FIRE Calculator Australia
This FIRE calculator estimates the age you could stop full-time work, your FIRE number and your Coast FIRE number from your income, spending, investments and an after-inflation return. It is for Australians planning early retirement. For people born after 30 June 1964, preservation age is 60. Access to super also requires a condition of release.
How this is calculated
- FIRE number = yearly spending ÷ withdrawal rate. At 4% this is 25 times spending.
- Yearly saving = after-tax income − spending. Savings rate = saving ÷ after-tax income.
- Years to FIRE: each year, investments grow by the return after inflation and the year's saving is added at the end of the year. The count stops in the first year the balance reaches the FIRE number.
- Coast FIRE number = FIRE number ÷ (1 + return) raised to (target age − current age).
- Barista FIRE gap = spending − current investments × withdrawal rate.
Because the return is after inflation, every result is in today's dollars. The return, withdrawal rate and spending levels are assumptions you set, not official figures. The default target age of 60 matches the super preservation age for anyone born after 30 June 1964 (ATO), and Age Pension age is 67 (Services Australia).
Sources
- ATO, Conditions of release (preservation age table), accessed Oct 2026
- Services Australia, Who can get Age Pension (Age Pension age), accessed Oct 2026
Worked example
Age 30, after-tax income $80,000, spending $50,000 a year, $100,000 invested, 5% return after inflation, 4% withdrawal rate:
- FIRE number: $50,000 ÷ 0.04 = $1,250,000.
- Yearly saving: $80,000 − $50,000 = $30,000, a savings rate of 38%.
- Growing $100,000 at 5% and adding $30,000 a year reaches $1,257,308 after 20 years, so the FIRE age is 50.
- Coast FIRE number for age 60: $1,250,000 ÷ 1.0530 = $289,222.
- Barista FIRE gap: $50,000 − $100,000 × 0.04 = $46,000 a year.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire early in Australia?
A common FIRE target is your yearly spending divided by your withdrawal rate. At an assumed 4% withdrawal rate that is 25 times spending, so $50,000 a year needs $1,250,000 invested. The answer depends on your spending, the return you earn after inflation and how long the money must last.
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is the amount you need invested today so that, with no further contributions, it grows to your FIRE number by a target age. It is the FIRE number divided by (1 + return) raised to the number of years. At an assumed 5% return after inflation, $1,250,000 needed in 30 years requires $289,222 today.
Can I use my super to retire early in Australia?
Not before preservation age in most cases. Super is generally preserved until you reach preservation age, which is 60 for anyone born after 30 June 1964, and meet a condition of release such as retiring. Retiring before 60 needs savings or investments outside super to cover the years until then.
What does a 4% withdrawal assumption mean?
At an assumed 4% withdrawal rate, the target portfolio is 25 times annual spending. This calculator uses 4% as an editable assumption. It does not test whether withdrawals will be sustainable throughout retirement.
Does the FIRE calculator include tax and the Age Pension?
No. The calculator uses after-tax income and spending you enter, and does not model tax on investment earnings, fees or the Age Pension. Age Pension age is 67, and eligibility depends on income and assets tests run by Services Australia.