Retirement Calculator
Project how much you could have saved by retirement. Enter your current age, target retirement age, existing savings, monthly contributions, expected annual return, and employer match percentage.
Educational tool only. Results are informational estimates based on a fixed annual return compounded monthly. Actual investment returns are not guaranteed and vary over time. This calculator does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor for personalized retirement planning.
How Retirement Projections Work
The calculator combines two calculations: the growth of your existing savings (a lump sum compounding over time) and the growth of your ongoing contributions plus employer match (a monthly annuity also compounding). Employer match is treated as additional monthly contributions on top of your own.
The Formula
Balance = P × (1 + r/12)^(12t)
+ C_eff × [(1 + r/12)^(12t) - 1] / (r/12)
Where:
P = current savings
r = annual return rate (decimal)
t = years until retirement
C_eff = monthly contribution × (1 + employer match %)
Example: $10,000 saved, $500/month, 3% match, 7% return, 35 years:
C_eff = $500 × 1.03 = $515/month
Balance ≈ $10,000 × 11.11 + $515 × 1,303
Balance ≈ $111,100 + $671,045 = $782,145FAQ
What annual return rate should I use?
A commonly used rate for stock-heavy retirement portfolios is 7% (the historical inflation-adjusted average for US large-cap equities). Conservative planners use 5–6%. Always model multiple scenarios — a 1% difference in annual return over 30 years can change your projected balance by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How does employer match affect retirement savings?
Employer match is effectively a guaranteed return on that portion of your contribution. If your employer matches 100% up to 3% of your salary and you contribute 3%, you get a 100% immediate return on that money before any market growth. Always contribute at least enough to capture the full employer match.
How much do I need to retire?
A widely used rule of thumb is the '25x rule': multiply your expected annual retirement spending by 25 to find the target portfolio size. For $50,000/year in expenses, you'd target $1.25 million. This is based on the 4% withdrawal rule, which suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio per year is historically sustainable over 30 years.
Want the full explanation? Read the Retirement Calculator Guide →