Consumer Finance

Retirement Calculator

Updated Aug 24, 2026 Reviewed Aug 24, 2026
Project retirement savings, spending needs, funding gaps, monthly contributions, inflation, fees, and conservative-to-optimistic scenarios.

Two-stage retirement projection

Enter your savings and retirement plan

The amount you contribute at the end of each month.

Enter an estimated amount directly; matching rules are not inferred.

Applied once per year to personal contributions only.

Enter this in today’s purchasing power; the calculator applies inflation.

Pension, public benefit, annuity, or other income in today’s money.

Planning scenario, not a retirement guarantee
Returns and inflation vary. Taxes, contribution limits, vesting, benefit eligibility, and account-specific withdrawal rules are excluded.

Result

Calculation summary

Enter values to see the result

Your result, breakdown, assumptions, and warnings will appear here.

Retirement path preview

Accumulation and retirement drawdown

Live preview
Accumulation and retirement drawdownA line chart showing projected savings before retirement and withdrawals after retirement, with a marker for the required retirement balance.Accumulation phaseRetirement phaseRequired at retirement356590
Projected at retirement
$1,825,089.20
Required at retirement
$1,960,848.66
Funding ratio
93%
Conservative
50%
Base case
93%
Optimistic
174%
The curve grows savings to retirement, then applies the inflation-adjusted spending gap through the selected planning age.

How to use this calculator

  1. 1Enter your current age, retirement age, and the age through which the plan should be tested.
  2. 2Add current savings, personal and employer contributions, retirement spending, and other income.
  3. 3Review return, fee, inflation, and contribution-growth assumptions, then calculate the funding outlook.

Formula

Funding ratio = projected balance at retirement ÷ required balance at retirement × 100

The required balance is the present value at retirement of monthly spending gaps through the selected planning age.

Calculation steps

  • Convert annual return, investment fees, inflation, and contribution growth into monthly projection factors.
  • Grow the current balance and add personal and employer contributions through retirement age.
  • Inflate today’s retirement spending and other income to the first retirement month.
  • Work backward through the retirement period to calculate the balance required at retirement.
  • Simulate withdrawals forward to the plan-through age and identify any modeled depletion.
  • Repeat the projection at return assumptions two percentage points below and above the base case.

Worked example

A 35-year-old planning to retire at 65 can compare the projected value of current savings and monthly contributions with the balance needed to cover an inflation-adjusted spending gap through age 90.

Assumptions

  • Returns, fees, inflation, and contribution growth remain constant within each scenario and actual markets will vary.
  • Personal and employer contributions are added at month end; only personal contributions receive the entered annual increase.
  • Retirement spending and other retirement income are entered in today’s money and both increase with inflation.
  • Withdrawals occur at the beginning of each retirement month; taxes and account-specific rules are excluded.
  • Other income above spending is not reinvested, and no public benefit or employer-plan entitlement is inferred.
  • Changing currency changes formatting only and never performs currency conversion.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is the projected return guaranteed?

No. Every return is a constant scenario assumption. The conservative and optimistic cases show sensitivity but are not forecasts or confidence limits.

Why is the required balance different from a fixed withdrawal-rule estimate?

This calculator models the spending gap month by month through your selected planning age instead of applying one universal withdrawal percentage.

How are employer contributions handled?

Enter an estimated monthly employer amount directly. The calculator does not infer matching formulas, eligibility, vesting, caps, or contribution limits.

Are taxes and public benefits included?

No. Enter expected pension or benefit income as other monthly income. Taxes, eligibility, account rules, and jurisdiction-specific limits require separate advice.

What does today’s money mean?

Spending and other retirement income are entered at current purchasing power, then increased using the selected inflation assumption.

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