FIRE Calculator
Find your FIRE number and how many years to financial independence from your expenses, savings, contributions, return and safe withdrawal rate.
Updated October 2026
Your FIRE number is the nest egg that funds your yearly spending at a safe withdrawal rate — expenses ÷ rate. The common 4% rule implies 25× your annual expenses. A lower rate (3–3.5%) is safer for a long early retirement but needs a bigger number. This is an estimate in today’s money and not financial advice.
This is an estimate for general information only and is not financial, tax or investment advice. Figures may differ from a lender or advisor.
For your investing
Some of these are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This FIRE calculator finds your 'FIRE number' — the amount you need invested to retire on your savings — and projects how many years of saving it takes to get there. Enter your annual spending, current savings, how much you add each year and your expected return, and it works out the target and the timeline to financial independence.
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea is simple: once your investments can cover your yearly spending at a safe withdrawal rate, work becomes optional. At the common 4% rule, that's 25 times your annual expenses — but the real number depends on your spending, your savings rate and the return you earn.
How to use it
- 1Enter your annual expenses — the spending your portfolio needs to cover.
- 2Add your current invested savings and how much you contribute each year.
- 3Set your expected annual return and your safe withdrawal rate (4% is common).
- 4Read your FIRE number and the years until financial independence.
Frequently asked questions
What is a FIRE number?+
Your FIRE number is the nest egg that can fund your lifestyle indefinitely: annual expenses divided by your safe withdrawal rate. At a 4% rate, $40,000 of annual spending needs $1,000,000 — that's the 25× rule of thumb.
What is the 4% rule?+
The 4% rule says you can withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in the first year of retirement, then adjust for inflation, with a low chance of running out over 30 years. It comes from the Trinity study. For a longer early retirement, many FIRE savers use a more conservative 3–3.5%.
How is the time to FIRE calculated?+
The calculator grows your current savings at your expected return and adds your yearly contributions, year by year, until the balance reaches your FIRE number. Saving more or spending less both pull that date much closer, because they raise your savings rate and lower the target at once.
What return should I assume?+
A diversified stock-heavy portfolio has historically returned roughly 7% a year after inflation, but returns vary widely and aren't guaranteed. Because FIRE is usually planned in today's money, use a real (inflation-adjusted) return rather than a nominal one.
What's the difference between lean FIRE and fat FIRE?+
Lean FIRE covers a frugal lifestyle on a smaller number, while fat FIRE funds a more comfortable budget and so needs a bigger portfolio. Both use the same math — just change your annual expenses to see how the target and timeline shift.
Recommended reading
As an Amazon Associate, CalcLumen earns from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.
Related calculators
Work out the monthly payment, total interest and total cost of any loan, with a full amortization schedule.
Estimate your full monthly mortgage payment — principal, interest, property tax, home insurance, PMI and HOA — with total interest and an amortization schedule.
Estimate your annual and monthly property tax from a home's value and your local rate, with assessment ratio, exemptions and your effective tax rate.
Project your Traditional IRA at retirement and its after-tax value, with tax-deferred growth, your contributions and the up-front tax your pre-tax contributions save.