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Retirement Number Calculator (25× Rule)

How much do you actually need to retire? Enter your spending, your Social Security or pension income, and what you save today — the 25× rule turns it into a target number, and the trajectory chart shows whether your current path gets you there.

What's your retirement number?

The rule: save 25 times the yearly spending your savings must cover. Social Security and pensions shrink the gap before the ×25 ever applies.

Annual spending in retirement $

Yearly lifestyle cost — housing, food, travel, health care, everything.

Social Security + pension $/yr

Guaranteed income that covers part of that spending first.

Years until retirement

Current retirement savings $

What you have saved across all retirement accounts today.

Monthly savings $

Expected return %

Annual growth on investments — 7% is a common planning figure.

Try:

On track$74,009.4 aheadYour number: $900,000 · projected: $974,009.4 in 20y

Your retirement number900,000Winner

Projected savings974,009.4Winner

Dashed line = your number · the curve = your savings at 7% growth

Your number$900,000

Projected savings$974,009.4

Beam tips toward the bigger number · 20y to go

On track: $74,009.4 ahead. Your number is $900,000 and your current path lands near $974,009.4 in 20y — $74,009.4 ahead of it. Keep the savings habit steady and the number takes care of itself.

How it works: the calculator subtracts your guaranteed income (Social Security, pension) from your annual spending — only the gap needs savings — then multiplies by 25 (the inverse of the 4% rule). Separately, it grows your current savings and monthly contributions at your expected return to the retirement date. The chart draws both: your trajectory against the number it has to beat.

How the 25× rule works

Your "retirement number" answers one question: how much must my savings be on day one of retirement? The 25× rule answers it with three numbers you already know — what you will spend, what Social Security and pensions will pay, and the multiplication. Twenty-five is not magic; it is the mirror of the 4% rule: withdrawing 4% of a portfolio each year means the portfolio must be 25 times the withdrawal (1 ÷ 0.04 = 25).

The formula

retirement number = (annual spending − Social Security − pension) × 25 · projected savings = current savings × (1 + r)^years + monthly × 12 × ((1 + r)^years − 1) ÷ r

The subtraction matters as much as the ×25. Every $1,000 a month of Social Security covers $12,000 of yearly spending — which erases $300,000 from the number. Guaranteed income is the cheapest retirement money there is.

Worked example: $60,000 spending, $24,000 Social Security, 20 years out

1. The gap: $60,000 − $24,000 = $36,000 a year that savings must cover.

2. The number: $36,000 × 25 = $900,000.

3. Today's savings growing: $150,000 × 1.07²⁰ (1.07²⁰ = 3.8697) = $580,452.67.

4. The monthly habit compounding: $800/mo = $9,600/yr; $9,600 × (3.8697 − 1) ÷ 0.07 = $393,556.73.

5. The verdict: $580,452.67 + $393,556.73 = $974,009.4 projected — $74,009.4 ahead of the $900,000 number. On track.

Where this comes in handy

The early-retiree check: retiring at 55 instead of 65? A 35–40 year retirement may need 28–33× instead of 25× — test it with the retirement guide's adjusted multiples.
The delay-Social-Security test: claiming at 70 instead of 62 can raise benefits by up to ~77%, shrinking the gap the savings must cover — type the bigger number in and watch the target fall.
The annual savings audit: once a year, update the three savings inputs and check the verdict. One honest minute beats a decade of guessing.
The part-time bridge: planning a few years of part-time work? Enter that income under guaranteed income for a realistic near-term number.
The couple's combined number: run it once with combined spending and both Social Security checks — a household needs one number, not two.

Educational math, not financial advice — the 25× rule is a planning target, and taxes on withdrawals, inflation, and market returns will move the real finish line.

Retirement number — frequently asked questions

Where does the 25 come from?

It is the 4% rule turned around. The 4% rule says a retiree can withdraw about 4% of a portfolio in the first year and adjust for inflation after — so the portfolio must be 1 ÷ 0.04 = 25 times the annual withdrawal. The 25× rule just states the same idea as a savings target instead of a withdrawal rate.

I want to retire early — is 25× still enough?

Maybe not. The 25× rule assumes a roughly 30-year retirement. Retiring at 55 means funding 35–40 years, so many planners use 28–33× (a 3–3.5% withdrawal rate) instead. Multiply your spending gap by 30 to see the conservative version of your number.

Should I count my home in the number?

No — the rule is built on spending, not net worth. Home equity is not spendable unless you sell or downsize, and you still need somewhere to live. Count the house as what it is: a place that keeps your housing spending low, not a funding source for groceries.

Do I use Social Security before or after taxes?

Use what lands in your pocket. Enter your estimated after-tax benefit — the check amount you will actually spend. The Social Security Administration's estimator shows the gross monthly figure; the calculator's spending input is also in after-tax dollars, so keep both sides consistent.

Does the number account for inflation?

It works in today's dollars as long as you enter today's spending and today's benefit estimates — both will inflate together, and the ×25 math is scale-free. The one thing to keep honest is your expected return: it should be a real return (after inflation) if your spending input is in today's dollars.

What is the $300,000 rule of thumb?

A quick version of the same math: every $1,000 a month of income your savings must produce needs $12,000 a year × 25 = $300,000 saved. Need $4,000 a month beyond Social Security? That is roughly $1.2 million. It is the 25× rule in pocket form.

Does the calculator account for taxes on withdrawals?

No — and that is the biggest adjustment to make yourself. Money in a traditional 401(k) or IRA is taxed as income when withdrawn, so a $900,000 pre-tax balance spends like a smaller after-tax one. If most of your savings are pre-tax, aim 15–25% above the printed number.

What if my Social Security already covers my spending?

Then your number is $0 — you are covered, and the calculator says so outright. This happens more often than people expect: modest spending plus two Social Security checks can fully fund a retirement. Your savings then become lifestyle money, not survival money.