Retirement Calculator
Project your retirement savings balance based on your current age and contributions.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
This projects one constant nominal return to a fixed retirement age in today's contribution amounts; it does not model withdrawals after retirement, changing contributions, taxes, fees or market volatility.
1015588.82
Projected balance at retirement
35
Years until retirement
What this calculator does
Projects a retirement balance by compounding a starting balance and a level monthly contribution at one constant expected annual return over the years between your current and planned retirement age.
How to use it
Enter your current age, planned retirement age, current savings, monthly contribution and expected annual return. Keep every amount in one currency; the retirement age must be later than your current age.
Worked example
Starting at age 30 with 10,000 saved, retiring at 65 (35 years), contributing 500 per month at a 7% expected annual return, the projected balance is about 1,015,588.82. Automated tests verify this figure.
Formula
Future value = current savings × (1 + r)ⁿ + monthly contribution × [((1 + r)ⁿ − 1) ÷ r], where r is the annual return divided by 12 and n is the number of months until retirement age. At a 0% return, this simplifies to current savings plus contribution × n.
What this projection is and isn't
This is a single deterministic scenario using one constant nominal return for the entire period — it does not simulate market volatility, sequence-of-returns risk, changing contributions, employer matching, taxes, fees, or income needed during retirement. The result is stated in today's nominal terms and is not adjusted for inflation.
Choosing a return assumption
A commonly cited long-run assumption for a diversified portfolio sits in the 6-8% nominal range, but the right number depends on your actual asset allocation, time horizon and risk tolerance — test more than one rate rather than relying on a single point estimate.
Adjusting for inflation
Because the projected balance is nominal, pair this result with the Inflation Calculator to see what it is worth in today's purchasing power, especially over horizons of 20 years or more where inflation compounds meaningfully.
Scope, sources and privacy
This is an educational estimate, not retirement, investment or tax advice, and not a substitute for a plan built with a qualified professional. The future-value-of-an-annuity formula was checked against U.S. SEC Investor.gov education materials. Reviewed September 2026. Calculation runs locally in the browser; Quiklio does not upload the entered values.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does this use one constant return instead of modeling market ups and downs?
- A single smooth rate keeps the projection simple and easy to test with different assumptions, but real portfolios experience volatility and sequence-of-returns risk — two savers with the same average return can end up with different balances depending on when the gains and losses occur.
- Does this include a pension, Social Security or an employer match?
- No. The projection only compounds the current savings and monthly contribution you enter; add any employer match to your monthly contribution figure yourself, and estimate other income sources separately.
- Why is the projected balance in nominal terms rather than today's money?
- The formula grows your inputs at a nominal rate without subtracting inflation, so the number shown is what you'd nominally have at that future date — pair it with the Inflation Calculator to see its equivalent purchasing power today.
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