Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates only and should not be considered financial or retirement advice. Projections are based on assumed constant rates of return and spending and will differ from actual outcomes. The safe withdrawal rate concept is a general guideline, not a guarantee. Always consult a licensed financial adviser before making retirement planning decisions. Evercend Pty Limited does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
FIRE calculator inputs and results
Spending
How much you spend per year today.
Leave blank to use your current expenses.
Assets and savings
Super, shares, ETFs, investment property equity. Exclude your home.
Assumptions
The percentage of your portfolio you plan to withdraw each year. The 4% rule is a common starting point.
Enter your expenses to calculate your FIRE number
Add your annual spending and invested assets to see your financial independence target and how many years away you are.
FIRE number and financial independence
The FIRE calculator estimates your FIRE number, being the amount of invested assets that could support your annual spending, and how many years it might take to reach it at your current savings rate and an assumed investment return. FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early.
How to use this calculator
Enter your spending and assets
Enter your expected annual spending in retirement, your current invested assets, how much you add each year, and an expected annual return after inflation.
Read the result
The calculator shows your FIRE number and an estimate of the years until your investments reach it.
How this calculator works
The FIRE number is your annual spending divided by a safe withdrawal rate. A withdrawal rate of 4 percent, the rule of thumb from William Bengen's 1994 research and the 1998 Trinity study, is the same as 25 times annual spending. The calculator then grows your current assets and yearly contributions at the assumed return until they reach that number, which gives the years to independence. In Australia a further point matters: super generally cannot be accessed until preservation age, which is 60 for anyone born after 1 July 1964, or age 65 regardless of work, so the portion of your wealth held in super is locked until then and assets outside super are needed to bridge the years before preservation age.
Assumptions used
The 4 percent rule is drawn from United States market history over rolling 30-year periods and is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee. It was built for a 30-year retirement, so a longer early-retirement horizon may call for a lower rate. The original work ignored taxes and fees. A projection is a model based on assumptions, not a prediction, and real returns, inflation and spending all vary, so figures are clearest read in today's dollars.
Worked example
A person who expects to spend $50,000 a year has a FIRE number of $50,000 divided by 4 percent, which is $1,250,000, the same as 25 times $50,000.
If they already hold $300,000 and add $30,000 a year, the calculator grows those amounts at the assumed return and reports the year the total reaches $1,250,000.
The figures come from the inputs entered.
What changes your FIRE number and timeline
Several things change your FIRE number and how long it takes to reach financial independence. The main ones are:
Annual spending
The FIRE number is a direct multiple of spending, so lower spending cuts the target sharply.
Withdrawal rate
A lower rate raises the number (a 3 percent rate is about 33 times spending) and a higher rate lowers it.
Investment return
Return drives how fast assets compound toward the target.
Savings rate
The amount added each year is one of the largest levers on the timeline.
Inflation
Inflation erodes purchasing power, so results are clearest in today's dollars.
Super preservation age
Super cannot be accessed until preservation age or 65, so early retirees need assets outside super for the bridge years.
Market and sequence risk
The 4 percent rule is based on past data and future returns may differ.
Rates and assumptions used
| Item | Value used | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Common safe withdrawal rate (rule of thumb) | 4% of the starting portfolio, adjusted for inflation | William Bengen, Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data (1994) |
| FIRE number multiple | 25 times annual spending at a 4% rate | William Bengen (1994) |
| Origin of the rule | US market history, rolling 30-year periods from 1926, no tax or fees modelled | Trinity study (Cooley, Hubbard and Walz, 1998) and Bengen (1994) |
| Preservation age | 60 for anyone born after 1 July 1964 | ATO, When you can withdraw your super |
| Access at age 65 | Available regardless of work status | ATO, Conditions of release |
| Projection basis | Estimate in today's dollars, a model not a prediction | ASIC MoneySmart, Superannuation calculator |
Figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
It is the amount of invested assets estimated to fund your annual spending, commonly your annual spending divided by a 4 percent withdrawal rate, which is 25 times spending.
Related calculators and guides
Sources
- •William Bengen, Determining Withdrawal Rates Using Historical Data, Journal of Financial Planning (1994)
- •Cooley, Hubbard and Walz, the Trinity study, AAII Journal (1998)
- •ATO, When you can withdraw your super
- •ATO, Conditions of release
- •ASIC MoneySmart, Superannuation calculator
- •ASIC MoneySmart, Retirement planner
- •ASIC MoneySmart, Compound interest
Content reviewed and figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.