Retirement Calculator

A common starting point is to estimate your desired annual income in retirement, subtract any other income like Social Security or a pension, and see what balance would sustainably cover the rest — the 4% rule suggests dividing that annual gap by 4% (or multiplying by 25) as a rough target. This calculator does that math for your specific ages, returns, and income assumptions, and also tells you whether your current savings and contribution rate get you there.

The 4% rule is a widely cited guideline suggesting a retiree can withdraw 4% of their portfolio in the first year of retirement, then adjust that amount for inflation each year after, with a reasonably low risk of running out of money over a roughly 30-year retirement. It comes from historical U.S. market research and is a simple benchmark, not a guarantee — this calculator uses it only as one point of comparison alongside its own year-by-year projection.

No. It projects your balance using constant, unchanging assumed returns for accumulation and withdrawal, which makes the math transparent and easy to audit, but it doesn't model the real variability of market returns from year to year. A Monte Carlo simulation runs many random scenarios to show a range of outcomes and their probabilities; this calculator shows a single, deterministic scenario based on the averages you enter.

Enter any income you expect beyond withdrawals from these savings, most commonly Social Security retirement benefits or a traditional pension, in today's dollars along with the age it starts. Use our Social Security calculator to estimate your benefit at different claiming ages before entering it here.

Either works. A dollar amount is more precise if you already have a retirement budget in mind. A percentage of current income is a common shortcut — many planners suggest targeting 70–80% of pre-retirement income, since some costs (commuting, retirement savings itself, payroll taxes) typically fall once you stop working, while others (healthcare, leisure) may rise.

It shows the age your projected balance would be depleted given your current inputs, along with a shortfall figure and the extra monthly savings that would close the gap between now and retirement. You can also test working a bit longer, spending somewhat less in retirement, or aiming for a higher return, and see how each changes the outcome.

Inflation grows your desired income and other income from today's dollars into the higher future dollars you'll actually need in each retirement year, so later years show larger withdrawal needs even though your purchasing power stays the same. It doesn't otherwise change your investment returns, which you enter separately.

This calculator doesn't recommend specific rates — your right assumption depends on your actual investment mix and risk tolerance. Many retirement plans use a somewhat lower assumed return after retirement than before, reflecting a shift toward more conservative investments as retirement nears; try a few different combinations to see how sensitive your results are.

No. Withdrawals are modeled as pre-tax dollars available to spend, without modeling income tax on traditional account withdrawals, capital gains tax, or the tax-free treatment of Roth accounts. If a meaningful share of your savings is in taxable or traditional pre-tax accounts, your actual spendable income will be somewhat lower than shown here.

The nominal balance at retirement is the actual dollar amount your account is projected to hold in that future year. The today's-dollars figure divides that by inflation over the years until retirement, showing what that balance is worth in today's purchasing power — useful for comparing a distant retirement date against your current cost of living.