shift to safer holdings once the paychecks stop.

Long-run inflation sits near 2% to 3% in most developed markets.

Income you want in retirement

In today's money. The calculator adjusts it for inflation for you.

Social Security, a state pension, rent, or part-time work, in today's money.

Your savings need to cover $2,200 a month once other income is counted.

Balance over time

SavingRetired
$1.3M30Retire at 6590

Years left to save

35

Years in retirement

25

Total you pay in

$299,967

Growth on your money

$1,016,148

4% rule check

Taking 4% a year out of $1,341,115 gives roughly $53,645 a year before tax.

This calculator gives an estimate to help you plan. It is not financial advice. Tax rules, fees, and real market returns will change the outcome, so treat the figures as a starting point and speak to a qualified adviser before making a decision you cannot undo.

See the gap between the plan and the pot

Most people know they should save for retirement but have no idea whether the amount they put away each month actually gets them there. This calculator answers that in one screen. It grows your savings to your retirement date, works out the sum you need on that date to fund the life you described, and tells you which side of the line you are on.

Runs in your browser

What this calculator does differently

A target, not just a total

Other calculators show what you will have. This one also shows what you need, based on the monthly spending you entered and the pension or Social Security income you expect.

Inflation applied twice

Your target spending is inflated up to your retirement date, then every withdrawal keeps rising through retirement. That is how costs actually behave over a thirty-year plan.

The fix, in money terms

When you are short, you get a specific extra monthly amount that closes the gap, plus a year-by-year table showing where the balance goes.

Nothing leaves your device

Ages, balances, and income all stay in the browser. There is no account, no upload, and no record of your figures after you close the tab.

How this Retirement Calculator works

This calculator walks through your plan one month at a time rather than applying a single growth formula, which is why the year-by-year table always agrees with the headline numbers.

While you are still working, it adds your monthly saving to the balance and applies one month of growth, converted from the annual return you entered. If you set a yearly increase, the monthly amount steps up every twelve months. That loop produces the projected pot on your retirement date.

The target is built from the other direction. The tool takes the monthly spending you asked for, subtracts any pension or Social Security income, and raises what is left by inflation up to your retirement year. It then prices that inflation-linked income for the number of years you plan to be retired, discounted at your post-retirement return. The answer is the sum you need on day one, not a rule-of-thumb multiple of your salary.

Comparing the two figures gives a surplus or a shortfall. When you are short, the gap is divided by the future value of a monthly deposit over the years you have left, so you get a specific amount to save each month instead of a vague warning.

The tool then spends the pot down month by month, raising each withdrawal with inflation, and reports the age the money runs out. Everything runs in your browser, so no figure you type is uploaded or stored.

How to use this Retirement Calculator

1

Enter your age and savings

Put in your age now, the age you want to stop working, and the amount you have saved so far.

2

Add what you save and expect

Enter your monthly saving, then adjust the return and inflation rates if you prefer different assumptions.

3

Close the gap

Compare the projected pot against the target, then change your retirement age or monthly amount until the shortfall disappears.

Example Usage

A 32-year-old checking whether a $700 monthly habit is enough:

Input
Age 32, retiring at 65, $40,000 saved, $700 a month, 7% return, 4.5% after retirement, 2.5% inflation, $4,500 a month wanted, $1,800 from Social Security
Output
Savings at retirement: $1,403,715 Savings needed: $1,452,219 Short by: $48,504 (about $33 more a month) Money lasts until age 89

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money do I need to retire?
It depends on what you plan to spend, not on a single round number. Enter the monthly amount you want to live on, subtract any pension or Social Security income, and the calculator prices that income stream for the years you expect to be retired. Most people who want $4,000 a month with $1,800 coming from Social Security land somewhere between $700,000 and $1.5 million, depending on their retirement age.
How much should I save each month?
Start with what you save now and read the shortfall. If there is a gap, the tool shows the extra monthly amount that closes it over the years you have left. Raising your monthly saving early costs far less than catching up later, because the money has more years to grow.
What return rate should I put in?
Use a rate that matches how your money is invested. A portfolio heavy in stocks has returned roughly 7% to 10% a year over long periods, a balanced mix closer to 6% to 7%, and cash savings much less. If you are unsure, run it twice with a low and a high figure to see the range you are dealing with.
Does the calculator include Social Security or a state pension?
Yes. Put the monthly amount you expect in the "Other monthly income" field, in today's money. The tool subtracts it from your target spending, so your savings only need to cover what is left. Leaving it at zero shows what happens if you fund retirement entirely on your own.
Why does inflation matter so much here?
Because $4,000 a month today will not buy $4,000 worth of goods in thirty years. At 2.5% inflation, prices roughly double every 28 years. The calculator inflates your target spending up to your retirement date, then keeps raising each withdrawal during retirement, which is why the target looks larger than you might expect.
What is the 4% rule, and does this tool use it?
The 4% rule is a rough guide that says you can withdraw 4% of your savings in the first year of retirement and adjust for inflation after that. This calculator does not rely on it. It runs the full drawdown month by month using your own return, inflation, and time horizon, and shows the 4% figure separately as a sanity check.
Can I use this to plan an early retirement?
Yes. Set the retirement age to 50 or lower and set other income to zero for the years before a pension starts. You will see the two effects that make early retirement hard: fewer years to save, and many more years to fund. The "Retire early at 50" preset sets this up for you.
Does it account for tax on withdrawals?
No. The figures are before tax, and investment fees are not deducted either. If you expect to pay tax on withdrawals, a practical workaround is to raise your target monthly spending by the tax rate you expect so the target grows to match.
What should I change first if there is a shortfall?
Test three levers in this order: work one or two years longer, raise your monthly saving, then lower your target spending. Retirement age usually moves the number the most, because it adds saving years and removes retirement years at the same time.
Why does my money run out before the age I planned for?
That means the projected savings are smaller than the target. The drawdown simulation withdraws the amount you asked for every month, raises it with inflation, and grows what is left at your post-retirement return. When the balance hits zero, that age is reported. Closing the shortfall pushes the date out.
Can I use a currency other than dollars?
Yes. Pick USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, or INR from the currency menu and every figure reformats. The maths does not change with the currency, so enter all your amounts in the same one.
Is anything I type saved or sent to a server?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your ages, savings, and income figures never leave your device, and nothing is stored after you close the page.

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