— Retirement & FIRE
Financial Independence Calculator
Find your financial independence number and timeline. Enter expenses, savings, savings rate or contributions, and expected return to see the corpus needed, years to FI, age reached, progress so far, and how savings rate changes the path.
Years to financial independence
22 yrs 2 mos
- Your FI number
- $1,000,000
- Progress to FI
- 5%
- Financial independence age
- 53
- Lean FI number
- $700,000
- Fat FI number
- $1,500,000
- FI number (nominal at FI)
- $1,728,627.45
Try: Standard: $24k/year saved, By savings rate (40%), With a pension (net FI), Test a target FI age of 50
— Accumulation to your FI number
| Age | Savings | Growth | Corpus | FI number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $0 | $0 | $50,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 31 | $24,000 | $2,195 | $76,195 | $1,000,000 |
| 32 | $24,000 | $3,345 | $103,540 | $1,000,000 |
| 33 | $24,000 | $4,546 | $132,086 | $1,000,000 |
| 34 | $24,000 | $5,799 | $161,885 | $1,000,000 |
| 35 | $24,000 | $7,107 | $192,992 | $1,000,000 |
| 36 | $24,000 | $8,473 | $225,465 | $1,000,000 |
| 37 | $24,000 | $9,898 | $259,363 | $1,000,000 |
| 38 | $24,000 | $11,387 | $294,750 | $1,000,000 |
| 39 | $24,000 | $12,940 | $331,690 | $1,000,000 |
| 40 | $24,000 | $14,562 | $370,252 | $1,000,000 |
| 41 | $24,000 | $16,255 | $410,507 | $1,000,000 |
| 42 | $24,000 | $18,022 | $452,529 | $1,000,000 |
| 43 | $24,000 | $19,867 | $496,397 | $1,000,000 |
| 44 | $24,000 | $21,793 | $542,190 | $1,000,000 |
| 45 | $24,000 | $23,803 | $589,993 | $1,000,000 |
| 46 | $24,000 | $25,902 | $639,895 | $1,000,000 |
| 47 | $24,000 | $28,093 | $691,988 | $1,000,000 |
| 48 | $24,000 | $30,380 | $746,368 | $1,000,000 |
| 49 | $24,000 | $32,767 | $803,135 | $1,000,000 |
| 50 | $24,000 | $35,260 | $862,395 | $1,000,000 |
| 51 | $24,000 | $37,861 | $924,256 | $1,000,000 |
| 52 | $24,000 | $40,577 | $988,833 | $1,000,000 |
| 53 | $24,000 | $43,412 | $1,056,246 | $1,000,000 |
— Accumulation to the FI-number crossover
Download— How it works
FI number = (annual expenses − other income) ÷ safe withdrawal rate (×25 at 4%), grossed up for any tax. Then your current savings plus annual savings grow at the real (inflation- and fee-adjusted) return until the corpus reaches the FI number.
Your FI number and your timeline
Financial independence has a simple definition: a portfolio big enough that a safe withdrawal covers your expenses indefinitely. That target — your FI number — is just your annual expenses divided by your withdrawal rate, so at 4% it’s 25 times what you spend. From there the calculator grows your current savings and ongoing contributions at a real return (after inflation and fees) until they reach the number, and reports the years, your FI age, and the progress you’ve already made.
Worked example — age 30, $40,000 expenses, $50,000 saved, $24,000/year invested, 7% return, 2.5% inflation: FI number = $40,000 × 25 = $1,000,000; you’re 5% of the way there. You reach it in about 22 years — at age 52–53.
The savings rate is the lever
More than your return, your savings rate decides when you reach FI — because it works on both ends. A higher rate means you invest more each year, and it means you live on less, which shrinks the FI number you’re aiming at. That double effect is why a 50%-saver reaches independence in well under half the time of a 20%-saver. Switch to “a savings rate” to enter it directly, and watch how a few percentage points move the years. Other income or part-time work (barista-FI) lowers the target further.
Lean, fat, and the caveats
Lean FI assumes a leaner 70% of your expenses, Fat FI a richer 150% — useful brackets for “the bare minimum” and “comfortable.” Everything here is in today’s money; the nominal FI number (what it’ll actually cost in future dollars) is shown too. The usual caution applies: a fixed safe-withdrawal-rate ignores sequence-of-returns risk, and for very long horizons a lower rate (3–3.5%) is wiser. To dig into related angles, see the FIRE, Coast FIRE and Early Retirement calculators.
— Reader questions
What is my FI number?
Your annual expenses divided by your safe withdrawal rate — 25 times your spending at 4%. So $40,000 a year of expenses gives a $1,000,000 FI number; net off any pension or Social Security first.
How many years until I’m financially independent?
It depends most on your savings rate. From $50,000 saved, investing $24,000 a year toward a $1M number at a 7% return, it’s roughly 22 years. Raise the savings rate and that drops sharply.
Why does the savings rate matter so much?
It works twice: saving more grows your portfolio faster and means you live on less, which lowers the FI number itself. That’s why your savings rate moves the timeline far more than small changes in investment return.
What’s the difference between Lean and Fat FI?
They scale your expenses: Lean FI uses 70% (a frugal floor) and Fat FI uses 150% (a comfortable target). They bracket the range of lifestyles your savings could support.
Is financial independence guaranteed at the FI number?
No — it rests on a safe-withdrawal-rate rule that assumes steady returns and ignores sequence-of-returns risk. For long horizons use a lower rate (3–3.5%) and keep a margin of safety.