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FIRE Calculator

Find your FIRE number, the age you could retire early from your savings rate, your Coast FIRE number, and how much you’d need outside super before you can get at it at 60.

$

Including retirement accounts

$

A year, after tax, plus the super paid in for you

$

A year. You invest $30,000: 35% of your pay

More options· 7% growth, 4% withdrawals
%

A year, after fees

%

A year

%

4% is the usual rule

%

Of what you spend now: $55,000 a year

If you stopped investing

You could retire at

53

In 23 years, 6 months, investing 35% of your pay

Your FIRE number
$1,375,000
Savings rate
35%
Your FIRE number: where it comes from
  • Invested now$60,000
  • You invest$705,000
  • Investment growth$615,760

What this means

Your FIRE number is what you’d spend in a year divided by the 4% you’d take out. Spending $1,000 a year less lowers it by $25,000.

That’s why spending matters twice: you invest more now and need less later.

Next step

Your investments by age, split by where the money came from
$1,500,000$750,000$0
313336394245485153.5
Invested nowYou investGrowthFIRE number

Coast FIRE

Coast FIRE number today$305,637
Invested now$60,000

Keep investing until about 40. After that, your investments could grow to $1,375,000 by 65 without you investing any more, so you’d only need to earn what you spend.

Before you can use your super

You retire at53
You can use your super from60
Years to bridge6½ years
Spending to cover$357,500

Hold about $358,000 of your FIRE money outside super, such as shares or ETFs in your own name.

Super opens at your preservation age, 60, once you retire.

What would change it

Spend 10% lessAt 49 · 4 years sooner
Spend 10% moreAt 57 · 4½ years later
Growth 1% lowerAt 55 · 2½ years later
Withdraw 3.5% a yearAt 55 · 2 years later

Spending less helps twice: you invest more now, and you need a smaller pot later.

Assumptions in this estimate
  • Everything is in today’s money: your pay, spending and investments keep pace with 2.5% inflation, so 7% growth is 4.4% a year after inflation. Real returns go up and down; a bad first few years of retirement matters most.
  • Your FIRE number is what you’d spend in a year of retirement divided by the withdrawal rate: at 4%, 25 times your spending. The 4% rule comes from US studies of 30-year retirements; for a longer early retirement, many people use 3% to 3.5%.
  • What you don’t spend is invested each month. Taxes on investment growth and withdrawals aren’t included.
  • The Age Pension isn’t included. It would cover some of your spending later in life, so you may need less.
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How the calculator works

  1. Your savings rate: what you don’t spend from your take-home pay is invested each month. Count the super paid in for you as part of your pay, since it’s money you save.
  2. Your FIRE number: what you’d spend in a year of retirement divided by the withdrawal rate (4% means 25 times your spending).
  3. Growth: your investments grow at the rate you choose. Everything is in today’s money, so your pay and spending rise with inflation.

Your savings rate sets the timeline

Starting from zero, with 7% growth, 2.5% inflation and a 4% withdrawal rate:

You invest Years to FIRE
10% 55
20% 39
30% 29
40% 22
50% 17
60% 13
70% 9

These don’t depend on your income, only on the share of it you invest.

Example

At 30, with $60,000 invested, $85,000 of take-home pay (including super) and $55,000 of spending a year, you invest 35% of your pay. Your FIRE number is $1,375,000 and you could retire at 53. Spend 10% less, and you could retire at 49.

You’d reach Coast FIRE at about 40: from then on, your investments could grow to your FIRE number by 65 on their own.

Bridge years: money outside super

Super is taxed lightly, but it’s locked until your preservation age of 60. Retire at 53 and you’d have 6½ years, about $357,500 of spending, to cover from investments outside super:

  • Shares and ETFs in your own name can be sold at any time. Gains on investments held for over 12 months get the 50% capital gains discount.
  • Extra mortgage repayments or an offset account lower your spending in retirement, if you own your home.

The super guarantee means a good part of your saving goes into super whether you choose it or not, so plan your investments outside super for the years before 60. See what your super alone could grow to with our super calculator, or plan your spending with the budget calculator.

Last updated

Frequently asked questions

What is FIRE?

FIRE stands for financial independence, retire early. You invest a large part of your pay until your investments can cover your living costs, and then work is optional. Your savings rate sets how long it takes.

How much do I need to retire early in Australia?

A common rule is 25 times your yearly spending, which allows for withdrawing 4% a year. Spending $55,000 a year, that’s $1,375,000. Many early retirees use 3.5% for a longer retirement, which needs about $1,571,000.

What is Coast FIRE?

Coast FIRE is when your super and investments could grow to your FIRE number by a normal retirement age with nothing more added. You can then work only to cover your spending. In Australia, the super guarantee keeps adding to your super while you work, which helps.

When can I access my super?

At your preservation age, 60, once you retire, or at 65 even if you’re still working. Withdrawals after 60 are generally tax-free.

Should I count the Age Pension?

This calculator doesn’t include it. The Age Pension starts at 67 and is means-tested on your income and assets, so many early retirees with large balances get little or none at first. Any you do get lowers what you need from your investments.