Retirement Calculator 2026 | Free Retirement Planning Tool

It tells you whether your current savings and monthly contributions put you on track for the retirement you want. Enter your age, target retirement age, current savings, monthly contributions, expected return, and desired monthly income. It projects your corpus, calculates how long it'll last, and shows the gap — if any — between where you're headed and where you need to be.

You'll likely live 20-40 years after retiring. Inflation will cut your purchasing power roughly in half every 12 years at 6%. Healthcare costs climb with age. Most government pensions won't cover your actual expenses. Starting early means smaller monthly contributions compound longer. The average person underestimates their retirement needs by 30-50% — running the numbers now is cheaper than finding out at 65.

Two parts: (1) Future value of your current savings: FV = PV × (1 + r)^n. (2) Future value of monthly contributions: FV = PMT × [((1 + r)^n − 1) / r]. The required corpus uses the present value of an annuity formula: Corpus = Annual Expense × [1 − (1/(1 + r)^n)] / r. The calculator runs the math — you only need to enter your numbers.

The math is precise. Your assumptions won't be — no one can predict market returns or inflation 30 years out. The calculator shows you the gap between your current trajectory and your goal. Use conservative return estimates, build in margin, and re-run the numbers every year. Being slightly off on returns matters less than never checking at all.

Quick estimate: 25 times your annual expenses (the 4% Rule). You need ₹60 lakh/year → target ₹15 crore corpus. In India, ₹3-5 crore is a common target for a comfortable metro retirement. In the US, $1-2 million is typical. These are rough benchmarks — your number depends on your lifestyle, city, health, and how long you expect to live. Use the calculator with your actual numbers, not a rule of thumb.

Withdraw 4% of your corpus in Year 1, then adjust that amount for inflation each year. Historically, this meant you wouldn't run out of money over a 30-year retirement. Corpus ₹2.5 crore → withdraw ₹10 lakh in Year 1. Many experts now recommend 3-3.5% for longer retirements or higher-inflation countries like India. The 4% rule is a starting point, not a guarantee — test your plan with the calculator at different withdrawal rates.

Yes — retirement math uses percentages and time, not specific currencies. What changes by country: inflation rates, tax treatment of withdrawals, pension/social security systems, healthcare costs, and life expectancy. Use your local inflation rate and check your country's retirement account rules when setting assumptions.

Saving is: 'I put ₹10,000/month aside.' Planning is: knowing how much you need, choosing the right investments, managing risk, creating a withdrawal strategy, accounting for taxes and healthcare, and adjusting as life changes. Saving without planning is like packing for a trip without knowing the destination. You might bring a lot — but still not what you need.

Corpus is the total nest egg — 'I have ₹5 crore.' Income is what you can safely withdraw each year — '₹20 lakh at 4% withdrawal rate.' A large corpus means nothing if inflation eats it faster than you planned or if your withdrawal rate is unsustainable. Focus on both: growing the corpus AND having a realistic drawdown plan.

Break it into three buckets: (1) Essentials — housing, food, utilities, healthcare, insurance. (2) Lifestyle — travel, hobbies, dining out. (3) Buffer — emergencies, medical surprises, helping family. Most people need 60-80% of pre-retirement income. But healthcare costs usually go up, especially in countries without universal coverage. Track your actual spending for 3-6 months — don't guess.

Today. ₹10,000/month at 10% starting at 25 → ~₹5.6 crore at 60. Same amount starting at 35 → ~₹2.1 crore. That 10-year delay costs ₹3.5 crore. Start with whatever you can — even ₹1,000/month — and increase it every year. The cost of waiting is higher than the cost of any bad investment you'll ever pick.

At 6% inflation, ₹10,000 of expenses today becomes ₹57,000 in 30 years. That means your retirement income needs to nearly 6x just to maintain the same lifestyle. Your investments must beat inflation for your money to actually grow. Plan with real returns (return minus inflation), not nominal ones. 10% nominal with 6% inflation = ~4% real — that's the number that matters.

Pre-retirement = growth. 60-80% in equity, long time horizon, aggressive accumulation. Post-retirement = preservation plus income. 30-50% equity, capital protection, regular withdrawals, managing sequence-of-returns risk. Most people make the mistake of staying aggressive too close to retirement. Start shifting to conservative allocations 5-10 years before you plan to stop working.

It's the risk of big losses early in retirement when you're withdrawing money. Same average 8% return over 30 years: if you lose 20% in Year 1 while withdrawing, your corpus may never recover. If you gain 20% in Year 1, you're fine. The order of returns matters more than the average. To manage it: keep 2-3 years of expenses in cash, reduce equity near retirement, and consider guaranteed income sources.

For FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early): set a lower retirement age (40-50), plan for 50+ years of withdrawals, use a lower withdrawal rate (3-3.5%), and expect a higher savings rate (50%+ of income). The calculator works the same way — you're just stretching the timeline and needing a larger corpus to sustain a longer withdrawal period. Test multiple scenarios with conservative return assumptions.