--- title: "Australian retirement calculator with super guarantee | AumnI tools" description: "Project your super balance against the retirement income you want, with the 12% super guarantee counted, and see the pot needed and any gap." url: https://aumnitools.com/au/tool/retirement-planning-calculator category: "Financial" country: "Australia" updated: 2026-11-08 --- # Retirement Planning Calculator Most Australian employees build retirement savings through super, with employers paying the super guarantee at 12%, and access usually starts at preservation age. This calculator projects your balance and deposits to your retirement age, raises your target income with inflation, then compares the pot required with what you are on track to hold. ## 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](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/age-pension) (checked 2026-11-08); [Services Australia: Who can get Age Pension](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/who-can-get-age-pension?context=22526) (checked 2026-11-08); [ATO: Work out if you have to pay super](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/super-for-employers/work-out-if-you-have-to-pay-super) (checked 2026-11-08); [ATO: Payments from super (preservation age)](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds/payments-from-super) (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. Formula: `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 to use the retirement planning calculator - **Seeing what employer super adds.** Enter your salary to watch the employer's 12% lift the monthly amount. - **Testing retirement at 60 or 67.** Change the retirement age to see the effect on the balance and the target. - **Adding Age Pension income.** Type a yearly Age Pension amount in the pension box to see how much it lowers the pot required. - **Planning salary sacrifice or extra deposits.** Enter a monthly extra amount to see how it changes the gap. ## What the retirement planning calculator does not do - No Age Pension amount is built in, because its rate changes twice a year and it depends on an income and assets test. - Super contributions tax, fund fees and insurance premiums are not deducted, and returns are not split between funds. - A single return and a single inflation rate run to retirement, and a 4% withdrawal is assumed throughout. - Preservation age and conditions of release are described but not enforced. - Employer super is applied to the full salary entered; the maximum contributions base is not applied. ## When something else is a better fit - **When you want growth numbers without a retirement income target**, use the [Investment Return Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/investment-return-calculator.md). - **When you want to see how a regular amount builds up**, use the [Savings Goal Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/savings-goal-calculator.md). - **When you need your own Age Pension estimate**, use the calculator and rates on the Services Australia website. ## Questions about the retirement planning calculator ### What is the super guarantee rate? Employers must pay 12% of ordinary time earnings into super. On a $90,000 salary that is $10,800 a year, which is $900 a month. ### What is preservation age? It is 60 for people born after 30 June 1964. Generally you also need a condition of release, such as retiring, before you can take the money. ### At what age can I get the Age Pension? The tool uses 67. The Age Pension is also income and assets tested and depends on Australian residence rules. ### Why is the Age Pension not in the result? The maximum rate is indexed each March and September, so no figure is built in. Type your own yearly amount in the pension box if you want it counted. ### How much extra a month does the example need? Roughly $1,306. That is the $1,677,968 gap divided across 384 monthly deposits earning 6.5% a year. ## Related tools - [Investment Return Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/investment-return-calculator.md): Projects an investment from a starting sum and monthly contributions, with real value - [Savings Goal Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/savings-goal-calculator.md): Works out the monthly deposit needed to reach a savings goal by a set date - [Compound Interest Calculator](https://aumnitools.com/tool/compound-interest-calculator.md): Project savings growth with deposits, compounding frequency, inflation and a chart ## About this page Runs in your browser: what you enter is processed on this device and is not uploaded. Estimates for planning only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check figures that matter with a qualified professional. Last checked against the tool's code on 2026-11-08. Interactive version: https://aumnitools.com/au/tool/retirement-planning-calculator