Free Retirement Calculator
Project your retirement savings balance and estimate a sustainable annual withdrawal using the 4% rule. Free. No signup required.
At this savings rate, your projected income falls $20,336.70 short of your $60,000.00 goal each year in retirement.
- Sustainable Annual Withdrawal (4% rule)$39,663.30
- Annual Income Shortfall$20,336.70
The 4% rule is a widely used rule of thumb, not a guarantee — actual sustainable withdrawal rates depend on market conditions and retirement length.
About the Free Retirement Calculator
A retirement savings goal is really two numbers stapled together, and treating them as one is how plans go wrong: the balance you'll have by a given age, and whether that balance can actually sustain the income you want without running out. This calculator projects both — your future balance from current savings and ongoing contributions, and a sustainable annual withdrawal using the widely-cited 4% rule — then shows the gap between what that produces and what you've said you want to live on.
This is the calculator for the moment you're trying to answer 'am I actually on track,' whether that's a first real look at retirement numbers in your 30s or 40s, or a check-in closer to retirement to see whether your current contribution rate closes the gap between projected income and desired income before you get there.
Your savings balance, contribution rate and income goal are about as personal as financial numbers get, and none of it leaves your browser — there's no account needed to see where your own retirement plan actually stands.
How it’s calculated
The projected balance compounds your current savings at the expected return for the years remaining, and adds monthly contributions growing as their own annuity on top. The sustainable withdrawal then applies the 4% rule — a rule of thumb suggesting a retirement portfolio can support an initial withdrawal of about 4% of its balance annually, adjusted for inflation each year after, with a reasonably low risk of running out over a typical retirement length.
The shortfall or surplus figure is just your desired annual income compared against that 4%-rule withdrawal — a positive gap means the current trajectory isn't yet generating your target income, a negative one means it clears it with room to spare.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 4% rule still considered reliable?
It's a widely used starting point, originally based on historical US market returns over rolling 30-year retirement periods, but it's a rule of thumb rather than a guarantee — actual safe withdrawal rates depend on the sequence of market returns you actually experience, how long your retirement lasts, and your portfolio mix. Many planners treat 4% as a reasonable starting estimate to stress-test, not a fixed promise.
What should I do if this calculator shows a shortfall?
The main levers are increasing your monthly contribution, extending your years to retirement, adjusting your desired income downward, or revisiting your return assumption — try adjusting each one individually in this calculator to see which has the biggest effect on closing your specific gap.
Does this include Social Security or pension income?
No — this projects only the savings balance you enter and its sustainable withdrawal. Social Security, a pension, or other guaranteed income sources would reduce how much you actually need to draw from savings, so your real income gap is likely smaller than this calculator shows on its own.
How does inflation affect this projection?
The projected balance and return assumption here are nominal, not inflation-adjusted, so the future dollar figures will buy less than the same number today. The 4% rule already assumes inflation-adjusted withdrawals each year after the first, but the growth projection itself doesn't separately strip out inflation.
Is a higher expected return assumption always better for planning?
No — an overly optimistic return makes a plan look more on-track than it really is. It's generally safer to run this calculator with a conservative return assumption and treat any better-than-expected performance as a buffer rather than something to count on.
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