★ MONEY · RETIREMENT SAVINGS BY AGE · BENCHMARKS
On the defaults — a $100,000.00 salary, age 50, and $150,000.00 of savings — the benchmark is 6× salary, the target is $600,000.00, the shortfall is $450,000.00, and the monthly top-up is $340.94. Put in your salary, your age, and what you have saved, and the calculator checks your target against the Fidelity-style benchmarks — and works backwards when you have a target instead. The chart below gives the target balance by age and salary, from 1× at 30 to 10× at 67.
The rule of thumb is simple: by 30 you should have one year’s salary saved, by 40 three years’, by 50 six, by 60 eight, and by 67 ten. Put in your salary, your age, and what you have saved, and the calculator works out your benchmark multiple, your target balance, your shortfall, and the monthly top-up that closes it by 67 — and works backwards when you have a target instead.
On the defaults — a $100,000.00 salary, age 50, and $150,000.00 of savings — the benchmark is 6× salary, the target is $600,000.00, the shortfall is $450,000.00, and the monthly top-up is $340.94 (an annual top-up of $4,091.34, over 17 years to 67). The whole calculation is four moves: look up the benchmark multiple for the age, multiply the salary by it for the target, subtract what you have saved for the shortfall, and work out the monthly saving that closes the shortfall by 67 at 7% growth.
Five things about the model are worth stating plainly. First, the multiple comes from the widely used Fidelity-style savings benchmarks: 0.5× at 25, 1× at 30, 3× at 40, 6× at 50, 8× at 60, and 10× at 67 — and between anchors it is interpolated linearly, so age 45 is 4.5× and age 55 is 7×; under 25 the multiple is 0.5×, and over 67 it stays 10×. Second, the target is the salary times the multiple — $100,000.00 × 6 = $600,000.00. Third, the shortfall is the target minus current savings, never below $0.00 — $600,000.00 − $150,000.00 = $450,000.00. Fourth, the monthly top-up is the extra monthly saving needed to reach the target by 67, assuming 7% annual growth and contributions at year-end: the current $150,000.00 grows to $473,822.28 by 67, leaving $126,177.72, and the annual top-up that closes it is $4,091.34, so the monthly top-up is $340.94. And fifth, at age 67 or older there is no time left to top up — the monthly figure is not applicable, and the page says so instead of printing $0.00 as if it were a computed top-up. These are rules of thumb from one provider’s guidance, not a guarantee — they assume you save steadily, retire at 67, and need roughly 45% of your pre-retirement income from savings; your number moves with your retirement age, pension, Social Security, and spending; all listed in Accuracy & limitations.
The full chart — the target balance at each benchmark age for four salaries. Find your age on the left and your salary across the top: that is the balance the benchmarks say you should have saved.
| Age (benchmark) | $50,000 salary | $75,000 salary | $100,000 salary | $150,000 salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 30 (1×) | $50,000.00 | $75,000.00 | $100,000.00 | $150,000.00 |
| Age 40 (3×) | $150,000.00 | $225,000.00 | $300,000.00 | $450,000.00 |
| Age 50 (6×) | $300,000.00 | $450,000.00 | $600,000.00 | $900,000.00 |
| Age 60 (8×) | $400,000.00 | $600,000.00 | $800,000.00 | $1,200,000.00 |
| Age 67 (10×) | $500,000.00 | $750,000.00 | $1,000,000.00 | $1,500,000.00 |
Setup: $100,000.00 salary, age 50, $150,000.00 saved.
Line 1 — look up the multiple for the age. Age 50 is an anchor, so the multiple is 6×.
Line 2 — multiply the salary by the multiple. The target is $100,000.00 × 6 = $600,000.00.
Line 3 — subtract what you have saved. The shortfall is $600,000.00 − $150,000.00 = $450,000.00.
Line 4 — work out the monthly top-up. The $150,000.00 grows to $473,822.28 by 67 at 7%, leaving $126,177.72; the annual top-up is $4,091.34, so the monthly top-up is $340.94.
Age 30, salary $75,000, current $0: Salary $75,000.00, age 30, current savings $0.00: multiple 1×, target $75,000.00, shortfall $75,000.00, monthly top-up $38.98 (annual $467.76, 37 years to 67) — starting from $0 at 30, the target is $75,000.00 and the monthly top-up is only $38.98 — time does the heavy lifting.
Age 60, salary $100,000, current $400,000: Salary $100,000.00, age 60, current savings $400,000.00: multiple 8×, target $800,000.00, shortfall $400,000.00, monthly top-up $1,518.44 (annual $18,221.29, 7 years to 67) — at 60 the target is $800,000.00 and only 7 years are left, so the monthly top-up is $1,518.44.
Age 40, salary $150,000, current $200,000: Salary $150,000.00, age 40, current savings $200,000.00: multiple 3×, target $450,000.00, shortfall $250,000.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 27 years to 67) — already on track: the $200,000.00 grows past the $450,000.00 target by 67, so the monthly top-up is $0.00.
Age 65, salary $100,000, current $700,000: Salary $100,000.00, age 65, current savings $700,000.00: multiple 9.4286×, target $942,857.14, shortfall $242,857.14, monthly top-up $5,693.52 (annual $68,322.29, 2 years to 67) — the multiple at 65 is 9.4286×, the target is $942,857.14, and with 2 years left the monthly top-up is $5,693.52.
Age 35, salary $80,000, current $10,000: Salary $80,000.00, age 35, current savings $10,000.00: multiple 2×, target $160,000.00, shortfall $150,000.00, monthly top-up $55.08 (annual $660.94, 32 years to 67) — the multiple at 35 is 2×, the target is $160,000.00, and the monthly top-up is $55.08.
Age 45, salary $50,000, current $30,000: Salary $50,000.00, age 45, current savings $30,000.00: multiple 4.5×, target $225,000.00, shortfall $195,000.00, monthly top-up $156.59 (annual $1,879.13, 22 years to 67) — the multiple at 45 is 4.5×, the target is $225,000.00, and the monthly top-up is $156.59.
Age 55, salary $200,000, current $500,000: Salary $200,000.00, age 55, current savings $500,000.00: multiple 7×, target $1,400,000.00, shortfall $900,000.00, monthly top-up $1,275.98 (annual $15,311.79, 12 years to 67) — the multiple at 55 is 7×, the target is $1,400,000.00, and the monthly top-up is $1,275.98.
Salary for a $500,000.00 target at age 50: $83,333.33 — the exact salary is 83333.3333. At the displayed $83,333.33 the target is $499,999.98, $0.02 under the $500,000.00 target — rounding. $83,332.33 gives $499,993.98; $83,334.33 gives $500,005.98. The star is DOLLARS.
Current savings for a $0.00 monthly top-up: $189,944.63 — the exact savings are 189944.6343. At the displayed $189,944.63 the monthly top-up is $0.00 — the savings grow to $599,999.99 by 67, and the $0.01 remaining gap rounds to $0.00 a month. $189,943.63 gives a $0.01 monthly top-up. The star is DOLLARS.
Age at which the target first reaches $750,000: 58 — the smallest whole age at which the target first reaches $750,000 at a $100,000 salary. At 58 the target is $760,000.00; 57 gives $740,000.00. This is a step reverse: the age comes in whole years here, so there is no exact in-between. The star is YEARS.
Salary for a $500.00 monthly top-up: $109,810.60 — the exact salary is 109810.5976. At the displayed $109,810.60 the target is $658,863.60 and the monthly top-up is $500.00 (exact to the cent). $109,809.60 gives a $499.98 monthly top-up; $109,811.60 gives a $500.02 monthly top-up. The star is DOLLARS.
Age at which the target first reaches $300,000: 44 — the smallest whole age at which the target first reaches $300,000 at a $75,000 salary. At 44 the target is $315,000.00; 43 gives $292,500.00. This is a step reverse: the age comes in whole years here, so there is no exact in-between. The star is YEARS.
Current savings for a $100,000.00 shortfall: $500,000.00 — the exact savings are 500000.0000. At $500,000.00 the shortfall is $100,000.00 (exact). $499,999.00 gives a $100,001.00 shortfall; $500,001.00 gives a $99,999.00 shortfall. The star is DOLLARS.
The defaults are a $100,000.00 salary, age 50, and $150,000.00 of savings — multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $450,000.00, monthly top-up $340.94. With age 25, a $60,000.00 salary, and $0 saved, Salary $60,000.00, age 25, current savings $0.00: multiple 0.5×, target $30,000.00, shortfall $30,000.00, monthly top-up $10.84 (annual $130.08, 42 years to 67). With age 67 and $1,000,000.00 saved, Salary $100,000.00, age 67, current savings $1,000,000.00: multiple 10×, target $1,000,000.00, shortfall $0.00, monthly top-up not applicable (already at 67 — no years left to top up) — already at 67, there are no years left to top up, so the monthly figure is not applicable, not $0.00. With age 70 and $900,000.00 saved, Salary $100,000.00, age 70, current savings $900,000.00: multiple 10×, target $1,000,000.00, shortfall $100,000.00, monthly top-up not applicable (past 67 — no years left to top up) — past 67, also not applicable. With a salary of $0, Salary $0.00, age 50, current savings $150,000.00: multiple 6×, target $0.00, shortfall $0.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 17 years to 67). With age 30 and $0 saved, Salary $100,000.00, age 30, current savings $0.00: multiple 1×, target $100,000.00, shortfall $100,000.00, monthly top-up $51.97 (annual $623.68, 37 years to 67). With current savings of $600,000.00, exactly at target, Salary $100,000.00, age 50, current savings $600,000.00: multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $0.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 17 years to 67).
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | input | $100,000.00. |
| Age | input | 50. |
| Current savings | input | $150,000.00. |
| Benchmark multiple | Fidelity-style benchmark by age | 6×. |
| Target balance | salary × multiple | $600,000.00. |
| Shortfall | target − current savings, never below $0 | $450,000.00. |
| Monthly top-up | annual top-up ÷ 12 (7% growth, year-end contributions) | $340.94. |
| Annual top-up | (target − grown savings) ÷ annuity factor | $4,091.34. |
| Years to 67 | 67 − age | 17 years. |
| Salary for a $500,000.00 target at age 50 | exact 83333.3333 | $83,333.33 → $83,333.33. |
| $1 less than the R1 star | $83,332.33 | Salary $83,332.33, age 50, current savings $150,000.00: multiple 6×, target $499,993.98, shortfall $349,993.98, monthly top-up $70.72 (annual $848.62, 17 years to 67). |
| $1 more than the R1 star | $83,334.33 | Salary $83,334.33, age 50, current savings $150,000.00: multiple 6×, target $500,005.98, shortfall $350,005.98, monthly top-up $70.75 (annual $849.01, 17 years to 67). |
| Current savings for a $0.00 monthly top-up | exact 189944.6343 | $189,944.63 → $189,944.63. |
| $1 less than the R2 star | $189,943.63 | Salary $100,000.00, age 50, current savings $189,943.63: multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $410,056.37, monthly top-up $0.01 (annual $0.10, 17 years to 67). |
| $1 more than the R2 star | $189,945.63 | Salary $100,000.00, age 50, current savings $189,945.63: multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $410,054.37, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 17 years to 67). |
| Age at which the target first reaches $750,000 | exact 58 | 58 → 58. |
| 1 year less than the R3 star | 57 | Salary $100,000.00, age 57, current savings $0.00: multiple 7.4×, target $740,000.00, shortfall $740,000.00, monthly top-up $4,463.28 (annual $53,559.35, 10 years to 67). |
| 1 year more than the R3 star | 59 | Salary $100,000.00, age 59, current savings $0.00: multiple 7.8×, target $780,000.00, shortfall $780,000.00, monthly top-up $6,335.40 (annual $76,024.85, 8 years to 67). |
| Salary for a $500.00 monthly top-up | exact 109810.5976 | $109,810.60 → $109,810.60. |
| $1 less than the R4 star | $109,809.60 | Salary $109,809.60, age 50, current savings $150,000.00: multiple 6×, target $658,857.60, shortfall $508,857.60, monthly top-up $499.98 (annual $5,999.81, 17 years to 67). |
| $1 more than the R4 star | $109,811.60 | Salary $109,811.60, age 50, current savings $150,000.00: multiple 6×, target $658,869.60, shortfall $508,869.60, monthly top-up $500.02 (annual $6,000.20, 17 years to 67). |
| Age at which the target first reaches $300,000 | exact 44 | 44 → 44. |
| 1 year less than the R5 star | 43 | Salary $75,000.00, age 43, current savings $0.00: multiple 3.9×, target $292,500.00, shortfall $292,500.00, monthly top-up $418.98 (annual $5,027.79, 24 years to 67). |
| 1 year more than the R5 star | 45 | Salary $75,000.00, age 45, current savings $0.00: multiple 4.5×, target $337,500.00, shortfall $337,500.00, monthly top-up $573.91 (annual $6,886.95, 22 years to 67). |
| Current savings for a $100,000.00 shortfall | exact 500000.0000 | $500,000.00 → $500,000.00. |
| $1 less than the R6 star | $499,999.00 | Salary $100,000.00, age 50, current savings $499,999.00: multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $100,001.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 17 years to 67). |
| $1 more than the R6 star | $500,001.00 | Salary $100,000.00, age 50, current savings $500,001.00: multiple 6×, target $600,000.00, shortfall $99,999.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 17 years to 67). |
| Age 30, salary $75,000, current $0 | same model | Salary $75,000.00, age 30, current savings $0.00: multiple 1×, target $75,000.00, shortfall $75,000.00, monthly top-up $38.98 (annual $467.76, 37 years to 67). |
| Age 60, salary $100,000, current $400,000 | same model | Salary $100,000.00, age 60, current savings $400,000.00: multiple 8×, target $800,000.00, shortfall $400,000.00, monthly top-up $1,518.44 (annual $18,221.29, 7 years to 67). |
| Age 40, salary $150,000, current $200,000 | same model | Salary $150,000.00, age 40, current savings $200,000.00: multiple 3×, target $450,000.00, shortfall $250,000.00, monthly top-up $0.00 (annual $0.00, 27 years to 67). |
| Age 65, salary $100,000, current $700,000 | same model | Salary $100,000.00, age 65, current savings $700,000.00: multiple 9.4286×, target $942,857.14, shortfall $242,857.14, monthly top-up $5,693.52 (annual $68,322.29, 2 years to 67). |
| Age 35, salary $80,000, current $10,000 | same model | Salary $80,000.00, age 35, current savings $10,000.00: multiple 2×, target $160,000.00, shortfall $150,000.00, monthly top-up $55.08 (annual $660.94, 32 years to 67). |
| Age 45, salary $50,000, current $30,000 | same model | Salary $50,000.00, age 45, current savings $30,000.00: multiple 4.5×, target $225,000.00, shortfall $195,000.00, monthly top-up $156.59 (annual $1,879.13, 22 years to 67). |
| Age 55, salary $200,000, current $500,000 | same model | Salary $200,000.00, age 55, current savings $500,000.00: multiple 7×, target $1,400,000.00, shortfall $900,000.00, monthly top-up $1,275.98 (annual $15,311.79, 12 years to 67). |
The math is first-principles: the multiple is the Fidelity-style benchmark by age, interpolated linearly between anchors; the target is the salary times the multiple; the shortfall is the target minus current savings, never below $0.00; the monthly top-up is the unrounded annual top-up divided by 12, where the annual top-up is the gap between the target and the grown savings divided by the 7% annuity factor, with contributions at year-end. Every figure is rounded to cents half-up. What the model cannot do is tell you what YOUR number is: these are rules of thumb from one provider’s guidance only — they do NOT model your actual retirement age, pension, Social Security, spending, taxes, or investment returns; they do NOT model contributions that stop, start, or change; they do NOT model a market that falls; and they assume 7% growth every year and that you need roughly 45% of your pre-retirement income from savings. A different retirement age moves every number: retiring at 62 needs more than 10×, retiring at 70 needs less. Use it to check the benchmark, then check your own plan with a retirement calculator or an adviser.
Bright Side Kit. "Retirement Savings by Age Chart: Are You on Track?" https://brightoolbox.com/retirement-savings-by-age-chart/ Accessed October 26, 2026.$600,000.00. The benchmark at 50 is 6× salary: $100,000.00 × 6 = $600,000.00. At 30 it is 1× ($100,000.00), at 40 it is 3× ($300,000.00), at 60 it is 8× ($800,000.00), and at 67 it is 10× ($1,000,000.00).
No — the shortfall is $450,000.00. The target is $600,000.00 and you have $150,000.00, so the monthly top-up is $340.94 for 17 years at 7% growth.
$83,333.33. The exact salary is 83333.3333: at $83,333.33 the target is $499,999.98, $0.02 under the $500,000.00 target, because the salary is rounded.
$189,944.63. The exact savings are 189944.6343: at $189,944.63 the savings grow to $599,999.99 by 67, and the $0.01 remaining gap rounds to a $0.00 monthly top-up. At $189,943.63 the monthly top-up is $0.01.
58. At 58 the target is $760,000.00; at 57 it is $740,000.00. The age comes in whole years here, so there is no exact in-between.
The monthly top-up is not applicable. At 67 with $1,000,000.00 saved the target is $1,000,000.00 and the shortfall is $0.00 — but there are no years left to top up, so the page says so instead of printing $0.00.
The target is $100,000.00 and the monthly top-up is $51.97. On a $100,000.00 salary at 30 with $0 saved, the 1× benchmark gives a $100,000.00 target and 37 years to close it.
One year’s pay saved by 30. The benchmarks are multiples of your salary: 0.5× at 25, 1× at 30, 3× at 40, 6× at 50, 8× at 60, and 10× at 67 — and between anchors they are interpolated, so 45 is 4.5× and 55 is 7×.