Retirement Age Calculator
Estimate the age at which your invested savings will support your target annual retirement income at a given safe withdrawal rate. Iterates forward one year at a time up to age 100.
Last updated: September 2026
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About this calculator
This calculator solves the classic 'when can I stop working?' question. It starts from your current savings, adds monthly contributions, and grows the balance at your expected return until the balance reaches the target nest egg. The target is computed from your desired retirement income divided by a safe withdrawal rate:
needed = targetIncome / (withdrawalRate / 100).
At a 4% withdrawal rate — the classic Bengen/Trinity-Study 30-year retirement figure — $40,000 of annual income requires a $1,000,000 portfolio. At a more conservative 3.5% rate (better for very long retirements or high-fee portfolios), the same income needs about $1,143,000.
Expected return is nominal, before inflation. If you enter 7% (a common long-term US equity assumption) and inflate your target income each year at 3%, you're effectively planning at a real return of about 4%. Choose numbers that match: either nominal return with nominal target (this calculator's default), or subtract inflation from both.
The iteration is annual with monthly compounding of your contributions. The balance grows for a full year (12 monthly contributions plus monthly compound growth) before the next age check. Real retirement planning should also factor in Social Security, other pensions, one-off asset sales, and taxes on withdrawals — use the social-security-estimator at /en/calculators/retirement/social-security-estimator/ and 401k-calculator at /en/calculators/retirement/401k-calculator/ for a fuller picture.
How to use
Example — age 35, $50,000 saved, $500/month contribution, 7% return, $40,000 target income at 4% withdrawal. Needed nest egg = 40,000 / 0.04 = $1,000,000. Starting from $50,000 growing at 7%/yr with $6,000 added annually, the balance passes $1M around age 63. The calculator returns 63. Example — more aggressive saver, age 30, $80,000 saved, $1,500/month, 7% return, $50,000 target income at 4%. Needed nest egg = $1,250,000. The balance passes $1.25M around age 51 — an early-retirement scenario. Cross-check with the early-retirement-calculator at /en/calculators/retirement/early-retirement-calculator/ for FIRE-style planning.
Frequently asked questions
Why 4% as the default withdrawal rate?
The '4% rule' comes from William Bengen's 1994 study and the follow-on Trinity Study, both of which analyzed historical US market returns and found that withdrawing 4% of an initial balance (adjusted for inflation) had a very high probability of lasting 30 years for a portfolio split between stocks and bonds. It is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee — low-return decades or high fees erode it. Conservative planners now often use 3.5% for retirements longer than 30 years.
Should I use nominal or real return?
This calculator uses nominal return and a fixed target income in today's dollars. If your return is 7% nominal and inflation is 3%, real return is roughly 4%. If you want inflation-adjusted planning, either subtract expected inflation from your return (enter 4% instead of 7%) or plan to raise your target income each year of retirement. The default 7% nominal is fine for a rough age estimate but not for precise retirement modelling.
Does this include Social Security?
No. This calculator assumes all retirement income comes from your invested nest egg. Social Security often covers 30–40% of retirement income for median earners — factor that in by lowering your target income by your expected Social Security benefit. Use the social-security-estimator at /en/calculators/retirement/social-security-estimator/ for a quick benefit estimate.
What if I never reach the target?
The calculator returns “After age 100” if the balance does not reach the target by age 100. That signals you need to save more, work longer, lower the target income, expect higher return, or plan on Social Security / a pension to fill the gap. Try raising monthly contribution by $500 or lowering target income by $5,000 to see the effect.