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Free FIRE calculator

Your savings rate is your timeline

The share of your pay you save matters more than almost anything else on the road to FIRE. See how many years to financial independence at every savings rate from 5% to 80%, with yours highlighted.

Your numbers

Your savings rate

Including retirement contributions taken from your pay.

Assumptions (edit them)

Starting values are uFIRE's defaults, not predictions. Why we chose them is explained below.

After inflation. Default 5%.

Default 4%.

Years to financial independence

At a 25% savings rate

About 31.9 years to FI

Starting from zero, saving 25% of your pay and living on the rest, at a 5% real return and a 4% withdrawal rate. Already have savings? The Freedom Date calculator counts them.

Years to financial independence, by savings rate

Your rate is the dark bar. Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read each bar.

Years to FI0204060805%20%25%35%50%65%80%

See the table
Years to financial independence by savings rate
Savings rateYears to FI
5%65.8 years
10%51.4 years
15%42.8 years
20%36.7 years
25% (you)31.9 years
30%28 years
35%24.6 years
40%21.6 years
45%19 years
50%16.6 years
55%14.4 years
60%12.4 years
65%10.5 years
70%8.8 years
75%7.1 years
80%5.6 years

Why the savings rate does double duty

Saving more helps in two ways at once. More money goes in each year, and you're showing that you can live on less, so the amount you need is smaller. That's why the bars fall so fast.

This is the classic version of the math. It assumes you start from zero and spend the same in retirement as now. With take-home pay set to 1:

FIRE number = (1 − s) ÷ w

s = savings rate, w = withdrawal rate. You add s each year, spend 1 − s, and need (1 − s) ÷ w.

years to FI = ln(((1 − s) ÷ w × r + s) ÷ s) ÷ ln(1 + r)

r = real return per year. Money is added at the end of each year. If r = 0, years to FI = ((1 − s) ÷ w) ÷ s.

Worked example: save 50% at a 5% real return and a 4% withdrawal rate. You need 0.5 ÷ 0.04 = 12.5 years of pay. ln((12.5 × 0.05 + 0.5) ÷ 0.5) ÷ ln(1.05) = ln(2.25) ÷ ln(1.05) ≈ 16.6 years.

Your pay doesn't appear anywhere in the answer. Someone earning $50,000 and someone earning $250,000 who both save half reach FI in about the same number of years, on these assumptions.

The assumptions, and why

Real return, default 5%. “Real” means after inflation. Working in real terms keeps every result in today's dollars, so a FIRE number 15 years away still means what it means today, and we don't need a separate inflation guess. 5% after inflation is a middle-of-the-road planning assumption for a portfolio that holds mostly stocks. It is not a forecast, and markets don't deliver a steady return. Try 3% or 4% to see a more cautious picture.

Safe withdrawal rate, default 4%. This is the “4% rule.” It comes from William Bengen's 1994 paper (opens in a new tab), which used historical U.S. stock and bond returns to test how much a retiree could take out in the first year, then raise each year with inflation, without running out. A later study, often called the Trinity study (1998) (opens in a new tab), tested withdrawal rates over payout periods of 15 to 30 years; Bengen tracked how long portfolios lasted out to 50 years, but framed his 4% around a minimum of 30. If you stop work at 40, your money may need to last 50 years or more, so it's worth testing a lower rate such as 3.5% or 3%.

Starting from zero. If you already have savings you'll get there sooner. The Freedom Date calculator includes them.

What this calculator can't tell you

  • Real markets aren't smooth

    The math assumes the same return every year. Real returns jump around, and some decades are much worse than average. Treat any date or number here as a rough guide, not a promise.

  • Sequence of returns risk

    A market fall in the first few years after you stop working hurts far more than the same fall later, because you're selling investments while they're down. That's why withdrawal-rate research tests historical periods rather than averages, and why many early retirees keep some flexibility in their spending.

  • Taxes

    These numbers are before tax on your withdrawals. Money from a traditional 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) or IRA is generally taxed as income when you take it out, and taking it before 59½ can add a 10% additional tax unless an exception applies (see the IRS list of exceptions (opens in a new tab)). Roth money and ordinary investment accounts follow different rules. Add an allowance for tax to your spending.

  • Health insurance before Medicare

    Medicare generally starts at 65 (Medicare.gov (opens in a new tab)). If you stop work before then, you'll need your own coverage, for example through the Health Insurance Marketplace (HealthCare.gov: retiring before 65 (opens in a new tab)). Include those premiums and out-of-pocket costs in your spending.

  • Inflation

    Results are in today's dollars because the return is “real” (after inflation). If you enter a return that isn't adjusted for inflation, the answers will look rosier than they are. Inflation is usually measured by the Consumer Price Index (opens in a new tab).

Sources

Links checked October 5, 2026.

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