FIRE Calculator
FIRE means financial independence, retire early: investing enough that withdrawals could cover your yearly spending. Default example: $40,000 of yearly spending at a 4% withdrawal rate gives a FIRE number of $1,000,000; starting at age 30 with $50,000 invested and adding $40,000 a year, you reach it in year 19, at age 49.
All amounts are in today's dollars: yearly savings rise with 2.5% inflation, and returns are a constant 5% before 0.3% fees. Change the inputs below for your own numbers.
Calculate your FIRE number and years to financial independence
Your FIRE number is $1,000,000 — 25 times $40,000 of yearly spending at a 4% withdrawal rate. Saving $40,000 a year (a 50% savings rate) from $50,000 today, you reach it in year 19, at age 49.
Total contributed over the displayed years: $760,000; investment growth after fees and inflation: $191,155. Constant-return arithmetic, not a forecast or a test of retirement withdrawals.
Invested balance and FIRE number by age
Ages label year ends. The table stops at the first year reaching the target, or after 100 years. If the target is already reached, there are no saving years to display. A zero target counts as reached.
| Age at year end | Opening | Growth | Saved | Closing | % of FIRE number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | $50,000 | $1,073 | $40,000 | $91,073 | 9.1% |
| 32 | $91,073 | $1,955 | $40,000 | $133,028 | 13.3% |
| 33 | $133,028 | $2,855 | $40,000 | $175,883 | 17.6% |
| 34 | $175,883 | $3,775 | $40,000 | $219,658 | 22.0% |
| 35 | $219,658 | $4,715 | $40,000 | $264,373 | 26.4% |
| 36 | $264,373 | $5,674 | $40,000 | $310,047 | 31.0% |
| 37 | $310,047 | $6,655 | $40,000 | $356,702 | 35.7% |
| 38 | $356,702 | $7,656 | $40,000 | $404,358 | 40.4% |
| 39 | $404,358 | $8,679 | $40,000 | $453,037 | 45.3% |
| 40 | $453,037 | $9,724 | $40,000 | $502,760 | 50.3% |
| 41 | $502,760 | $10,791 | $40,000 | $553,551 | 55.4% |
| 42 | $553,551 | $11,881 | $40,000 | $605,433 | 60.5% |
| 43 | $605,433 | $12,995 | $40,000 | $658,427 | 65.8% |
| 44 | $658,427 | $14,132 | $40,000 | $712,559 | 71.3% |
| 45 | $712,559 | $15,294 | $40,000 | $767,853 | 76.8% |
| 46 | $767,853 | $16,481 | $40,000 | $824,334 | 82.4% |
| 47 | $824,334 | $17,693 | $40,000 | $882,027 | 88.2% |
| 48 | $882,027 | $18,931 | $40,000 | $940,958 | 94.1% |
| 49 | $940,958 | $20,196 | $40,000 | $1,001,155 | 100.1% |
Compare FIRE numbers and years to financial independence
Use these tables to see which assumption changes the answer. Years are whole year ends, without rounding a fractional timeline down. A target beyond the calculation limit is labeled explicitly.
Years to financial independence by savings rate (starting from $0)
| Savings rate | 3% return | 5% return | 7% return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | Not within 100 years | 84 | 58 |
| 15% | Not within 100 years | 66 | 48 |
| 20% | 92 | 54 | 41 |
| 25% | 71 | 46 | 35 |
| 30% | 56 | 39 | 31 |
| 40% | 37 | 28 | 24 |
| 50% | 25 | 21 | 18 |
| 60% | 17 | 15 | 13 |
| 70% | 11 | 10 | 10 |
FIRE number by yearly spending and withdrawal rate
| Yearly spending | 3% withdrawal rate | 3.5% withdrawal rate | 4% withdrawal rate | 4.5% withdrawal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,000,000 | $857,143 | $750,000 | $666,667 |
| $40,000 | $1,333,333 | $1,142,857 | $1,000,000 | $888,889 |
| $50,000 | $1,666,667 | $1,428,571 | $1,250,000 | $1,111,111 |
| $60,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,714,286 | $1,500,000 | $1,333,333 |
| $80,000 | $2,666,667 | $2,285,714 | $2,000,000 | $1,777,778 |
| $100,000 | $3,333,333 | $2,857,143 | $2,500,000 | $2,222,222 |
Years to FI by starting savings ($80,000 take-home, 30% savings rate, 4% withdrawal rate)
| Starting savings | 3% return | 5% return | 7% return |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | 56 | 39 | 31 |
| $50,000 | 54 | 37 | 29 |
| $150,000 | 50 | 33 | 25 |
| $300,000 | 43 | 28 | 21 |
All tables show constant-return arithmetic in today's dollars, not a forecast or probability. Table 3 uses a 30% savings rate ($56,000 of spending) rather than the calculator default and keeps it fixed, so the difference comes only from the starting balance and return.
Calculated 2026-11-13 with the model described in /methodology (section 1g).
How to calculate your FIRE number
FIRE number = yearly retirement spending ÷ withdrawal rate. Enter the rate as a decimal in this formula. The worked example is $40,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1,000,000, or 25 times yearly spending. Income does not appear in that target formula; it enters the timeline through the amount available to invest.
Build the spending input from the budget investments would need to support. Housing, travel and health costs may differ after work ends. The current-spending shortcut is a starting point, and you can uncheck it to enter another budget. A lower withdrawal rate increases the target even when that budget stays unchanged.
How this calculator works
How to use the FIRE calculator
Enter annual after-tax income including retirement contributions, the yearly amount invested, current invested savings and age. Keep retirement spending linked to current spending or enter your own estimate. Set return, fees, inflation and withdrawal rate. Read the target first, then check the year table and download the CSV to review assumptions alongside annual balances.
Formulas and timing
The real annual growth factor is G = (1 + return − fees) ÷ (1 + inflation). Everything is in today's dollars; yearly savings stay constant in purchasing power, meaning nominal contributions rise with inflation. Each year, growth = opening balance × (G − 1), then closing balance = opening + growth + savings contributed at year end.
Years to FI is the first whole year whose closing balance reaches the FIRE number. An already-funded target returns zero years. If no year reaches it within 100 years, the result says so. Current age only labels the timeline; it does not alter growth or make an assumed retirement age achievable.
How savings rate and starting savings change years to FIRE
In Table 1, starting from $0 at a 5% return, a 30% savings rate takes 39 years and a 50% rate takes 21. Those years are identical at $40,000, $80,000 or $200,000 of income: multiplying income multiplies both annual investments and the spending-based target by the same factor. Income cancels from the comparison.
This scale-free result assumes retirement spending equals income minus savings. Raising the savings rate both increases contributions and reduces the target budget. It is a mathematical comparison, not a claim that every household can cut spending equally. With existing savings or a separately chosen retirement budget, income alone no longer cancels in the same way.
To reach FIRE earlier in this model, three inputs move the timeline: investing more each year, planning a smaller retirement budget (which lowers the target), or assuming a higher return after fees. In Table 3, starting with $150,000 instead of $0 at a 5% return shortens the 30% savings-rate timeline from 39 to 33 years. A higher withdrawal rate also lowers the target, but it changes what the portfolio must sustain later, so test it separately.
Limits of this calculator
Account access rules and taxes are not modelled. Health insurance costs and Social Security benefits are not modelled either. Returns, fees and inflation remain constant, with no changing earnings, market sequence or irregular contributions. The withdrawal rate is an input, not a guarantee; use the 4% rule calculator to examine whether a rate lasts over a chosen withdrawal horizon.
This page stops when accumulation reaches a target and never runs retirement withdrawals. A balance crossing the line therefore says nothing about future depletion, emergency expenses or leaving a legacy. Review a range of budgets and growth assumptions rather than treating the displayed age as a date on which you can definitely stop working.
FIRE calculator FAQ
What is a FIRE number?
A FIRE number is the invested savings target found by dividing yearly retirement spending by an entered withdrawal rate. FIRE means financial independence, retire early. The number translates a budget into a portfolio target; it does not establish that the portfolio will pay every future bill or that stopping work is affordable.
How do I calculate my FIRE number?
Divide your yearly retirement spending by the withdrawal rate as a decimal. With $40,000 of spending and a 4% rate, the calculation is $40,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1,000,000. That is 25 times spending. Use a retirement budget rather than assuming every current expense continues unchanged.
How many years until I can retire with FIRE?
Starting from $0, Table 1 gives 39 years at a 30% savings rate and 21 years at 50%, with a 5% return before 0.3% fees, 2.5% inflation and a 4% withdrawal rate. Your current investments and retirement budget can change that timeline. Reaching the target is a modeled milestone, not a retirement recommendation.
Is the 4% rule right for early retirement?
This tool makes no withdrawal-rate recommendation. Early retirement may mean a longer withdrawal horizon, which this accumulation calculation does not test. Table 2 shows how rates from 3% to 4.5% change the target for the same spending. Test a withdrawal horizon separately before drawing conclusions from a target multiple. Use the 4% rule calculator to test the withdrawal period.
What is the difference between lean FIRE and fat FIRE?
They use the same formula, different spending. A smaller retirement budget gives a smaller FIRE number at the same withdrawal rate; a larger budget gives a larger one. These labels do not change contribution timing, growth arithmetic or the need to examine whether the entered budget covers your own expenses.
Does the FIRE calculator include taxes and Social Security?
No. Take-home income is an input, and the model does not calculate taxes, account access, or Social Security benefits. It also does not subtract future benefits from retirement spending. Enter the spending you want investments to support and review taxes, benefit timing and other income separately rather than treating this result as a complete retirement plan.
Related tools
Test whether a withdrawal rate lasts with the 4% rule calculator. Size money for the gap until Social Security with the early retirement calculator. For a full-retirement savings target through your plan age, use how much do I need to retire.