Retirement Planning Calculator

Australia rules and figures

• Employers must pay the super guarantee at 12%.
• Preservation age is 60 for people born after 30 June 1964. Generally you also need a condition of release, such as retiring.
• The Age Pension age used here is 67. It is also income and assets tested, and Australian residence rules must be met.
• The maximum Age Pension rate is indexed each March and September, so no amount is built in; Services Australia publishes the current rate.
• A super fund balance is what the tool grows, and the Age Pension is a separate payment the tool does not add unless you enter an amount.

Sources: Services Australia: Age Pension (checked 2026-11-08); Services Australia: Who can get Age Pension (checked 2026-11-08); ATO: Work out if you have to pay super (checked 2026-11-08); ATO: Payments from super (preservation age) (checked 2026-11-08)

How the retirement planning calculator works

Your super balance and monthly deposits compound each month at the return you enter until retirement. The income you want is raised by inflation over the same years and divided by 0.04 to find the pot required. The Age Pension is not added, because its maximum rate is indexed twice a year and no single figure was used.

pot required = wanted income × (1 + inflation)^years ÷ 0.04, compared with balance × growth + deposits × annuity factor

• Retirement age starts at 67, the Age Pension age used here, though you can change it.
• Enter a yearly salary and the employer box starts at 12%, so a $90,000 salary adds $900 a month to your own deposits.
• The employee box starts at 0, because the tool has no standard figure for your own contributions.
• The pension box starts at 0, so nothing is deducted for the Age Pension unless you type an amount.
• Results are in future dollars. Compare the monthly income shown with the inflated target, not with today's prices.

How to use the retirement planning calculator

1. Enter your ages. Type your current age and the age you plan to stop work. It starts at 67.
2. Add super and deposits. Enter your balance across super funds and any extra amount you add each month.
3. Add employer super. Optionally enter your salary to include the employer's 12% in the monthly total.
4. Choose return, inflation and income. Enter the return and inflation you expect, plus the yearly income you want at present-day prices.
5. Check the shortfall. Compare the projected balance with the pot required and use the Analysis tab for the extra monthly saving.

Example: Age 35 to 67 with a $90,000 salary, $80,000 in super and $300 a month at 6.5%

The employer's 12% adds $900 a month to the $300, so $1,200 goes in for 32 years. The $80,000 balance grows to $636,773 and the deposits to $1,541,834, a balance of $2,178,607, which supports $7,262 a month at a 4% withdrawal. A $70,000 goal with 2.5% inflation becomes $154,263, so the required pot is $3,856,575 and the shortfall is $1,677,968, or about $1,306 more a month.

When something else is a better fit

• When you want growth numbers without a retirement income target, use the Investment Return Calculator.
• When you want to see how a regular amount builds up, use the Savings Goal Calculator.
• When you need your own Age Pension estimate, use the calculator and rates on the Services Australia website.

Questions about the retirement planning calculator