Retirement Calculator
The corpus you will actually need, what you are on track for, and the gap between them.
Someone spending Rs 50,000 a month today and retiring in 30 years needs a corpus of roughly Rs 5.2 crore, because 5% inflation turns that into about Rs 2.16 lakh a month by then. As a rule of thumb the target is 25 to 30 times your annual expenses at retirement.
How this is calculated
Year-by-year breakdown
The best free retirement calculator for India and the US
Most retirement calculators answer the easy question: what will my savings grow to? This one answers the hard one: how much do I actually need, and am I short? It takes your monthly expenses today, inflates them to your retirement date, works out the corpus that can pay them for the rest of your life, and puts that target as a line right across your projected savings. The gap, if there is one, is shown in money and in the extra monthly investment that closes it.
The number that matters is not your return, it is your real return. A 7% post-retirement return with 5% inflation leaves you just 1.9% of genuine purchasing-power growth, and that is what the corpus is sized against. Calculators that ignore this understate the target by a third or more.
Worked example
A 30-year-old in India spending Rs 50,000 a month wants to retire at 60 and plan until 85. At 5% inflation, that Rs 50,000 becomes about Rs 2.16 lakh a month by 2056, or Rs 25.9 lakh in the first year of retirement. Sustaining that for 25 years at a 7% post-retirement return needs a corpus of roughly Rs 5.2 crore. Investing Rs 5,000 a month at 12% gets to about Rs 1.76 crore, so the honest answer is that the monthly investment needs to be closer to Rs 14,800.
| Monthly spend today | Years to retirement | Corpus needed at 5% inflation | Monthly investment at 12% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rs 30,000 | 30 | ~Rs 3.1 crore | ~Rs 8,900 |
| Rs 50,000 | 30 | ~Rs 5.2 crore | ~Rs 14,800 |
| Rs 1,00,000 | 25 | ~Rs 8.2 crore | ~Rs 43,100 |
Why this retirement calculator is different
Three things it does that most do not: it separates the return before retirement from the (usually lower) return after, because retirees hold safer assets; it draws down the corpus at the real return so your income keeps pace with prices for the whole retirement; and it tells you the required monthly investment rather than leaving you to guess. Free, no sign-up, works in rupees and dollars.
Want to stop working much earlier than 60? The FIRE calculator is built for that. Want to see what your provident fund alone will contribute? Try the EPF calculator and the NPS calculator. Already retired and drawing down? Use the SWP calculator.
Key facts
| Rule of thumb corpus | 25 to 30 times your annual expenses at retirement |
|---|---|
| Typical pre-retirement return | 10 to 12% for equity-heavy portfolios in India, 7 to 8% in the US |
| Typical post-retirement return | 6 to 7% in India, 4 to 5% in the US |
| Long-run inflation used | 5% India, 3% US, both editable |
| Safe drawdown horizon | Plan to at least 85, longer if there is longevity in your family |
How to use the Retirement Calculator
- Pick your country, India (INR) or the US (USD), at the top right.
- Set your age now, the age you want to retire, and the age you want the money to last until.
- Enter what you spend each month today, in today's money. The calculator inflates it for you.
- Add whatever you have already saved for retirement and what you invest each month.
- Set the expected return before retirement and the (usually lower) return after it, plus your inflation assumption.
- Read the corpus needed, what you are on track for, and the monthly investment that closes the gap.
Sources
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Consumer Price Index
- Reserve Bank of India
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index
Last reviewed and updated: 23 August 2026. Estimates only, not financial or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to retire in India?
It depends on your spending, not on a round number. As a rule of thumb, you need roughly 25 to 30 times your annual expenses at retirement, in retirement-date money. Someone spending Rs 50,000 a month today and retiring in 30 years needs about Rs 5.2 crore, because 5% inflation turns that Rs 50,000 into about Rs 2.16 lakh a month by then.
How is the retirement corpus calculated?
The corpus is the present value of an inflating income stream: first year's expenses at retirement, multiplied by an annuity factor built on the real return, which is (1 + post-retirement return) divided by (1 + inflation) minus 1. That real return is what keeps your income rising with prices through retirement.
What return should I assume after retirement?
Lower than before it. Retirees typically shift into debt funds, deposits and annuities, so 6 to 7% is a common assumption in India and 4 to 5% in the US. Using your pre-retirement equity return for a 25-year drawdown is the single most common way retirement plans go wrong.
Does this retirement calculator include inflation?
Yes, inflation is a required input rather than an optional toggle, because a retirement plan without it is meaningless. Your expenses are inflated to the retirement date and the corpus is drawn down at the inflation-adjusted real return.
Should I count my EPF, PPF and NPS in this?
Yes. Put their current balances in the retirement savings field and add your monthly contributions to the monthly investment field. For a closer look at each one, use the EPF, PPF and NPS calculators separately, then bring the totals back here.
Is this retirement calculator free?
Yes, completely free, with no sign-up, no login and no ads. It works for both India (INR) and the US (USD), and you can share any plan with a link.
What if I am already behind on my retirement target?
Three levers move the number, in order of power: invest more each month, work a few years longer (which both adds contributions and shortens the drawdown), or plan to spend less. Raising the assumed return is the one lever that feels good and does nothing, because you cannot control it.