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Printed July 28, 2026 · https://trycleartally.com/fire-calculator
Estimates for educational purposes only — not financial advice. See https://trycleartally.com/disclaimer.
FIRE Calculator
Find your FIRE number — the nest egg that lets you live off your investments — and the age you'd reach it at your current savings rate.
Reviewed by the ClearTally editorial team · Last updated July 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Part of the retirement calculators collection — 6 tools in the order most people need them.
What you expect to spend each year.
The 4% rule is the common default.
Your FIRE number
$1,000,000
$40,000 ÷ 4% withdrawal rate
Financially independent at
Age 46
In about 16 years
Growth to your FIRE number
How your contributions and their investment growth stack up to $1,000,000 by age 46.
The FIRE number assumes your portfolio can sustain the withdrawal rate you choose; the 4% rule comes from historical US market data and is debated, not guaranteed. This holds a constant return and level savings, and ignores taxes, Social Security, and inflation in the expense figure — so enter today's expenses in today's dollars. Estimate only, not financial advice.
FIRE Projection
Your FIRE number
$1,000,000
Assumes a constant return and level savings; ignores taxes, Social Security, and inflation. The 4% rule is a guideline, not a guarantee. Not financial advice.
Calculated using the standard formulas described at https://trycleartally.com/methodology — for educational estimates only, not a quote or financial advice. Verify with your lender or financial institution before making decisions.
FIRE is one lens on retirement. For a more traditional projection with employer match, see the retirement calculator, and to model how a lump sum plus contributions compounds, use the investment return calculator.
How it works
FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early: saving aggressively until your investments can cover your living costs, so paid work becomes optional. The whole idea rests on one number — your FIRE number — which is your annual expenses divided by a safe withdrawal rate. Using the common 4% rule, that's 25 times what you spend in a year, because 4% is the share many studies suggest a diversified portfolio can pay out annually without running dry.
From there it's a compounding question: how long until your current savings, plus what you invest each year, grow to that target at your expected return. Notice how much the expense figure drives everything — cutting your annual spending lowers the FIRE number by 25 times the cut, so trimming $4,000 a year off your budget drops the target by $100,000. That leverage is why FIRE communities focus as hard on spending as on earning.
Example:a 30-year-old who spends $40,000 a year needs $1,000,000 to retire on the 4% rule (40,000 ÷ 0.04). Starting with $50,000 invested and adding $30,000 a year at a 7% average return, they'd reach it in about 16 years — financially independent at 46. Save more or spend less and that age drops quickly; the calculator lets you test each lever.
Sources & further reading
FAQ
The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your portfolio in your first retirement year, then adjust that amount for inflation each year, with a low historical chance of running out over 30 years. It comes from studies of past US market returns, so it's a guideline, not a guarantee — a very early retirement spanning 50+ years, a rough sequence of returns early on, or lower future returns can all strain it. Many early retirees use a more conservative 3.25%–3.5%, which raises the FIRE number; you can test that here by lowering the withdrawal rate.