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CalcTortoise

FIRE Calculator

Financial independence, retire early: find the sum you need invested and how many years it takes at your current savings rate.

Written by the CalcTortoise editorial team · How we work

years

In today’s money.

Assumed: 4.5% return above inflation, 4% withdrawal rate. Change

Share of the portfolio withdrawn in year one. Lower is safer for a long retirement.

years

Your FIRE number

$1,000,000

You need $1 million — 25× your yearly spending. Saving $20,000 a year, you get there at 55. To stop at 50, save $28,032 a year.

Financially independent at
55
Saving a year to stop at 50
$28,032
Yearly spending it covers
$40,000
Monthly
$3,333

Illustration only, not investment, tax or legal advice. Returns are assumed, not predicted.

Portfolio vs. FIRE numberPortfolioFIRE number

Year by year

AgeSavedGrowthBalance
31$20,000$2,250$72,250
32$20,000$3,251$95,501
33$20,000$4,298$119,799
34$20,000$5,391$145,190
35$20,000$6,534$171,723
36$20,000$7,728$199,451
37$20,000$8,975$228,426
38$20,000$10,279$258,705
39$20,000$11,642$290,347
40$20,000$13,066$323,413
41$20,000$14,554$357,966
42$20,000$16,108$394,075
43$20,000$17,733$431,808
44$20,000$19,431$471,239
45$20,000$21,206$512,445
46$20,000$23,060$555,505
47$20,000$24,998$600,503
48$20,000$27,023$647,526
49$20,000$29,139$696,664
50$20,000$31,350$748,014
51$20,000$33,661$801,675
52$20,000$36,075$857,750
53$20,000$38,599$916,349
54$20,000$41,236$977,585
55$20,000$43,991$1,041,576
56$20,000$46,871$1,108,447
57$20,000$49,880$1,178,327
58$20,000$53,025$1,251,352
59$20,000$56,311$1,327,662
60$20,000$59,745$1,407,407

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter your age, expected spending and what you have invested.
  2. Add your yearly investing and a real (after-inflation) return.
  3. Choose a withdrawal rate and a target age.

Frequently asked questions

How is the FIRE number calculated?

Annual spending divided by the withdrawal rate. At 4%, $40,000 a year needs $1,000,000.

Which withdrawal rate is sensible?

The often-quoted 4% comes from US market history. Where returns have been lower, or for very long retirements, 3–3.5% is more prudent; at 3.5% the example needs $1,142,857.

How much does saving more help?

Investing $30,000 a year instead of $20,000 brings independence forward from 55 to 50.

Sources and method

Standard compound-interest formulas, tested against worked examples. Nothing here depends on outside data; the rates you type in are your own assumptions.

No outside data is used. The numbers you type in are the only inputs.

Page and formula last reviewed . How we calculate · Editorial policy · Corrections and change log

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Last updated 10 October 2026. For information only — not financial advice. Check the final figures with your lender or bank.