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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 many years you’d need to cover before your 401(k) and IRA open at 59½.

$

Including retirement accounts

$

A year, after tax, plus your 401(k) contributions

$

A year. You invest $30,000: 40% 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: $45,000 a year

If you stopped investing

You could retire at

50

In 20 years, 10 months, investing 40% of your pay

Your FIRE number
$1,125,000
Savings rate
40%
Your FIRE number: where it comes from
  • Invested now$50,000
  • You invest$625,000
  • Investment growth$456,356

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
3133363942454850.8
Invested nowYou investGrowthFIRE number

Coast FIRE

Coast FIRE number today$250,067
Invested now$50,000

Keep investing until about 38. After that, your investments could grow to $1,125,000 by 65 without you investing any more, so you’d only need to earn what you spend.

Before you can use your 401(k) and IRA

You retire at50
You can use your 401(k) and IRA from59½
Years to bridge8½ years
Spending to cover$390,000

Hold about $390,000 of your FIRE money in a brokerage account, or as Roth IRA contributions, which you can take out at any age.

If you leave a job in or after the year you turn 55, you can use that employer’s 401(k) without the 10% penalty.

What would change it

Spend 10% lessAt 47 · 3 years sooner
Spend 10% moreAt 54 · 3½ years later
Growth 1% lowerAt 52 · 2 years later
Withdraw 3.5% a yearAt 52 · 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.
  • Social Security 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. Include your 401(k) contributions in your pay, since they’re money you save.
  2. Your FIRE number: your yearly spending in 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 keep pace with inflation.

Your savings rate sets the timeline

Starting from nothing, with 7% growth, 2.5% inflation and a 4% withdrawal rate, the years until you could retire depend almost entirely on how much of your pay you invest:

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

Your income doesn’t change these numbers: a higher income only helps if you invest more of it.

Example

At 30, with $50,000 invested, $75,000 of take-home pay and $45,000 of spending a year, you invest 40% of your pay. Your FIRE number is $1,125,000 and you could retire at 50. Spend 10% less, and you could retire about 3 years sooner, at 47.

You’d reach Coast FIRE at about 38: from then on, your investments could grow to your FIRE number by 65 without you investing any more.

Bridge years: before your 401(k) and IRA open

Most of your money may be in a 401(k) or IRA, but those charge a 10% additional tax on withdrawals before 59½. Retire at 50 and you have 8½ years to cover, about $390,000 of spending, from money you can get at:

  • A taxable brokerage account, which you can use at any age.
  • Roth IRA contributions, which you can take out at any time without tax or penalty.
  • The rule of 55, if you leave your job in or after the year you turn 55: that employer’s 401(k) opens without the penalty.
  • A Roth conversion ladder or 72(t) payments, which take planning years ahead.

Social Security isn’t included. You can claim it from 62, or in full at 67, so it would cover part of your spending later on. See how your 401(k) alone could grow with our 401(k) 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 share of your pay until your investments can pay for your spending, then work becomes optional. The higher your savings rate, the sooner you get there.

How do I work out my FIRE number?

Divide what you’d spend in a year of retirement by your withdrawal rate. At the usual 4%, that’s 25 times your yearly spending: $45,000 a year needs $1,125,000.

Is the 4% rule safe for early retirement?

The 4% rule comes from US studies of 30-year retirements with a mix of stocks and bonds. Retiring at 40 or 50 could mean 40 to 50 years of withdrawals, so many early retirees plan on 3% to 3.5%. At 3.5%, $45,000 a year needs about $1,286,000.

What is Coast FIRE?

Coast FIRE is when what you’ve already invested could grow to your FIRE number by a normal retirement age, even if you never invest another dollar. From then on, you only need to earn enough to cover your spending.

Can I take money out of my 401(k) before 59½?

Usually only with a 10% additional tax on top of income tax. Exceptions include leaving your job in or after the year you turn 55 (for that employer’s 401(k), not IRAs) and a series of substantially equal periodic payments (72(t)). Roth IRA contributions, but not earnings, can come out at any age.