What is the Retirement Planning Calculator?
The Retirement Planning Calculator helps you determine how much you need to save for retirement by combining savings projection with needs analysis. It shows whether you’re on track to meet your retirement goals and calculates exactly how much you need to contribute each month to bridge any gap.
How the Calculator Works?
This calculator models your retirement finances in real terms, meaning all figures are adjusted for inflation to reflect today’s spending power.
It projects your current retirement savings forward, accounting for ongoing contributions and expected investment returns. It then calculates the pot size you’ll need based on your desired retirement spending, minus guaranteed income sources like State Pension and other income streams. By comparing your projected pot with your required pot, you can see if you have a shortfall or surplus and adjust your savings strategy accordingly.
The calculator accounts for UK State Pension (defaulting to the 2026/2027 amount of £12,547.60 per year), employer pension matching, and additional income sources. All projections are in today’s money, making it easy to understand your retirement readiness.
Step One: Enter Your Savings and Contributions
Add your current retirement pots (pensions, ISAs, other investments), ongoing monthly contributions, and investment assumptions, including expected returns and safe withdrawal rate.
Step Two: Set Retirement Needs and Income
Enter your desired retirement spending, State Pension entitlement, and any other income sources like rental income or BTL properties that will reduce the pot you need.
Step Three: Review Your Plan and Adjust
See how your projected pot compares with your required pot, review the visual chart showing your progress over time, and identify any shortfall or surplus. The calculator shows exactly how much you need to save each month to meet your goal.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides illustrative projections only and does not constitute financial or tax advice. Investment returns, tax rates, and personal circumstances vary. Always check scheme documentation and consider professional advice.
What does retirement mean to you?
Traditional retirement is broken. Understand how our calculator enables you to live a better life now vs later.
Retire from corporate work?
Use the tool to utilise how you can step away from the corporate world and live life on your own terms.
Work less, live more
See how part-time or project-based work can bridge your income gap while giving you more time for life.
Freedom through planning
Understand how your savings, spending and investments can work together to buy back your time.
Test-drive retirement early
Model scenarios that let you experience elements of retirement before fully stepping away.
What is the Retirement Planning Calculator?
It is a UK-specific tool that combines savings projection with needs analysis to show whether you’re on track for retirement and how much you need to save each month to meet your goals.
Does it include the State Pension?
Yes. The UK State Pension is included and defaults to the 2026/2027 amount of £12,547.60 per year (£241.30 per week). You can adjust this if your entitlement differs.
How are employer contributions handled?
You can enter your employer pension match as a percentage. The calculator adds this to your monthly pension contributions, so if you contribute 5% and your employer matches 3%, enter 3% in the employer match field.
What is the safe withdrawal rate?
The safe withdrawal rate is the percentage of your pot you can safely withdraw each year in retirement. The default is 4% (the “4% rule”), but many UK retirees use 3-3.5% for added safety. Lower rates require a bigger pot but provide more security.
Can I include other income sources?
Yes. You can add multiple income sources like rental income, BTL properties, or other investments. These reduce the pot you need because they provide a guaranteed income in retirement.
Are returns shown in today’s money?
Yes. All projections are inflation-adjusted to show real spending power. This means if you enter £30,000 as your retirement spending, the calculator assumes you’ll need £30,000 in today’s money each year.
How are contributions projected?
Contributions are added at the start of each year, ensuring they receive a full year of investment growth. This makes the projections more accurate than adding contributions at the end of the year.
What if I have a shortfall?
If your projected pot is less than your required pot, the calculator shows your shortfall and calculates exactly how much extra you need to save each month to meet your goal. You can adjust your contributions, retirement age, or spending assumptions to see how different choices affect your plan.
What if I have a surplus?
If your projected pot exceeds your required pot, you have a surplus. This means you’re on track or ahead of schedule. You could reduce your contributions, retire earlier, or increase your retirement spending.
Can I export the results?
Yes. A CSV export is available with full year-by-year projections, including your pot balances, contributions, and growth for each year until retirement.
Is my data stored?
No. All calculations run locally in your browser and no personal data is saved. Your information never leaves your device.
Does it account for tax?
The calculator focuses on retirement planning and pot size requirements. It doesn’t calculate detailed tax implications, but it does account for State Pension and other income sources that reduce your required pot. For detailed tax planning, consider using a dedicated tax calculator.
Is my information stored?
No, all tools run client-side, and nothing is saved.
What investment return should I use?
Conservative investors might use 3% real returns, balanced portfolios typically 5%, and growth-focused portfolios 7% or higher. The calculator includes preset options for low (3%), moderate (5%), and high (7%) returns, or you can set a custom rate.
How accurate are the projections?
The calculator provides illustrative projections based on your inputs and assumptions. Actual investment returns will vary, and your circumstances may change. Use the calculator as a planning tool and review your plan regularly.
Can I compare different scenarios?
Yes. You can adjust any input to see how different choices affect your retirement plan. Try different retirement ages, spending levels, contribution amounts, or investment returns to see how robust your plan is.