Financial Independence Date Calculator
Your savings rate, not your salary, sets your retirement date — see how many years until work becomes optional.
How it works
Annual spending = income × (1 − savings rate) · FIRE number = spending ÷ withdrawal rate · Compound monthly savings until balance ≥ FIRE number
For a given lifestyle, your savings rate is the single biggest lever on when you can retire. A higher savings rate does double duty: it both grows your portfolio faster and shrinks the nest egg you need, because you are living on less. That is why two people on very different salaries can retire at the same age if they save the same percentage — the math depends on the ratio, not the raw dollars.
Worked example
On $80,000 take-home, saving 30% means spending $56,000 and investing $24,000 a year. At a 4% withdrawal rate the FIRE number is $1,400,000. Starting from $50,000 and compounding at a 5% real return, the balance crosses that target in roughly 26 years.
Frequently asked questions
Why does savings rate matter more than income?
Your savings rate sets both how fast you accumulate and how little you need to live on. Someone saving 50% needs a smaller portfolio and fills it faster than someone saving 10%, regardless of salary.
Should I use a real or nominal return?
Use a real (after-inflation) return here — around 4–5% for stocks — so the FIRE number stays in today’s dollars and the timeline reflects purchasing power rather than inflated figures.
Does this include Social Security or a pension?
No. Those would reduce the portfolio you need, so treating them as a bonus makes this estimate conservative. Add them separately if you want a fuller picture.
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Educational estimate, not financial advice. Investment returns are not guaranteed.