Retirement Savings Calculator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 25 September 2026

Currency

Current age

Retirement age

Already saved

Saving each month

Return, % a year

Nominal, before inflation.

Inflation, % a year

The Federal Reserve aims for 2% over the longer run.

Income wanted a month, in today's money

Advanced options

Raise the saving with inflation once a year

Social Security or other pension a month, in today's money

Taken off the income you want.

Withdrawal rate, % a year

The share of capital taken out each year. Capital = yearly income ÷ rate.

Result

Capital at retirement, in today's money

$487,384.30

The same in money of that year

$1,183,009.61

Capital needed, in today's money

$1,200,000.00

Gap

712,616 short, in today's money

Income from capital a month, in today's money

$1,624.61

Saving needed a month

$1,577.84

How long capital lasts at the income you want

12 years, to age 77

Real return

3.88%

Years to go

Working

Real return: (1 + 7%) ÷ (1 + 3%) − 1 = 3.88% Capital needed: 4,000 × 12 ÷ 4% = 1,200,000 Saved: 1,183,010 in 30 years ÷ (1 + 3%)^30 = 487,384 in today's money Income from capital: 487,384 × 4% ÷ 12 = 1,625 a month

Capital by age

Age            Paid in        Capital  Today's money
36              56,000         59,690         57,952
40              81,855        107,776         92,968
45             118,783        194,805        144,954
50             161,593        323,821        207,848
55             211,222        512,830        283,941
60             268,756        787,267        376,003
65             335,452      1,183,010        487,384

If the return is different

Return        Capital today  Income a month      Saving needed
 4%                 272,226             907              2,758
 6%                 398,996           1,330              1,927
>7%                 487,384           1,625              1,578
 8%                 598,415           1,995              1,269
 10%                913,821           3,046                758
 12%              1,414,101           4,714                366
 14%              2,208,259           7,361                 65

This result is informational only and is not professional advice.

Capital and income in today's money, after inflation

How much you need to retire and how much to save each month: capital and income in today's money after inflation, a withdrawal rate, Social Security or another pension, how long the money lasts, and tables by age and by return.

This calculator works out personal retirement savings: the capital the income you want requires, what your current saving reaches, and the monthly amount that closes the gap. Any Social Security or other pension comes off the income you want.

The trap in these sums is inflation. You picture the income in today's prices, but capital in 30 years is counted in the money of that time. So the calculator converts everything to today's money: 50,000 saved plus 500 a month, raised with inflation, at 7% for 30 years grows to 1,183,010, but with 3% inflation that is 487,384 in today's money.

How to use

Enter your age now, the age you want to retire, what you have saved and what you save each month.
Enter the return on investments before inflation, the inflation rate and the monthly income you want in today's prices.
In the extra settings, choose whether your saving rises with inflation, and add any pension and the withdrawal rate.
Read the capital and income in today's money, the saving needed, how long the money lasts, the Working lines and the tables.

How much you need to retire

Capital needed = monthly income × 12 ÷ withdrawal rate, where the withdrawal rate is the share of capital taken out each year. For 4,000 a month at 4%, you need 4,000 × 12 ÷ 0.04 = 1,200,000. The lower the rate, the more capital it takes:

Capital = 4,000 × 12 ÷ withdrawal rate.
Withdrawal rate	Capital for 4,000 a month
3%	1,600,000
3.5%	1,371,429
4%	1,200,000
4.5%	1,066,667
5%	960,000

Social Security and other pensions

Income you expect from elsewhere comes off the income you want. With 2,000 a month from Social Security or a pension, capital only has to provide 2,000, which takes 2,000 × 12 ÷ 0.04 = 600,000. Enter it in today's money, and check your own estimate: the calculator does not work out any state pension.

Why the sums use today's money

Real return = (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1: 7% with 3% inflation is 3.88%. Capital in 30 years is divided by 1.03^30 to compare it with income in today's prices: 1,183,010 ÷ 1.03^30 = 487,384.

Ignore inflation and keep saving a flat 500 a month, and the same plan shows 965,339, not far off a 1,200,000 target. With 3% inflation that 965,339 is worth 397,707 today, and the plan is 802,293 short.

Saving that keeps pace with prices

500 today and 500 in 20 years are different amounts of money. Raising the saving with inflation once a year keeps its buying power. In the example the saving starts at 500 a month and reaches 500 × 1.03^29 = 1,178 in the final year, and capital at 65 is 487,384 in today's money rather than 397,707 without the raises.

Starting at 35 with 50,000, saving 500 a month raised 3% a year, a 7% return and 3% inflation. Paid in includes the starting 50,000. Worked out with this calculator.
Age	Paid in	Capital	In today's money
40	81,855	107,776	92,968
45	118,783	194,805	144,954
50	161,593	323,821	207,848
55	211,222	512,830	283,941
60	268,756	787,267	376,003
65	335,452	1,183,010	487,384

How much to save each month

The calculator finds the saving that makes capital at retirement equal to the capital needed. In the example that is 1,578 a month in the first year, raised with inflation, instead of 500. Time matters most: starting the same plan at 25 gives 785,173 in today's money by 65, and reaching 1,200,000 takes 873 a month.

If the return is different

The return is the least certain number in the plan, and the calculator does not forecast it. The table shows how capital, income at a 4% withdrawal rate and the saving needed for 1,200,000 depend on it:

Age 35, retiring at 65, 50,000 saved, 500 a month raised with 3% inflation, 4,000 a month wanted. Worked out with this calculator.
Return	Capital today	Income a month	Saving needed
4%	272,226	907	2,758
6%	398,996	1,330	1,927
7%	487,384	1,625	1,578
8%	598,415	1,995	1,269
10%	913,821	3,046	758

How long the money lasts

A withdrawal rate is a shortcut, so the calculator also works out how long savings last if you take the income you want each month in today's money while the rest earns the same real return. Taking 4,000 a month from 487,384 at a 3.88% real return lasts 12 years, to age 77.

With a 2,000 pension and 1,000 saved each month, capital at 65 is 817,961 in today's money; its real return yields 2,601 a month, more than the 2,000 taken out, so it does not shrink. The calculation assumes the same return every year; a withdrawal rate below the real return leaves room for years when returns fall short.

What this calculator shows

Capital at retirement in today's money and in the money of that year
The capital your income needs, and whether you are short or ahead
The monthly saving that reaches the target
Income from capital and how long it lasts
Capital by age and at other returns

What to keep in mind

Return and inflation stay the same throughout; saving arrives at the end of each month and rises once a year.
Tax on investment returns and withdrawals, and fees, are not included.
How long capital lasts uses the same real return as the saving years.

Where the numbers come from

Checked against the compound growth formula; the inflation goal from the Federal Reserve's FAQ · verified September 2026.

FAQs

How much do I need to retire?

Your yearly income divided by the withdrawal rate. For 4,000 a month at 4%, that is 1,200,000 in today's money; at 3%, 1,600,000. Take any pension off the income first.

How much should I save each month for retirement?

It depends on time, return and inflation. At 35, with 50,000 saved, a 7% return and 3% inflation, reaching 1,200,000 in today's money by 65 takes 1,578 a month, raised with inflation; starting at 25 it takes 873.

What is the 4% rule?

A rule of thumb: take 4% of your savings in the first year of retirement, then raise that cash amount with inflation each year, rather than taking 4% of whatever is left. It implies capital of 25 times your first year's income. In the calculator the withdrawal rate is a field you can change; how long the money lasts at your return is worked out separately.

How do I account for inflation in retirement planning?

Divide future capital by (1 + inflation)^years: 1,183,010 in 30 years at 3% inflation is 487,384 today. Or use the real return: (1 + 7%) ÷ (1 + 3%) − 1 = 3.88%.

What return should I assume?

The calculator does not forecast returns. Compare the rows of the return table: in the example, 4% gives 272,226 in today's money by 65 and 10% gives 913,821.

How long will my retirement savings last?

Taking 4,000 a month in today's money from 487,384 at a 3.88% real return lasts 12 years. If capital's real return is more than you take out, it does not shrink.

Should I include Social Security?

If you expect it, enter it in today's money in the extra settings and it comes off the income you want. With 2,000 a month, capital only has to provide 2,000, which takes 600,000 instead of 1,200,000.

Worked example

30 years to go with 3% inflation

Input: Age 35, retiring at 65, 50,000 saved, 500 a month, 7% return, 3% inflation, 4,000 a month wanted

Output: 487,384 in today's money against 1,200,000 needed

Note: Without the inflation adjustment the plan would show 1,183,010. Reaching the target takes 1,578 a month, raised with inflation.

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