Retirement Savings Calculator
Estimate how much you'll have saved by retirement based on your current savings, monthly contributions, and expected investment returns.
A retirement savings calculator projects how much money you'll have on your last day of work based on today's balance, what you add every month, and the return your portfolio earns along the way. Most Americans are flying blind on this number — only 4 in 10 have ever attempted the math — yet it's the single most important figure in personal finance. Our free retirement savings calculator takes five simple inputs (current age, retirement age, current savings, monthly contribution, annual return) and compounds them forward month by month so you can see whether you're on pace, ahead, or dangerously behind.
The widely cited benchmark from Fidelity is to have 1x your salary saved by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67. Another rule of thumb: save 15% of your gross income every year, including any employer 401(k) match, and you'll likely hit a comfortable replacement ratio. If your employer matches 50% on the first 6% of contributions, that match alone is a 50% instant return — leaving it on the table is the costliest mistake a young worker can make. Starting at 25 instead of 35 with $500/month at 7% produces roughly $1.2M versus $567K at 65 — the extra decade more than doubles the outcome thanks to compounding.
This calculator is designed for workers planning 401(k), 403(b), Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or taxable brokerage contributions; anyone curious whether they can retire at 55, 62, or 70; and FIRE enthusiasts modeling aggressive savings rates. Numbers shown are nominal (not inflation-adjusted) and pre-tax. This is an education tool, not financial advice.
Quick answer: Starting with $50,000 at age 30 and contributing $1,000/month at a 7% return, you'd retire at 65 with roughly $1.85 million — about $470,000 from contributions and $1.38M from compound growth. This retirement calculator projects your exact balance at retirement age based on your current savings, monthly deposits, and expected return.
Inputs
Quick presetsYour age today. The gap between this and retirement age sets your investing horizon.
Target age to stop working. 65–67 is standard; FIRE pursuers often model 45–55.
Total across 401(k), IRAs, and brokerage earmarked for retirement. Exclude emergency fund and home equity.
Combined monthly inflow: your 401(k) deferrals + employer match + IRA contributions ÷ 12 + taxable deposits.
Expected pre-tax, pre-inflation return. 6–7% is a conservative stock-heavy assumption; use 4–5% near retirement.
Results
How to use this calculator
Enter your **current age** and your target **retirement age** — the calculator uses the gap as your time horizon. **Current savings** is the total of every retirement-designated account: 401(k), 403(b), IRAs (Traditional and Roth), SEP-IRA, solo 401(k), and any taxable brokerage earmarked for retirement. Don't include your emergency fund or home equity.
**Monthly contribution** should combine everything flowing into retirement accounts: your own 401(k) deferrals, any employer match, IRA contributions divided by 12, and regular brokerage deposits. If you max a 401(k) at the current IRS limit (~$24,500 in 2026) plus a full IRA (~$7,500), that's roughly $2,600/month. **Annual return** is your expected pre-tax, pre-inflation rate; 6–7% is a conservative long-term assumption for a diversified stock-heavy portfolio, 4–5% if you're close to retirement and bond-heavy. The calculator outputs your projected balance, total contributions, and total growth so you can see how much of your retirement was earned vs. compounded.
Worked examples
Sarah, 32, getting the full 401(k) match
Sarah earns $85,000 and her employer matches 100% of the first 5% of salary. She contributes 10% ($708/month) and gets a $354/month match, totaling $1,062/month. She has $45,000 saved and wants to retire at 65. Entering 32, 65, $45,000, $1,062/month, 7% return, the calculator projects about $2.01M at retirement. Of that, roughly $420,000 is contributions and $1.59M is compound growth. If she bumps her contribution to 15% of salary ($1,062/month personal + $354 match = $1,416/month), the final balance climbs to roughly $2.59M — a $580,000 lift for saving $350 more per month.
Miguel, 50, using catch-up contributions
Miguel is 50 with $380,000 saved and 15 years until a planned retirement at 65. At 50+ in 2026, the IRS allows roughly an extra $8,000/year in 401(k) catch-up contributions and $1,100 in IRA catch-up, so he can shelter around $32,500 + $8,600 = $41,100/year (~$3,425/month). Entering $380,000, $3,250/month, 6% return, 15 years, monthly compounding, the calculator projects about $1.87M at 65. Dropping to a 5% return (more conservative glide path) yields roughly $1.71M — showing why asset allocation near retirement is a high-stakes decision.
Alex, 28, the cost of a 5-year delay
Alex debates whether to start contributing now or wait 5 years to "get settled." Scenario A: start at 28 with $0, contribute $800/month at 7% until 65 — projected balance ~$1.53M. Scenario B: wait until 33, contribute the same $800/month at 7% until 65 — projected balance ~$1.06M. The five-year delay costs roughly $470,000, more than every dollar Alex would have contributed during those years ($48,000). The lesson is blunt: compounding's heaviest lifting happens in the final decade, and you can only earn that decade by starting now.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a Traditional and Roth 401(k) or IRA?
Traditional accounts give you a tax deduction now and tax the withdrawal later; Roth accounts are funded with after-tax dollars but grow and withdraw tax-free. Rule of thumb: choose Roth when your current tax bracket is lower than your expected retirement bracket (most young workers); choose Traditional when you're in a peak-earning year.
How much should I be contributing?
A common target is 15% of gross income including employer match. If your employer matches 3%, you personally contribute 12%. If you started late or want early retirement, 20–25% is more realistic. Always capture the full employer match first — it's an immediate 50–100% return.
What are catch-up contributions?
Starting at age 50, the IRS lets you add roughly $8,000 extra to a 401(k) (on top of the ~$24,500 standard 2026 limit) and around $1,100 extra to an IRA. Under SECURE 2.0, workers aged 60–63 get an even higher 401(k) catch-up (~$11,000). Limits index annually — check current IRS figures before maxing. These matter most if you started saving late.
What about required minimum distributions (RMDs)?
RMDs force you to withdraw a minimum amount from Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s starting at age 73 (rising to 75 in 2033). The withdrawal is taxable income and the penalty for skipping is 25%. Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the owner's lifetime — a key reason many retirees convert Traditional to Roth before 73.
Should I use target-date funds?
Target-date funds automatically shift from stocks to bonds as you approach a chosen retirement year. They're a sensible default for anyone who doesn't want to actively rebalance. Downsides: expense ratios can be 0.4–0.7% (vs. 0.03% for a total-market index fund) and the glide path may not match your risk tolerance.
What return rate should I plug in?
Historical US large-cap stocks have returned about 10% nominal and 7% real (inflation-adjusted) over the long run. For projections, 6–7% is a conservative assumption for a stock-heavy portfolio; use 4–5% if you're within 10 years of retirement and shifting to bonds. Always model a pessimistic scenario too.
Does this account for inflation?
No — results are in future nominal dollars. A $2M nest egg in 30 years with 3% inflation has the buying power of roughly $824,000 today. Use an inflation calculator to convert the projected balance to today's-dollar terms when thinking about retirement lifestyle.
How does Social Security fit in?
This calculator projects only your personal retirement savings. Social Security typically replaces 30–40% of pre-retirement income for average earners and is a separate income stream. Most planners target 70–80% income replacement total, so Social Security plus savings together should hit that figure.