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FIRE Calculator Pro
Free · No sign-up · Updated November 11, 2026

Retirement Calculator

This free retirement calculator answers two questions: are you on track to retire at the age you want, and when is the earliest you could retire? Enter your savings, what you save each month and the income you want, and it adds Social Security and any pension to show your projected savings against what you need, the income your plan supports, how long your money lasts and the monthly saving that closes any gap.

Your numbers

Your savings
yrs old
yrs old
$

401(k), IRA and other investments you'll use for retirement. Exclude your home.

$

Including any employer match. Assumed to keep pace with inflation.

Income you want in retirement

Set my goal as

$
%

$63,750 a year, including Social Security. The Department of Labor cites 70%-80% of pre-retirement income as a common estimate.

Social Security & pension

Guaranteed income lowers the portfolio you need. Get your personal estimate at ssa.gov/myaccount.

$

The average retiree benefit is $2,170 a month ($26,040 a year) from January 2027.

yrs old

Full retirement age is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 cuts the benefit 30%; waiting to 70 adds 24%.

%

Worried about future cuts? Many planners count 75%-80% to be safe.

Assumptions

Real return used: 3.79% a year after inflation and fees. All results are in today's money.

%

Nominal, before inflation. The S&P 500 returned 10.0% a year from 1928-2025; Vanguard's 10-year forecast for US stocks is 4.8%-6.8%.

%

US inflation averaged about 3.0% a year from 1928-2025, and 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2026.

%

Fund expense ratios plus any advisory fee. Broad index funds often cost 0.03%-0.20%.

%

Sizes your target: savings that support this withdrawal rate. 4% is the classic rule for a 30-year retirement.

yrs old

Planning to 95 or later protects against outliving your money.

%

Used by the risk tests. The rest is assumed to be 10-year US Treasuries, rebalanced yearly.

Risk test returns

Replays actual 1928-2025 returns (minus fees), like the Trinity study and FIRECalc. Past returns were higher than most forecasts.

Projected savings at 67

$820,308

$173,442 short

Earliest you could retire

Age 71

If you keep saving $1,000 a month until then.

To retire at 67 you need about $993,750 for $63,750 a year, with $24,000 a year from Social Security or a pension once it starts.

Projected $820,308 of $993,750 needed83%

Income your plan supports

$56,812/yr

goal $63,750/yr

Monthly saving needed

$1,317/mo

$317/mo more than now

Your money lasts to

Age 104

at $63,750/yr and a 3.8% real return

Years until retirement

27 years

28 years in retirement

Three ways to close the gap

Each one on its own, everything else as you entered it.

  • Save more each month

    $1,317/mo

    $317 a month more than now

  • Or retire later, at

    Age 71

    4 years later, saving what you save now

  • Or spend less, about

    $56,812/yr

    $6,938 a year below your goal, counting Social Security and pensions

Where your retirement income comes from

Each year of retirement on your current path. Today's dollars.

  • From your savings
  • Social Security
  • Your goal ($64K/yr)
Your savings on your current path

Saving $1,000 a month until 67, then withdrawing what Social Security and pensions don't cover. Today's dollars.

  • Projected portfolio
  • Savings needed ($994K)

How likely is your current plan to last?

Markets don't deliver an average return every year. A crash right after you retire can sink a plan that looks fine on average. These two tests use 98 years of US stock, bond and inflation data.

Monte Carlo success rate

87%

2,000 simulated lifetimes to age 95

Historical success rate

80%

71 start years tested. Worst: retiring in 1969 ran out after 17 years.

Range of outcomes (Monte Carlo)

2,000 simulations, each year drawn from a random year of US market history (1928-2025). Today's money.

  • Middle 80% of outcomes
  • Middle 50%
  • Median
The luckiest 10% of outcomes extend above the top of the chart. Switch to Table to see every value.
Every 28-year retirement since 1928

Each bar is a retirement that started in that year and replayed actual US returns and inflation. Today's money.

  • Money left at the end
  • Ran out of money

How this is calculated

Your savings grow at 3.79% a year after inflation and fees, with $12,000 added at the end of each year until 67. Savings needed = every retirement year's gap between $63,750 and your other income, valued at the rate at which a 4% withdrawal rate lasts from 67 to 95 (with no other income, that is simply $63,750 ÷ 4%). Income your plan supports is the yearly goal your projected savings would cover on the same basis. "Your money lasts to" spends $63,750 a year, less other income, at your expected return.

How to use this retirement calculator

  1. Enter your age, the age you would like to retire, your retirement savings today and how much you save each month, including any employer match.
  2. Set the income you want in retirement, as a dollar amount or a share of your current income.
  3. Add your Social Security estimate and claiming age, and any pension. Your personal estimate is at ssa.gov.
  4. Check the return, inflation, withdrawal rate and plan-to age, then read the verdict, your earliest retirement age and the risk tests.

Am I on track for retirement?

You are on track if your savings are projected to reach the amount your retirement needs by the day you retire. The calculator grows your savings to your retirement age, then compares them with a target built from your income goal minus Social Security and pensions in every year of retirement, sized with your withdrawal rate. With no other income, the target is simply your goal divided by the withdrawal rate: 25 times the goal at 4%.

Worked example

Sam is 45, earns $90,000, has $150,000 saved and puts away $1,000 a month. Sam wants 75% of current income in retirement, $67,500 a year, from 67, with a $24,000 Social Security benefit at 67. With a 7% return, 3% inflation and 0.1% fees (a 3.79% real return) and a 4% withdrawal rate, planning to 95:

  • Projected savings at 67: $740,712. Savings needed: $1,087,500, so Sam is $346,788 short.
  • Saving $1,865 a month instead of $1,000 would close the gap by 67.
  • On the current path, Sam's savings support about $53,628 a year including Social Security, and spending the full goal they last to about age 93.
  • Keeping up $1,000 a month, the earliest Sam could retire on target is age 75.

When can I retire?

The earliest age you can retire is the first age at which your savings, if you keep saving until then, reach what that retirement needs. Retiring later helps in two ways: more years of saving and growth, and fewer years to cover before Social Security starts. The calculator shows this age at the top of the results. Here is how Sam's numbers change with the retirement age:

Projected and needed savings by retirement age for the worked example
Retire atProjected savingsSavings neededSaving needed a month
62$561,358$1,203,227$3,299
65$664,949$1,135,190$2,345
67$740,712$1,087,500$1,865
70$865,458$1,087,500$1,457

The savings needed fall until 67, when Social Security starts, because there are fewer years to fund without it. From then on the need is flat: the goal minus Social Security, divided by the withdrawal rate. The monthly saving keeps falling because there is more time to save and grow.

Can I retire in 10 years?

Put your age plus 10 in the retirement age and look at the verdict. For example, Pat is 55 with $600,000 saved, saves $2,000 a month and wants $70,000 a year from 65, with a Social Security benefit equal to the average retiree benefit from January 2027, $2,170 a month ($26,040 a year)[5] from 67. Pat is projected to have $1,155,382 at 65 against $1,150,743 needed: on track, $4,639 ahead. A margin that thin is worth checking against the risk tests.

How is this different from the how much do I need to retire calculator?

They answer different questions. The how much do I need to retire calculator sizes the nest egg: it gives two targets, one you spend down to zero by a chosen age and a safer one built for bad markets, and the saving needed for each. This retirement calculator starts from what you are doing now and checks it: one target, a clear on-track verdict, the earliest age your current saving works, the income your plan actually supports, and three ways to close a gap. Use the first to set a goal, and this one to track it.

How much retirement income will I need?

Experts estimate you will need 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement income, according to the Department of Labor[1], which is why the calculator starts at 75%. Your own budget is a better guide: some costs stop, like commuting and retirement saving, while others such as health care can rise. For reference, US households headed by someone 65 or older spent $64,445 on average in 2025, against $81,905 for all households[3].

Count your whole goal, including the part Social Security will pay. The calculator subtracts Social Security and pensions from your goal in each year they are paid, so only the rest has to come from savings.

How does Social Security change the answer?

A lot. Without it, Sam would need $1,687,500 at 67 instead of $1,087,500. When you claim matters too: full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 cuts the benefit by 30%, and waiting until 70 raises it by 24%[4]. If Sam retired at 62 instead, here is the savings needed for each claiming age, starting from a $24,000 benefit at 67:

Savings needed at 62 by Social Security claiming age
Claim atYearly benefitSavings needed at 62
62$16,800$1,267,500
67$24,000$1,203,227
70$29,760$1,167,007

Here waiting is cheaper: the bigger benefit for life outweighs the extra years paid from savings first. The result depends on your withdrawal rate and how long you plan for, so try your own claiming ages in the calculator. Get your own estimate from the Social Security Administration[6] rather than relying on an average.

What return and withdrawal rate should I assume?

Your savings grow by compounding: each year's returns earn returns of their own, so the return you assume has a large effect over decades. US stocks returned 10.0% a year from 1928 to 2025[11], while Vanguard's 10-year forecast for US stocks is 4.8%-6.8%[12]. The default 7% sits between the two, and the result is shown after inflation and fees.

The withdrawal rate sets how much you need. The 4% rule comes from William Bengen's finding that a 4% inflation-adjusted withdrawal lasted at least 33 years in every period he tested[8], and the Trinity study found 4% succeeded in 95%-98% of 30-year periods for stock-heavy portfolios[9]. Morningstar's 2025 safe starting rate is 3.9% for 30 years[10]. If you plan for longer than 30 years, a lower rate is more cautious.

How likely is my retirement plan to work?

The on-track verdict uses one average return, but markets don't deliver averages, and a crash early in retirement does the most damage[13]. The risk section runs your whole plan, saving and spending, through 2,000 Monte Carlo simulations and replays retirement starting in every year since 1928, using US stock, Treasury and inflation data. A success rate of 90% or more is a common comfort level. Below that, the levers are the same: save more, retire a little later or plan to spend less.

What if I retire before 65?

Two dates matter. Medicare starts at 65[16], so earlier retirees need other health coverage; retiring before 65 qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period in the ACA Marketplace[17]. Include that cost in your income goal. And most 401(k) and IRA money carries a 10% additional tax before 59½ unless an exception applies[18], which the early retirement calculator plans around. To see how a workplace plan and employer match build your savings, use the 401(k) calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much have most people saved for retirement?

In the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, 54.9% of families had a retirement account, and the median balance among them was $106,000[7]. Averages like this say little about your own plan. What matters is your savings against your own goal, which is what this calculator measures.

Is it too late to start saving for retirement at 50?

No, but each dollar has fewer years to grow. Someone starting at 50 with nothing saved who puts away $1,500 a month until 67 would have about $418,813 in today's dollars at a 3.8% real return. With the average Social Security benefit, that supports about $42,793 a year of total income. From 50 you can also make catch-up contributions: $8,000 a year extra in a 401(k) and $1,100 in an IRA in 2026[14].

Can I retire now?

Set your retirement age to your current age. The calculator then compares your savings today with what you need from today, and the risk tests replay your exact plan through history. If it says "You could retire now" and the success rates are high, the numbers work; if not, the three options show what would change that.

Does the retirement calculator include taxes?

Not separately. Enter your income goal before tax and include the tax you expect to pay in it. Withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) are taxed as income, while qualified Roth withdrawals follow Roth rules[15], so a mostly-Roth saver needs a smaller pre-tax goal. Our Roth vs traditional 401(k) calculator compares the two.

What does "today's dollars" mean?

Every figure is adjusted for inflation, so $1,000,000 at 67 means what a million buys today. That keeps your goal, your savings and Social Security comparable. The calculator assumes your monthly saving rises with inflation and uses your return minus inflation and fees.

Sources

Figures checked against each source on November 11, 2026.

  1. [1]Top 10 Ways to Prepare for Retirement · US Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Ongoing.Experts estimate you will need 70 to 80 percent of your preretirement income in retirement; find out how much you must contribute to get your employer's full contribution.
  2. [2]Consumer Expenditures, 2025 · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 29, 2026.Average annual spending by all US households in 2025: $81,905. Average annual expenditures in 2025 by income quintile: lowest $37,935, second $51,405, third $68,983, fourth $92,250, highest $159,512 (Table 3). Average income before taxes for all consumer units was $110,847.
  3. [3]Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Table 1300: Age of reference person, annual expenditure means, 2025 · US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026.Average annual expenditures in 2025 by age of reference person: all consumer units $81,905; under 25 $54,136; 25-34 $78,579; 35-44 $93,650; 45-54 $106,658; 55-64 $85,442; 65 and older $64,445 (65-74 $69,333, 75 and older $57,959). Healthcare: $6,470 for all units, $7,317 at 55-64 and $7,986 at 65 and older. Personal insurance and pensions: $10,175 for all units, $15,075 at 45-54 and $3,550 at 65 and older. 2025 mean yearly spending, households 65+ vs all households: total $64,445 vs $81,905; shelter $13,992 vs $17,626; food $8,226 vs $10,633; transportation $10,109 vs $13,492; healthcare $7,986 vs $6,470; utilities, fuels and public services $4,680 vs $4,931; entertainment $2,975 vs $4,084; average household size 1.7 vs 2.4 people.
  4. [4]Social Security Retirement Benefits: Claiming Ages (R47151) · Congressional Research Service, June 8, 2022.Full retirement age is 67 for people born in 1960 or later; claiming at 62 cuts benefits 30%; delayed credits add 8% a year up to 70 (24% more at 70 when full retirement age is 67); workers with 35 or more years of covered earnings lose little of their basic benefit by stopping work early (p. 24). Pages 5-6: someone entitled to their own benefit and a spousal or survivor benefit in effect receives the higher of the two; at full retirement age a spouse can receive 50% of the worker's benefit, with no delayed retirement credits; a widow(er) claiming at full retirement age or later can receive 100% of the deceased worker's benefit. At full retirement age a spouse can receive 50% of the retired worker's benefit, reduced if claimed earlier (32.5% at 62 when FRA is 67), with no delayed retirement credits (p. 6); a widow(er) claiming at FRA or later can receive 100% of the deceased worker's benefit (p. 7); a dually entitled person receives the higher of their own and the spousal or survivor benefit (p. 6).
  5. [5]2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet · Social Security Administration, October 14, 2026.Benefits rise 3.6% in 2027; the average retiree benefit goes from $2,095 to $2,170 a month.
  6. [6]Benefit calculators and my Social Security · Social Security Administration, Ongoing.Where to get your personal benefit estimate to enter in our calculators.
  7. [7]Changes in U.S. Family Finances, 2022 to 2025 (Survey of Consumer Finances) · Federal Reserve Board, October 2026.54.9% of families had retirement accounts in 2025, with a median balance of $106,000 among those who did. Table 2: median net worth in 2025 was $411,900 for families headed by someone aged 55-64 and $431,300 at 65-74; net worth counts all assets, including the primary residence, minus debts. 2025 SCF: 54.9% of families held retirement accounts (54.3% in 2022); conditional median $106,000 and mean $451,100 (2025 dollars); 65.1% of families with a head aged 64 or younger participated in a retirement plan; mean IRA/DC balances among holders by age: under 35 $48,400, 35-44 $182,400, 45-54 $415,800, 55-64 $670,200 (Box 2 Table A); median net worth $215,900 for all families and by age: under 35 $33,000, 35-44 $155,600, 45-54 $253,700, 55-64 $411,900, 65-74 $431,300, 75+ $504,900 (Table 2).
  8. [8]Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data · William P. Bengen, Journal of Financial Planning, October 1994.Origin of the 4% rule: a 4% inflation-adjusted first-year withdrawal lasted at least 33 years in every historical period tested. Used Ibbotson's 1992 SBBI data from 1926 on, illustrated with 50% common stocks and 50% intermediate-term Treasuries; a 4% first-year withdrawal, raised for inflation, never exhausted a portfolio before 33 years, while 4.25% could fail in 28 years; 3% (and about 3.5%) never lasted less than 50 years; 5% is 'risky' and 6% or more is 'gambling'; recommended 50%-75% stocks; assumed tax-deferred accounts; a 1929 retiree who cut withdrawals 5% had 20% more wealth by 1949.
  9. [9]Retirement Savings: Choosing a Withdrawal Rate That Is Sustainable (the Trinity study) · Cooley, Hubbard & Walz, AAII Journal, February 1998.30-year success rates: 4% withdrawals succeeded 95% (100% stocks), 98% (75/25) and 95% (50/50) of the time, 1926-1995; 5% succeeded 85%, 83% and 76%, and 6% succeeded 68%, 68% and 51% (Table 3). 1926-1995 data, S&P 500 for stocks and long-term high-grade corporate bonds; payout periods of 15, 20, 25 and 30 years (41 overlapping 30-year periods); success means the ending value stays above $0; no adjustment for taxes or transaction costs. Table 3 (inflation-adjusted, 30 years): 3% succeeded 100% for 100% stocks, 75/25 and 50/50; 4% succeeded 95%, 98% and 95%; 5% 85%, 83% and 76%; 6% 68%, 68% and 51%. Conclusion: for stock-dominated portfolios, 3% and 4% 'represent exceedingly conservative behavior'.
  10. [10]Higher valuations, lower safe withdrawal rate in retirement · Morningstar, State of Retirement Income 2025, January 2026.Morningstar's 2025 safe starting withdrawal rate is 3.9% (30 years, 90% success), up from 3.7% the year before. Morningstar's base-case safe starting withdrawal rate is 3.9% for 30 years at 90% success with 30%-50% in equities, using forward-looking return and inflation assumptions; it was 3.7% the year before, 4.0% in 2023, 3.8% in 2022 and 3.3% in 2021; retirees who accept spending fluctuations can start near 6%; older retirees with shorter horizons can spend well more than 3.9%.
  11. [11]Historical Returns on Stocks, Bonds and Bills: 1928-2025 · Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business, Updated January 5, 2026.Annual S&P 500, 10-year Treasury and CPI data used by our Monte Carlo and historical backtests (S&P 500: 10.02% a year nominal, 1928-2025).
  12. [12]Vanguard economic and market outlook: 10-year return forecasts · Vanguard, October 21, 2026 (as of September 30, 2026).10-year annualized nominal forecasts: US stocks 4.8%-6.8%, developed ex-US stocks 5.3%-7.3%, US bonds 5.1%-6.1%.
  13. [13]Understanding sequence of return risk and safe withdrawal rates · Michael Kitces, Kitces.com, October 1, 2014.Real returns in the first decade of retirement largely determine the safe withdrawal rate (correlation about 0.79).
  14. [14]401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500 (IR-2025-111) · Internal Revenue Service, November 13, 2025.2026 limits: 401(k) $24,500; catch-up $8,000 at 50+ and $11,250 at 60-63; IRA $7,500 plus $1,100 catch-up.
  15. [15]401(k) resource guide: Plan participants - 401(k) plan overview · Internal Revenue Service, Reviewed August 3, 2026.Traditional elective deferrals are not subject to federal income tax until distributed; plans may allow Roth elective deferrals; employers may match deferrals, and the plan document sets whether they do.
  16. [16]Get started with Medicare · Medicare.gov (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), Ongoing.Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older who meet citizenship or residency requirements.
  17. [17]Health coverage for retirees · HealthCare.gov, Ongoing.Retiring before 65 qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period in the ACA Marketplace.
  18. [18]Retirement topics: Exceptions to tax on early distributions · Internal Revenue Service, Reviewed December 11, 2025.10% additional tax before 59½; the Rule of 55 for workplace plans; 72(t) substantially equal periodic payments. Withdrawals before 59½ owe an additional 10% tax unless an exception applies. Separation from service during or after the year you reach 55 (50 for public safety employees) applies to qualified plans such as 401(k)s, not IRAs; a series of substantially equal payments applies to both; health insurance premiums paid while unemployed applies to IRAs only.

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