FIRE calculator

The name FIRE is short for the words financial independence, retire early. It means enough saved to live on, so that work is a choice. Find your FIRE number and the years it takes to reach it. We test your plan on every real stretch of market history since 1928.

Market and inflation data through Dec 2025 · Every number is in today’s dollars · Updated · How it works
Pay and spending, each

After tax. This is the money that reaches your bank account.

The share of your savings you take out in the first year.

The rest is in 10-year US Treasury bonds. Rebalanced every year.

Growth
More options

Your FIRE number

$1,125,000

Spending $45,000 a year, your FIRE number is $1,125,000. Saving $2,500 a month, you reached it in 19 years in the middle history, at age 49.

We started this plan in 70 different years, from 1928 to 1997. Data: NYU Stern returns and US CPI, 1928–2025. Past results, not a forecast.

19 yearsMiddle history, at age 49
13 years 2 monthsFastest: started 1986
28 years 8 monthsSlowest: started 1954
40%Savings rate, $2,500 a month
4%Of the way there today
25 timesYour yearly spending

From 49 to 95, $1,125,000 paying $45,000 a year lasted in 44 of 53 real histories (83%). Data: NYU Stern returns and US CPI, 1928–2025. Past results, not a forecast.

Lean FIRE $750,000FIRE $1,125,000Fat FIRE $2,250,000
Age 30Age 45Age 59
Middle result9 in 10 histories fell in this bandHalf the histories are there
At age 49, half of these histories had reached $1,125,000.

Hypothetical illustration based on your inputs. Not a prediction, a recommendation, or the performance of any Amaltash strategy.

How it works: we start your plan in each year since 1928. Each month we add your savings. Then we apply that year’s real S&P 500 and 10-year Treasury returns (NYU Stern, 1928–2025). We take out that year’s inflation (US CPI), so every number is in today’s dollars. Last, we count the months until your savings reach your FIRE number.

Results change each time you change an input, and as new market data is added.

Real investing is different. Fees, taxes and trading costs are not included. Past market returns do not predict future returns, and you can lose money.

Lean FIRE, FIRE and fat FIRE for this plan

Lean FIRE$30,000 a year$750,00014 years 4 months, at age 44
FIRE$45,000 a year$1,125,00019 years, at age 49
Fat FIRE$90,000 a year$2,250,00027 years 6 months, at age 57

Years are from the middle history. Data: NYU Stern returns and US CPI, 1928–2025. Past results, not a forecast.

See every year

One row per year, up to the slowest history. Low and high hold 9 in 10 histories between them. Data: NYU Stern returns and US CPI, 1928–2025. Past results, not a forecast.

AgeYou have put inLowMiddleHighHistories at your number
31$80,000$68,158$84,404$97,8490 of 70
32$110,000$95,385$122,088$147,0950 of 70
33$140,000$124,264$160,873$198,0640 of 70
34$170,000$150,145$199,759$256,9760 of 70
35$200,000$183,032$241,527$326,8890 of 70
36$230,000$207,443$282,729$380,2030 of 70
37$260,000$233,829$329,707$448,4650 of 70
38$290,000$263,366$376,430$521,3240 of 70
39$320,000$288,377$430,196$599,5440 of 70
40$350,000$311,878$485,448$673,3520 of 70
41$380,000$334,959$539,649$748,7860 of 70
42$410,000$366,085$596,500$848,6890 of 70
43$440,000$395,811$660,713$956,9450 of 70
44$470,000$423,788$740,443$1,081,1933 of 70
45$500,000$453,000$822,398$1,227,7087 of 70
46$530,000$486,156$900,887$1,381,75718 of 70
47$560,000$517,215$976,452$1,539,17826 of 70
48$590,000$557,372$1,026,441$1,706,33632 of 70
49$620,000$591,975$1,104,993$1,888,40135 of 70
50$650,000$636,262$1,213,717$2,054,06346 of 70
51$680,000$705,356$1,310,537$2,195,03753 of 70
52$710,000$752,383$1,424,704$2,388,46957 of 70
53$740,000$797,459$1,556,298$2,590,21360 of 70
54$770,000$853,595$1,697,753$2,713,38862 of 70
55$800,000$934,720$1,845,600$2,829,37463 of 70
56$830,000$993,221$1,984,834$3,008,26764 of 70
57$860,000$1,062,110$2,163,134$3,217,17566 of 70
58$890,000$1,137,954$2,348,061$3,340,45768 of 70
59$920,000$1,230,352$2,546,709$3,482,54270 of 70
See your years at other savings rates

Each row keeps a share of your take-home pay and spends the rest. That holds now and after you stop work. Your savings so far stay the same. Years are from the middle history. Data: NYU Stern returns and US CPI, 1928–2025. Past results, not a forecast.

Savings rateSpending a yearFIRE numberMiddle history
10%$67,500$1,687,50044 years
20%$60,000$1,500,00030 years 1 month
30%$52,500$1,312,50023 years 5 months
40%$45,000$1,125,00019 years
50%$37,500$937,50014 years 8 months
60%$30,000$750,00010 years 9 months
70%$22,500$562,5007 years 5 months
80%$15,000$375,0004 years 7 months

What is my FIRE number?

Your FIRE number is the savings you need to live off your money. Take what you spend in a year. Divide it by your withdrawal rate, the share you take out each year. At 4%, that is 25 times your spending. Spend $45,000 a year, and your number is $1,125,000.

F=S−IwF = \frac{S - I}{w}

In words: Take your yearly spending. Take away income that keeps coming. Divide what is left by your withdrawal rate.

FF
your FIRE number
SS
what you will spend in a year after you stop work
II
other income each year, like a pension
ww
your withdrawal rate, as a decimal

Here is the number for seven yearly budgets, to the nearest $1,000.

Spend each year (each month)At 4% (25 times)At 3.5% (28.6 times)At 3% (33.3 times)
$30,000 ($2,500)$750,000$857,000$1,000,000
$40,000 ($3,333)$1,000,000$1,143,000$1,333,000
$50,000 ($4,167)$1,250,000$1,429,000$1,667,000
$70,000 ($5,833)$1,750,000$2,000,000$2,333,000
$80,000 ($6,667)$2,000,000$2,286,000$2,667,000
$100,000 ($8,333)$2,500,000$2,857,000$3,333,000
$150,000 ($12,500)$3,750,000$4,286,000$5,000,000

The 4% comes from studies of past US markets. They looked at retirements of about 30 years.

See where the 4% rule comes from in the retirement calculator →

For scale, the average US consumer unit spent $81,905 in 2025. That is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A consumer unit is much like a household. At 25 times, that is $2,047,625.

How to calculate your FIRE number

Add up what you spend in a year, then divide by your withdrawal rate. Use what you will spend after you stop work, not what you earn. Count taxes, rent or house costs, and health insurance. Leave out the money you now save. Then follow these four steps.

  1. Add up a year of spending.
  2. Take away income that will keep coming, like a pension.
  3. Pick a withdrawal rate. A lower rate gives a bigger number.
  4. Divide what is left by that rate.

You can also turn it around. This table shows what a pot of savings pays each year at three rates.

SavingsAt 3%At 3.5%At 4%
$750,000$22,500$26,250$30,000
$1,250,000$37,500$43,750$50,000
$2,000,000$60,000$70,000$80,000
$3,000,000$90,000$105,000$120,000
$5,000,000$150,000$175,000$200,000

Your home is not in the number. A home you live in does not pay your bills.

Add up what you own and owe in the net worth calculator →

Add up a year of spending with the budget calculator →

How many years will it take me to reach financial independence?

It depends on three things: your FIRE number, what you have saved, and what you add each month. Growth does the rest. The plan this page opens with reached $1,125,000 in 19 years in the middle history. The fastest took 13 years and the slowest almost 29. Past results, not a forecast.

Those results are for 70 start years, 1928 to 1997, with 60% in stocks. The data is from NYU Stern and the US CPI, through 2025.

Why a range? The same plan started in 1986 and in 1954 ended more than 15 years apart. That is a past result from the same data, not a forecast. The last years count most, because that is when the pot is biggest.

Financial independence means your savings can pay your bills, so work is a choice.

At one steady rate, a formula gives the number of months.

n=ln⁡(F+cP+c)ln⁡(1+g),c=D(1+g)g,g=(1+r)1/12−1n = \frac{\ln\left(\frac{F + c}{P + c}\right)}{\ln(1 + g)}, \quad c = \frac{D(1 + g)}{g}, \quad g = (1 + r)^{1/12} - 1

In words: Work out c from what you add each month. Add c to your FIRE number and to your savings. Divide the first sum by the second. The logs turn that growth into a count of months.

nn
the months to reach your number
FF
your FIRE number
PP
what you have saved so far
DD
what you add each month
rr
growth a year, after inflation, as a decimal
gg
growth for one month, after inflation
cc
a helper amount that stands in for your monthly saving

The calculator shows the first full month, so it rounds up.

In a spreadsheet, type =NPER((1+5%)^(1/12)-1, -2500, -50000, 1125000, 1)/12. It gives 19.7 years. The 5% a year is only an example rate.

See what stocks, bonds and cash returned in the past in the investment calculator →

See how growth builds on growth in the compound interest calculator →

How does my savings rate change my FIRE date?

Your savings rate is the share of your take-home pay you keep. It works twice. You add more each month, and you live on less, so your FIRE number is smaller. At a steady 5% a year, a 20% saver starting from zero needs about 36 years. A 50% saver needs about 16.

s=Y−EYs = \frac{Y - E}{Y}

In words: Take your take-home pay. Take away what you spend. Divide what is left by your take-home pay.

ss
your savings rate
YY
your take-home pay
EE
what you spend now

This table shows the years to a FIRE number, starting from zero, at the 4% rule. The three growth rates are after inflation. They are examples at rates we picked, not forecasts. Each cell counts to the first full month, as the calculator does.

Savings rate3% a year5% a year7% a year
10%68.850.941.2
20%46.536.330.3
30%33.927.623.7
40%25.321.318.7
50%18.816.314.7
60%13.612.311.2
70%9.38.78.1
80%5.85.55.3

Here are the same savers in real history, with 60% in stocks and 40% in 10-year Treasuries. These are past results, 1928 to 2025, from NYU Stern and US CPI data. They are not a forecast.

Savings rateFastest (start year)MiddleSlowest (start year)Start years counted
10%42.8 (1957)49.257.8 (1928)41
20%24.5 (1975)33.144.6 (1939)54
30%18.1 (1981)25.435.3 (1948)63
40%14.8 (1984)20.130.6 (1952)68
50%11.6 (1988)16.025.3 (1957)73
60%8.8 (1990)11.918.3 (1962)80
70%6.5 (1993)8.312.1 (1964)86
80%4.3 (1932)5.37.6 (1968)91

A start year counts only if we hold enough years after it. So long plans have fewer start years.

Pay cancels out. From zero, a 40% saver takes the same 256 months on $50,000 of pay as on $500,000. That is at a steady 5% a year. Only the savings rate is left in the formula.

n=ln⁡(1+12g(1−s)ws(1+g))ln⁡(1+g)n = \frac{\ln\left(1 + \frac{12g(1 - s)}{ws(1 + g)}\right)}{\ln(1 + g)}

In words: From zero, the months depend on three rates. They are what you save, what you take out and how fast money grows. Your pay drops out.

nn
the months to reach your number
ss
your savings rate, as a decimal
ww
your withdrawal rate, as a decimal
gg
growth for one month, after inflation

For scale, the US personal saving rate was 3.8% in September 2026. That rate is from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which adds it up each month. It is saving as a share of income after tax, for the whole country.

What savings rate do I need to retire in 10, 15 or 20 years?

The sooner you want to stop, the more of your pay you must keep. Start from zero, at a steady 5% a year after inflation. To finish in 10 years, you would need to save about 66% of your pay. For 15 years it is 53%. For 20 years it is 42%.

Years to FIREAt 3% a yearAt 5% a yearAt 7% a year
1068%66%64%
1557%53%49%
2048%42%37%
2540%34%28%
3034%27%20%

The three rates are examples we picked, after inflation. They are not forecasts. The table uses the 4% rule.

s=11+k,k=w(1+g)((1+g)12N−1)12gs = \frac{1}{1 + k}, \quad k = \frac{w(1 + g)\left((1 + g)^{12N} - 1\right)}{12g}

In words: Work out k from the growth rate and the years. Add one. Then divide one by that sum.

ss
the savings rate you need
NN
the years you want to finish in
ww
your withdrawal rate, as a decimal
gg
growth for one month, after inflation
kk
a helper number

Money you have already saved lowers these rates. The calculator above shows your own years.

See what a monthly deposit adds up to in the future value calculator →

Lean FIRE vs fat FIRE

Lean FIRE means you stop work on a small budget. Fat FIRE means you stop on a big one. There is no official line between them. The math is the same: yearly spending divided by your withdrawal rate. A bigger budget needs a bigger number and more years.

GoalBudget each yearFIRE number at 4%Years, middle historyAge
Lean FIRE$30,000$750,00014 years 4 months44
FIRE$45,000$1,125,00019 years49
Fat FIRE$90,000$2,250,00027 years 6 months57

This is the plan this page opens with: age 30, $2,500 a month saved, 60% in stocks. The years are past results for start years from 1928 on, not a forecast. The data is from NYU Stern and the US CPI, through 2025.

Chubby FIRE is a name some people use for a budget between the two.

Coast FIRE means you have saved enough to stop adding money. Barista FIRE adds part-time pay to cover some bills.

See how much you need saved to stop adding money in the Coast FIRE calculator →

How often did the 4% rule last 40, 50 or 60 years?

Less often than for shorter retirements. The 4% rule was built for about 30 years. With 60% in stocks, 25 times spending lasted 30 years in 65 of 69 start years. It lasted 50 years in 38 of 49. These are past results for 1928 to 2025 (NYU Stern, US CPI), not a forecast.

Each cell shows the start years in which the money lasted, out of those we could test. The mix is 60% stocks and 40% 10-year Treasuries. Spending rises with prices. These are past results, 1928 to 2025, from NYU Stern and US CPI data. They are not a forecast.

Savings at the startFirst-year rate30 years40 years50 years60 years
20 times spending5%52 of 69 (75%)34 of 59 (58%)17 of 49 (35%)14 of 39 (36%)
25 times4%65 of 69 (94%)50 of 59 (85%)38 of 49 (78%)28 of 39 (72%)
28.6 times3.5%69 of 6959 of 5947 of 49 (96%)36 of 39 (92%)
33.3 times3%69 of 6959 of 5949 of 4939 of 39

Longer columns have fewer start years. So do not compare the columns cell for cell.

The smallest pot that lasted in every start year was about 26.4 times spending for 30 years. It was about 28.5 times for 40 years, 29.9 times for 50 and 30.7 times for 60. Those are past results for 1928 to 2025 (NYU Stern, US CPI), not a forecast.

Test your own plan on real market years in the retirement calculator →

What gets me to FIRE faster: spending less or earning more?

Spending less helps in two ways. At 4%, each $100 a month you cut lowers your FIRE number by $30,000. It also adds $1,200 a year to your savings. A raise only helps if you save it. In the plan this page opens with, a $250 cut brought the date two years closer.

That is a past result, like the middle history in the table below. Both are for start years from 1928 on, with 60% in stocks. The data is from NYU Stern and the US CPI, through 2025. The steady 5% is an example rate. Neither is a forecast.

Cut each monthFIRE number falls byExtra saved each yearSooner, middle historySooner, steady 5%
$100$30,000$1,2007 months10 months
$250$75,000$3,00024 months24 months
$500$150,000$6,00042 months46 months

The first quarter of the way is the slowest. At a steady 5%, the first quarter of this plan took 6 years 2 months. The next three took 5 years 7 months, 4 years 4 months and 3 years 8 months.

See how long money takes to double with the rule of 72 calculator →

What does one more year of work change?

Each extra year lowers the share of your savings you must take out. In the plan this page opens with, one more year adds $30,000. That drops the first-year rate from 4% to 3.9%, before any growth. Three more years drop it to 3.7%. A lower rate lasted more often in the past.

Extra yearsSavings, no growthRate, no growthSavings, steady 5%Rate, steady 5%
0$1,125,0004.00%$1,125,0004.00%
1$1,155,0003.90%$1,212,0563.71%
2$1,185,0003.80%$1,303,4663.45%
3$1,215,0003.70%$1,399,4453.22%
5$1,275,0003.53%$1,606,0422.80%
wk=SF+12Dkw_k = \frac{S}{F + 12Dk}

In words: Add your extra saving to your FIRE number. Then divide your yearly spending by that total.

wkw_k
the first-year rate after k more years
SS
what you will spend in a year after you stop work
FF
your FIRE number
DD
what you add each month
kk
the extra years of work

The steady 5% is an example rate, not a forecast. Read your new rate against the table in the section above.

Does Social Security lower the FIRE number I need?

Yes, but by less than it seems. Social Security retirement pay starts at 62 at the earliest. Until then, your savings must pay all the bills. At 4%, each $1,000 a year of income takes $25,000 off your number. That holds only if it starts the day you stop work.

This table takes $24,000 a year of later income and a $45,000 budget, at 4%.

Income startsFIRE numberLower by
The day you stop$525,000$600,000
5 years later$645,000$480,000
10 years later$765,000$360,000
15 years later$885,000$240,000
20 years later$1,005,000$120,000
25 years later or more$1,125,000$0
F=S−Iw+I×min⁡(B,1w)F = \frac{S - I}{w} + I \times \min\left(B, \frac{1}{w}\right)

In words: Keep enough for the smaller gap, plus the missing income for each year until it starts.

FF
your FIRE number
SS
what you will spend in a year after you stop work
II
other income each year, like a pension
ww
your withdrawal rate, as a decimal
BB
the years from the day you stop to the day the income starts

This counts no growth on the money that fills the gap years. So the number leans high.

We checked it on past markets. Stop at 47, with income from 67 and money to last to 95, at 60% in stocks. The bridge number lasted in 43 of 51 start years. Counting the income from day one lasted in 1 of 51. These are past results, 1928 to 2025 (NYU Stern, US CPI), not a forecast.

Stopping early can also shrink the benefit. It is based on up to 35 years when you earned the most, says the Social Security Administration.

The calculator above does not count other income. To allow for it, lower your number by hand with this table.

See what claiming at 62, 67 or 70 changes in the retirement calculator →

How do early retirees pay the bills before 59½?

The IRS adds a 10% tax to most money taken from a 401(k) or IRA before age 59½. So people who stop work early often spend other money first. That can be a regular investment account, which has no age rule. It can also be the money they put into a Roth IRA.

  • A 401(k) is a retirement account you get through a job.
  • An IRA is a retirement account you open on your own.
  • A Roth IRA is an IRA you fund with money that was already taxed.

Here is what the rules say about each kind of money.

  • A regular investment account has no age rule. Selling can still mean tax on your gains.
  • Money you put into a Roth IRA is not taxed as income when you take it back out. The growth follows other rules (IRS Publication 590-B).
  • A series of equal payments skips the 10% tax. You cannot change the payments for five years or until 59½, whichever comes later (IRS).
  • Leave a job in or after the year you turn 55. Then that job’s 401(k) is free of the 10% tax. An IRA is not (IRS).

Health cover is a cost too. Medicare starts at 65. Before that, you can buy a plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace (HealthCare.gov). Add its cost to your budget.

The SEC warns about pitches that say you can retire early. Some rest on returns that are too high to be real.

All of this is general information and is not tax advice.

Work out a cash cushion in the emergency fund calculator →

See what a Treasury bill costs and pays in the T-bill calculator →

FIRE calculator for couples: one number for two people

Use one set of numbers for your home. Add both take-home pays together. Use the spending you share. You get one FIRE number for the two of you, not two. Two people who take home $60,000 and $45,000 and spend $63,000 a year save 40%. Their number is $1,575,000.

With $80,000 saved and 60% in stocks, that plan took 18 years 11 months in the middle history. The fastest took 13 years and the slowest 28 years 7 months. Those are past results for 70 start years, 1928 to 1997, on NYU Stern and US CPI data. They are not a forecast.

Ages matter twice. The money must last for the younger partner. And each partner reaches 59½, 62 and 65 in a different year.

To try it, open More options in the calculator above and tick Add a partner.

How this FIRE calculator works

We start your plan in each year since 1928. Each month we add your savings. Then we apply that year’s growth for your mix of stocks and bonds. That year’s inflation is taken out. We count the months until your savings reach your FIRE number. Fees and taxes are left out.

vm=(vm−1+D)(1+gy),gy=(1+aRyS+(1−a)RyB1+πy)1/12−1v_m = (v_{m-1} + D)(1 + g_y), \quad g_y = \left(\frac{1 + aR^{S}_{y} + (1 - a)R^{B}_{y}}{1 + \pi_y}\right)^{1/12} - 1

In words: Add what you save this month. Then grow the total by one month of that year’s real growth.

vmv_m
your savings at the end of month m
DD
what you add each month
gyg_y
one month of real growth in year y
aa
the share you hold in stocks
RySR^{S}_{y}
the S&P 500 return in year y
RyBR^{B}_{y}
the 10-year Treasury return in year y
πy\pi_y
inflation in year y

Some start years are too recent to finish your plan. So we look for the smallest number of years that works. In that many years, every start year with enough data reached your number. Only those start years count. A start year is left out for lack of data, never for its result.

The middle history is the point where half of those start years had reached your number. Then we test the years after. We start with your FIRE number, take out your spending each month and apply the same real years.

vm=(vm−1−S−I12)(1+gy)v_m = \left(v_{m-1} - \frac{S - I}{12}\right)(1 + g_y)

In words: Take one month of spending out. Then grow what is left by one month of that year’s real growth.

vmv_m
your savings at the end of month m
SS
what you will spend in a year after you stop work
II
other income each year, like a pension
gyg_y
one month of real growth in year y

A history lasted if the money never hit zero before the age you chose. Here is what the calculator leaves out.

  • No fees and no taxes. Put the taxes you expect inside your spending.
  • Your spending stays the same each year, after inflation.
  • Your mix is put back to your split once a year.
  • The data covers US stocks and bonds only.
  • The past does not repeat. These are past results, not a forecast.

See the S&P 500 year by year in the S&P 500 calculator →

Questions people ask

Is $2 million enough to retire early?

It depends on what you spend. At a 4% withdrawal rate, $2,000,000 pays $80,000 a year. At 3.5% it pays $70,000, and at 3% it pays $60,000. Is your yearly spending under the amount for your rate? Then your savings are past your FIRE number.

Does my FIRE number include my house?

No. Your FIRE number counts money that can pay your bills, like stocks, bonds and cash. A home you live in does not pay you. A paid-off home does help in another way. It lowers what you spend each year, and that lowers your number.

Does this FIRE calculator count inflation?

Yes. Every number on this page is in today’s dollars. A $45,000 budget means $45,000 of today’s buying power, in any year. In history mode, each year’s price rise is taken out of that year’s growth. In steady mode, you type a growth rate after inflation.

Is this a Monte Carlo FIRE calculator?

No. A Monte Carlo tool draws thousands of made-up futures at random. This calculator uses the years that really happened, in order, from 1928 on. So the fastest and slowest results you see are real stretches of history, not guesses. They still do not tell you what comes next.

What is a good savings rate for FIRE?

There is no single right rate. A higher rate gets you there sooner. Take a steady 5% a year after inflation, as an example. From zero, a 30% saver needs about 28 years and a 60% saver about 12. For scale, the US personal saving rate was 3.8% in September 2026, in US government data.

What is the difference between FIRE and Coast FIRE?

FIRE means you have saved enough to stop work now. Coast FIRE means you have saved enough to stop adding money. Growth alone could carry it to your FIRE number by a later age. Barista FIRE adds part-time pay to cover some bills along the way.

Can I retire at 40?

Yes, if your savings reach your FIRE number by then. Starting from zero at 25, that takes a savings rate near 53%. That uses a steady 5% a year after inflation, as an example. Your money may then need to last 55 years, so test a lower withdrawal rate above too.

Do I need a high income to retire early?

No. What counts is the share of your pay you keep, not its size. Start from zero and save 40%. On $50,000 of pay or on $500,000, the years to your FIRE number are the same. That is because the number grows with your spending. A low income does make a high savings rate harder.

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Reviewed by Tavish Sharma, CFA · Last reviewed

Published by Amaltash Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser

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