Retirement Calculator — How Much Do You Need to Retire?
Enter your age, current expenses, and savings — see exactly how much you need to retire comfortably and what to save monthly to get there. Adjusts for inflation, separates pre- and post-retirement return assumptions, and supports 31 currencies for users worldwide.
Inputs
Results
Total retirement corpus required (est.)
Year-by-year expense projection (to retirement)
| Year | Monthly expense | Annual expense |
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Retirement planning — the concepts that matter
The 25× rule: If you expect to withdraw about 4% of your corpus in the first year of retirement, you'll need roughly 25× your first year's annual expenses. This is the most widely-used retirement planning heuristic globally. Real portfolios need buffers for taxes, fees, and market volatility — use it as a starting point, not a guarantee.
The 4% rule (Trinity Study): The 25× rule comes from the Trinity Study (1998), which found that retirees withdrawing 4% annually from a balanced portfolio had a very high probability of not running out of money over 30 years. The rule has since been revised down to 3-3.5% by some researchers (Bengen, Pfau) due to lower expected future returns, but 4% remains the conversational benchmark.
Inflation compounds aggressively: Even modest 3-4% annual inflation doubles costs in 18-24 years. Higher-inflation environments (5-7%) double costs in just 10-14 years. That's why "$5,000/month today" or "₹50,000/month today" becomes a much larger number at retirement age — the calculator shows this explicitly in the year-by-year table.
Start early — compounding rewards time: Pre-retirement returns apply to both your existing savings and ongoing contributions. More years mean more compounding cycles. A 25-year-old needs to save roughly half as much per month as a 35-year-old to reach the same retirement corpus, assuming the same returns.
Separate pre- and post-retirement returns: Most retirement plans shift toward more conservative allocations as retirement approaches. This calculator lets you model that explicitly — typically 7-10% pre-retirement (equity-heavy) and 4-6% post-retirement (bond-heavy or income-focused).
Math note: Corpus here is the present value at retirement of annual expenses that grow with inflation, discounted at your post-retirement return — a standard inflation-indexed annuity model. Actual sequencing risk, taxes, healthcare costs (especially significant in countries without universal coverage), and variable income are not modeled.
Worked examples: how much do common retirement scenarios need?
These illustrative scenarios assume 6% inflation, 8% pre-retirement return, 5% post-retirement return, and life expectancy of 85 years. Numbers use simplified rounding. Use the calculator above for your specific situation.
| Profile | Current Age | Monthly Expenses | Retire At | Corpus Needed | Monthly Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early career | 25 | $3,000 | 60 | ~$3.5M | ~$900 |
| Mid career | 35 | $5,000 | 60 | ~$5M | ~$3,500 |
| Late starter | 45 | $5,000 | 65 | ~$4.5M | ~$7,500 |
| Early retiree (FIRE) | 30 | $4,000 | 50 | ~$3.8M | ~$6,000 |
| Late retiree | 40 | $6,000 | 70 | ~$4M | ~$2,800 |
The dramatic pattern: The late starter needs to save 2× as much per month as the early starter despite working fewer years. The FIRE early retiree compresses everything — saves aggressively early, retires earlier, has a smaller corpus but needs it to last longer. The late retiree benefits from a long earning runway plus a short retirement period.
For different currencies: The same math applies with proportional inputs. A user in India entering ₹50,000 monthly expenses would see corpus and monthly savings in rupees. A user in the UK entering £3,000 monthly expenses would see results in pounds. The calculator handles 31 currencies via the dropdown above.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to retire?
The general rule of thumb is 25 times your annual retirement expenses. If you expect to spend $50,000/year (or ₹50 lakh, £40,000, etc.), you would need around $1.25 million in retirement savings. This assumes a 4% annual withdrawal rate based on the Trinity Study. The calculator above adjusts this for inflation between now and your retirement age, giving you a more accurate target.
What is the 25× rule (or 4% rule)?
The 25× rule says you need approximately 25 times your first-year annual retirement expenses saved before retiring. It comes from the 4% safe withdrawal rate — if you withdraw 4% of your portfolio annually, historical data suggests it will last 30+ years for most market conditions. Real portfolios need buffers for taxes, fees, and volatility, so some advisors now recommend 3-3.5% as a safer rate.
How does inflation affect retirement planning?
Inflation dramatically increases the savings you need. Even modest 3% inflation doubles costs in 24 years. At 5-6% inflation (common in emerging markets), costs double in 12-14 years. The retirement calculator above shows your future monthly expenses growing year by year — what costs $3,000/month today may cost $6,000+/month at retirement.
What return rate should I use for retirement planning?
Conservative estimates: 6-7% pre-retirement (equity-heavy portfolios historically averaged 7-10% real return), and 4-5% post-retirement (more conservative bond/income allocation). Use the calculator with multiple scenarios — your "expected case" and a more conservative "worst case" — to understand sensitivity. Real returns vary by country, time period, and asset mix.
Can I retire with $1 million?
It depends on your annual expenses and retirement length. At a 4% withdrawal rate, $1 million supports $40,000/year (~$3,300/month) in first-year retirement expenses. This may be plenty if you live in a low-cost area or country. For higher cost-of-living areas or longer retirements (early retirement), $1 million may not be enough. Use the calculator with your specific expenses to find your number.
How is the corpus number calculated?
The corpus is the present value at retirement of annual expenses that grow with inflation, discounted at your post-retirement return assumption — a standard inflation-indexed annuity model. The calculator factors in your current savings (if any) growing at the pre-retirement return rate, then calculates the monthly savings required to bridge the remaining gap.
Is the corpus number guaranteed if I follow the SIP?
No. Returns and inflation are assumptions only. Markets fluctuate and life events change spending. Revisit your retirement plan annually and adjust as your situation evolves. The calculator provides a directional estimate, not a guarantee.
Why is my required monthly savings amount so high?
Several factors increase required monthly savings: starting later in life, high future expenses, low assumed pre-retirement returns, or starting from zero savings. Try adjusting variables one at a time to see what helps most — typically, increasing your assumed return rate by 1% or starting 5 years earlier has a larger effect than reducing expenses.
Does this include pension, social security, or rental income?
No. To account for guaranteed income streams (pension, Social Security in the US, rental income, part-time work), subtract the expected monthly income from your monthly expenses before entering. For example, if you expect $1,500/month from Social Security and your total expenses are $4,000/month, enter $2,500 as your retirement expenses.
What about FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)?
FIRE strategies typically aim for retirement in the 40s-50s by aggressively saving 50-70% of income. The calculator works for FIRE planning — just set your retirement age earlier and adjust your monthly expenses to your FIRE-target lifestyle. Note that early retirement requires a larger corpus relative to expenses because the withdrawal period is longer (40-50 years vs 20-30 for traditional retirement).
Does the currency dropdown change the math?
No — the currency selector only formats display. The math is identical regardless of currency. Enter all figures (expenses, savings, returns) in the currency you are modeling. The calculator supports 31 currencies including USD, EUR, GBP, INR, AUD, CAD, SGD, JPY, and many more.
Are my financial inputs uploaded or stored?
No. All projections run locally in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is sent to any server, stored, or shared. You can verify this by opening DevTools (F12) → Network tab and confirming no requests are made when you change inputs. Your financial data stays entirely on your device.