It has historically survived 30-year retirements in US data, but it is not a guarantee. Lower withdrawal rates, flexibility in bad years and a mix of assets all improve the odds.

Should I include employer contributions?

Yes — add them to your monthly figure. They are one of the highest-return components of most retirement plans.

Does this account for inflation?

Not directly. Enter a real return — your expected return minus expected inflation — to see results in today's money.

Retirement Calculator

Project the balance you could reach by your target retirement age, then see the sustainable annual income that pot might provide using a chosen withdrawal rate.

Fill in the fields above and select Calculate to see your result and the full working.

Please note: Financial calculators produce estimates using the figures you enter. They exclude fees, taxes, insurance and rate changes unless a field asks for them. They are not financial advice — confirm any significant decision with a qualified adviser or your lender.

Formula used

Pot = current savings × (1 + r)ⁿ + contributions × ((1 + r)ⁿ − 1) ÷ r. Income = pot × withdrawal rate

How to use this calculator

Enter your age now and the age you would like to stop working.
Add what you have saved for retirement and what you contribute each month, including employer contributions.
Use a conservative expected return.
The withdrawal rate defaults to 4%, a commonly cited starting point for a 30-year retirement.

Example calculation

Age 35, retiring at 65, $60,000 saved, $700 a month at 6%:

30 years = 360 months

Existing savings grow to about $360,000

Contributions add about $703,000 → pot ≈ $1.06m

At 4%, that supports roughly $42,000 a year before tax.

What does this result mean?

The projection ignores state or workplace pensions you may also receive, and it assumes contributions stay flat in nominal terms — in reality they usually rise with pay. The 4% rule came from historical US market data and is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee; many planners now suggest 3–3.5% for longer retirements. Revisit the numbers every few years.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 4% rule safe?: It has historically survived 30-year retirements in US data, but it is not a guarantee. Lower withdrawal rates, flexibility in bad years and a mix of assets all improve the odds.
Should I include employer contributions?: Yes — add them to your monthly figure. They are one of the highest-return components of most retirement plans.
Does this account for inflation?: Not directly. Enter a real return — your expected return minus expected inflation — to see results in today's money.

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