Am I on track for retirement?

Enter your age, pay, savings, saving rate, employer contribution, and retirement age, plus assumptions for return, pay growth, inflation, the share of pay you want to replace, and expected Social Security. It shows your savings as a multiple of pay against a guidepost for your age, projects savings to retirement, converts your income need after Social Security into a target balance using the withdrawal rate you choose, and calculates the extra monthly saving needed to close any gap.

A widely cited rule of thumb suggests having about 1× your pay saved by 30, 3× by 40, 6× by 50, 8× by 60, and 10× by 67. It assumes roughly 15% of pay saved from age 25, a balanced portfolio, retirement at 67, and replacing about 45% of pre-retirement income from savings with Social Security covering the rest. Your target can be very different if you have a pension, plan to retire earlier, or expect a higher or lower Social Security benefit — which is why the calculator also runs the projection with your own numbers.

Age 45, $100,000 pay, $300,000 saved, saving 10% with a 4% match, retiring at 67, 6% return, 3% raises, 2.5% inflation, 80% income replacement, $30,000 a year of Social Security in today’s dollars, 4% withdrawal rate. Savings today are 3.0× pay against a 4.0× guidepost. Projected savings at 67 are about $1.89 million (about $1.10 million in today’s dollars), replacing about 66% of final pay including Social Security against the 80% target. Closing the gap takes about $930 more per month, rising with pay — or a smaller target, a later date, or a higher return.

Contributions are spread through each year and grow with pay. The target balance is (final pay × replacement % − Social Security grown with inflation) ÷ withdrawal rate. The extra saving needed is solved so that additional contributions growing with pay exactly close the gap by the retirement date. All amounts are before tax.

One steady return; no taxes; no pensions, part-time income, home equity, or inheritances unless you add them to savings or subtract them from the need. The 2026 contribution limits are shown for reference and flagged when your saving rate exceeds them.

Confirm any decision with an official Social Security statement, your plan custodian, and a qualified adviser. See the methodology and changelog for every rule the model applies.

How much should I have saved by 50?

The common guidepost is about six times your annual pay by 50. Someone earning $90,000 would aim for roughly $540,000. That figure assumes retiring at 67 with Social Security; earlier retirement or a smaller benefit raises it.

What percentage of my income should I save for retirement?

Rules of thumb say 15% of pay including any employer match, starting in your twenties. Starting later means a higher rate; the calculator tells you the exact extra saving your own situation requires.

Does Social Security count toward the target?

Yes. The calculator subtracts your expected benefit, grown with inflation, from the income you need before working out how much savings must provide.