Retirement Calculator
Project retirement corpus, income needs, and the gap between your target lifestyle and current savings plan with WealthCalcLab.
Updated April 5, 2026
What this calculator does
This retirement calculator helps you connect today’s savings behavior to the future lifestyle you want to support. It projects how your current savings and regular contributions may grow by retirement, then compares that portfolio with your target retirement income.
Retirement planning becomes more realistic when it accounts for inflation. A lifestyle that costs a certain amount today may require materially more income decades from now, even if your standard of living does not change.
United States households can use this page to stress-test retirement age assumptions, expected return ranges, and the contribution rate needed to narrow a future income gap.
How to use it
Enter your current age, target retirement age, current retirement savings, and monthly contribution.
Use Advanced options to include inflation, your desired annual retirement income, and a withdrawal rate assumption.
Read the gap card alongside the savings chart. The chart shows accumulation. The gap card shows whether that accumulation is likely to be enough.
Key formulas
Future income need = Desired income today × (1 + inflation)^years to retirementEstimated sustainable income = Projected corpus × withdrawal rateThese formulas simplify retirement planning into an accumulation stage and a withdrawal stage so the results remain interpretable.
Methodology
Savings are projected month by month until the retirement age using the expected annual return assumption.
Desired retirement income is grown by the inflation rate to estimate the amount needed in future money terms at the retirement date.
Estimated sustainable income is calculated using the selected withdrawal rate applied to the projected retirement corpus.
Worked example
A household saving steadily for 25 years may accumulate a large corpus, but the relevant question is whether that corpus can support the inflation-adjusted spending level expected at retirement.
Two plans with similar projected balances can produce very different outcomes if one assumes a much earlier retirement or a more conservative withdrawal rate.
How to interpret the results
Projected corpus is your estimated nest egg at retirement. Sustainable income is the annual amount that corpus might support under your withdrawal-rate assumption.
If income gap remains positive, your current plan may need a higher contribution rate, a later retirement age, lower target spending, or a combination of all three.
Common mistakes
- Using today’s desired retirement income without adjusting it for inflation.
- Assuming an overly high withdrawal rate that may not be sustainable across long retirements.
- Treating investment returns as guaranteed rather than testing a range of outcomes.
Key terms
Quick definitions for the finance terms that matter on this page.
Retirement corpus
The total invested pool available when you stop accumulating and begin drawing income.
Withdrawal rate
The percentage of a retirement portfolio withdrawn annually to fund living costs.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers on assumptions, interpretation, and the limits of each estimate.
Why is my income gap so high?
Often because inflation-adjusted retirement income needs rise faster than expected, especially when retirement is many years away.
Is the 4% withdrawal rule exact?
No. It is a planning heuristic, not a guarantee, and a prudent rate can differ based on market conditions, tax treatment, and portfolio design.
Should I use nominal or real returns?
This calculator uses a nominal return assumption and shows inflation separately through the income-need comparison.
Can I use this for pension-heavy retirements?
Yes, but you should treat the desired retirement income field as the amount your portfolio needs to cover after pensions or other guaranteed income sources.
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Important disclaimer
Calculator outputs are estimates only and should not be treated as financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.