Retirement Calculator
See what you could have when you retire, the income it gives you and how long it lasts, then find out what it takes to close any gap.
For example, an employer that matches 50% of what you put in, up to 6% of your pay. The limit needs your pay.
Many plans aim for 70–80% of the pay you have just before you retire.
State pensions differ a lot from country to country (and by your work record), so none is built in. Check your own government’s forecast and enter it here.
Your savings over your life
Year-by-year table
How your retirement is worked out
Grow what you save until you retire, then spread it over your retirement.
- 1
Years to grow
65 − 35= 30 yearsthen 25 to age 90
- 2
Savings at 65
$50,000 × 1.07^30+ $500 a month= $965,339
- 3
Income it gives
$965,339 over 25 yrsat 5%, 3% inflation= $1,691 a month
- 4
In today’s money
$965,339 ÷ 1.03^30= $397,707
Read more: the formula, a worked example, the 4% rule and notes
A retirement plan has two halves. While you work, your savings grow with returns and with what you (and maybe your employer) add. When you stop, the pot pays you an income, and whatever is left keeps growing. Inflation means prices rise over the years, so the calculator shows key results in today’s money: what they would buy at today’s prices.
The formula
monthly rate = (1 + yearly return − fees)^(1 ÷ 12) − 1
savings at retirement = savings now × (1 + monthly rate)^months + each month’s saving × (1 + monthly rate)^(months it has left)
today’s money = amount ÷ (1 + inflation)^years
income it gives = savings at retirement ÷ (sum over each retired month of the inflation rise so far ÷ (1 + monthly rate in retirement)^months since retiring)
savings you need = the same sum of (income wanted − other income) ÷ (1 − tax), plus any lump sum and money to leave
extra to save a month = gap ÷ what 1 a month grows to by retirement
Saving happens at the end of each month and goes up once a year. In retirement the money comes out at the start of each month and goes up with inflation once a year, so your spending power stays the same.
Worked example
You are 35, want to retire at 65 and plan for the money to last to 90. You have 50,000 saved and save 500 a month. Returns are 7% a year before retiring and 5% after, and inflation is 3%.
Over 30 years, 50,000 grows to 50,000 × 1.0730 = 50,000 × 7.6123 = 380,613. The monthly rate is 1.071/12 − 1 = 0.5654%, so 360 payments of 500 grow to 500 × (7.6123 − 1) ÷ 0.005654 = 584,726. Together that is 965,339 at 65. Prices will be 1.0330 = 2.4273 times higher by then, so it is worth 965,339 ÷ 2.4273 = 397,707 in today’s money.
Spread over 25 years at 5%, with the income rising 3% a year, it pays 1,691 a month in today’s money (1,691 × 2.4273 = 4,105 a month in the first year, in money of the day), and runs out at 90. With the 4% rule instead you would take 965,339 × 4% = 38,614 in the first year, which is 3,218 a month, or 1,326 a month in today’s money.
If you want 3,000 a month in today’s money, you would need 1,712,512 at 65. That is 747,173 short, which you could close by saving about 639 a month more (1,139 in all), or by retiring at 73. If you retire at 65 anyway and spend 3,000 a month, the money runs out at 77 years and 7 months.
The 4% rule
The 4% rule comes from US studies of past stock and bond returns: take 4% of your pot in the first year, then raise that amount with inflation each year, and in most past periods the money lasted at least 30 years. It is a rule of thumb, not a promise. Retiring earlier, paying higher fees or a run of bad years early on all make a lower rate safer, and many planners now suggest 3% to 4%.
| Withdrawal rate | Pot for 1,000 a month | Pot for 2,000 a month |
|---|---|---|
| 3% | 400,000 | 800,000 |
| 3.5% | 342,857 | 685,714 |
| 4% | 300,000 | 600,000 |
| 5% | 240,000 | 480,000 |
State pensions, employer plans and tax
Rules differ by country, so none are built in. A state or social-security pension, a work pension paid as an income, an annuity or rent can all be entered as other income from the age it starts. Employer matching is entered as a share of what you put in, with an optional limit as a share of your pay. Tax relief on what you pay in, tax-free lump sums and the tax on what you take out all depend on where you live: enter your own effective tax rate on withdrawals, and a lump sum if you plan to take one.
Making up a gap
The main levers are saving more, starting sooner, retiring later and spending less in retirement. Working a few more years helps three ways: more years of saving, more years of growth, and fewer years to pay for. Small changes add up: in the example, raising what you save by 3% a year lifts the savings at 65 to 1,183,010 and cuts the gap from 747,173 to 529,502, without a big jump today.
This is an estimate, not financial advice. It assumes steady returns and inflation every year; real markets go up and down, and a bad run early in retirement does more harm than the same run later. Fees, tax and pension rules vary by country and provider. Checked on 10 October 2026.
Common questions
How much do I need to retire?
It depends on the income you want, any other income such as a pension, and how long the money must last. In the example, 3,000 a month in today's money from 65 to 90, with 5% returns in retirement and 3% inflation, needs 1,712,512 at 65. The calculator works out your own figure and any gap.
What is the 4% rule?
Take 4% of your savings in the first year of retirement, then raise that amount with inflation each year. It comes from US studies of past stock and bond returns, where the money lasted at least 30 years in most past periods. It is a rule of thumb, not a promise, and many planners now suggest 3% to 4%.
How much will my savings be worth when I retire?
Your savings grow with returns, and each month's saving grows for the months it has left. In the example, 50,000 saved plus 500 a month for 30 years at 7% reaches 965,339 at 65. With 3% inflation, that is worth 397,707 in today's money.
How can I close a retirement savings gap?
Save more, start sooner, retire later or spend less in retirement. Working a few more years helps three ways: more years of saving, more years of growth and fewer years to pay for. In the example, raising what you save by 3% a year cuts the gap from 747,173 to 529,502.
Does the calculator include my pension and tax?
Rules differ by country, so none are built in. Enter a state or social-security pension, a work pension, an annuity or rent as other income from the age it starts, and your own effective tax rate on withdrawals. Employer matching is entered as a share of what you put in.
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Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.