This free retirement planning calculator tells you three things every Indian investor needs to know: how large a corpus you need at retirement, how much SIP you should be investing today to reach that corpus, and what monthly income that corpus will generate after you stop working. The calculator adjusts your current expenses for inflation, accounts for life expectancy and applies realistic pre-retirement and post-retirement returns to give you a plan you can actually act on. No login required. No data stored.

What This Retirement Calculator Shows

Most retirement calculators in India show you a corpus number and stop there. This one goes all the way to an actionable plan.

8 outputs this calculator delivers:

1. Inflation-adjusted target corpus Your expenses today are not your expenses at retirement. At 6 per cent annual inflation, expenses of 50,000 rupees per month today become approximately 1,60,000 rupees per month in 20 years. This calculator inflates your current expenses to the retirement date before computing your required corpus, so you never under-save.

2. Projected corpus from current investments If you already have savings, the calculator grows them at your pre-retirement return rate to find what they will be worth on the day you retire. This existing corpus is credited against your target, so you only need to plan for the actual shortfall.

3. Monthly SIP required to bridge the gap The calculator shows you exactly how much you need to invest every month from today to reach your retirement target. Not a rough estimate. A precise figure based on compounding, your specific timeline and your existing savings.

4. Projected monthly income at retirement Once you retire, your corpus needs to generate income without getting depleted before your life expectancy. The calculator shows how much monthly income your projected corpus will support, adjusted for post-retirement returns and inflation during the retirement phase.

5. Year-by-year corpus growth table See how your corpus builds every year from today until retirement and then depletes year by year during the retirement phase. This full lifecycle view is available in the downloadable CSV.

6. Shortfall or surplus flag The calculator instantly shows whether you are on track (surplus) or behind (shortfall) based on your current SIP. If there is a shortfall, it shows you the additional monthly investment needed.

7. Two modes: Estimate Corpus and I Have a Goal Estimate Corpus mode works backwards from your current expenses. I Have a Goal mode lets you enter your desired monthly income after retirement and works forward from there. Both modes cover the same full calculation.

8. Shareable plan and CSV download Save your projection as a CSV or share a personalised link with your family or financial advisor. No account needed.

What Is a Retirement Calculator?

A retirement calculator is an online financial planning tool that estimates how much money you will need to live comfortably after you stop working. It takes your current expenses, adjusts them for inflation over your remaining working years, then computes the total corpus (savings pool) required to fund that inflation-adjusted lifestyle for the rest of your life.

For Indian investors, a retirement calculator must account for:

India-specific inflation: RBI targets CPI inflation at 4 to 6 per cent. Most financial planners use 6 per cent as the planning assumption for conservative retirement calculations.

Limited formal pension support: India’s pension system received a D grade (43.8 out of 100) in the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025. Only 29 per cent of elderly Indians receive any pension. This means most Indian salaried professionals need to build their entire retirement corpus independently through savings and investment.

Rising life expectancy: Average Indian life expectancy has risen significantly. Planning for retirement to last until age 85 to 90 is now the standard recommendation, not age 75 as was common a decade ago.

Healthcare cost inflation: Medical costs in India inflate at 10 to 14 per cent per year, well above general CPI inflation. This makes healthcare planning a critical part of any retirement calculation.

The PlanMyReturns retirement calculator is designed specifically for Indian investors and incorporates all of these factors.

How Much Money Do You Need to Retire in India?

This is the most commonly searched retirement planning question in India, and the honest answer is: it depends on your specific expenses, retirement age, life expectancy and the return your post-retirement investments generate.

Here are real-number reference points based on current Indian market assumptions (6 per cent inflation, 7 per cent post-retirement return):

Note: These are indicative ranges. Your actual required corpus depends on your specific inflation assumption, post-retirement return, life expectancy and existing savings. Enter your own numbers in the calculator above for a personalised figure.

A common myth is that you need only 70 to 80 per cent of your current expenses in retirement. Healthcare, travel, grandchildren and lifestyle expenses often keep post-retirement spending at or above pre-retirement levels. The safe approach is to plan for 100 per cent of current expenses, adjusted for inflation.

The 25x Rule: A Quick Retirement Corpus Check

The 25x rule is the most widely cited rule of thumb in retirement planning globally.

The rule: You need approximately 25 times your annual expenses saved at retirement.

Origin: The Trinity University study analysed 75 years of US stock market data and found that a portfolio large enough to support a 4 per cent annual withdrawal rate survives for at least 30 years across all historical market conditions, including crashes.

Indian application: In India, with higher inflation (6 per cent versus 2 to 3 per cent in the US) and different market dynamics, most Indian financial planners use a 3.5 to 4 per cent safe withdrawal rate, which translates to a 25 to 29 times multiplier.

Quick check formula: Required corpus = Annual retirement expenses (inflation-adjusted) divided by 0.04

Example: If your inflation-adjusted annual expenses at retirement will be 12 lakh rupees per year (1 lakh per month), your required corpus = 12 lakh divided by 0.04 = 3 crore rupees.

For early retirees (retiring at 40 or 45), use a lower withdrawal rate (3 or 3.5 per cent) because your corpus needs to last 45 to 50 years instead of 25 to 30 years. This means multiplying annual expenses by 29 to 33 instead of 25.

The 25x rule gives a quick reality check. The PlanMyReturns retirement calculator gives you the precise, inflation-adjusted, India-specific number.

How This Retirement Calculator Works: Detailed Explanation

Estimate Corpus mode (starting from your current expenses)

Step 1: The calculator takes your current monthly expenses and inflates them to the retirement date using your specified inflation rate. If your expenses today are 50,000 rupees per month and you retire in 20 years at 6 per cent inflation, your monthly expenses at retirement will be approximately 1,60,357 rupees.

Step 2: It calculates the total corpus required at retirement to fund this inflation-adjusted monthly income for the entire retirement period (from retirement age to life expectancy). This uses the present value of an annuity formula applied to post-retirement cash flows, accounting for both the post-retirement return on the corpus and ongoing inflation during retirement.

Step 3: It takes your existing savings and projects their value at retirement using the pre-retirement return rate. This future value of existing savings is credited against the required corpus.

Step 4: The gap between required corpus and future value of existing savings is the shortfall you need to build through monthly SIP investments. The calculator converts this into a precise monthly SIP figure using the SIP future value formula with your pre-retirement return and time horizon.

Step 5: The projected corpus (future value of existing savings plus future value of SIP contributions) is compared against the target corpus to show surplus or shortfall.

I Have a Goal mode (starting from desired retirement income)

This mode is for investors who already know what monthly income they want after retirement. Enter your desired monthly income in today’s value. The calculator inflates this to the retirement date and computes the required corpus and required SIP using the same methodology as above.

How to Use the PlanMyReturns Retirement Calculator

Step 1: Enter your current age and retirement age

The difference between these determines your accumulation period. Every additional year you start early dramatically reduces the monthly SIP required because compounding has more time to work.

Step 2: Enter current monthly expenses

Enter your actual current monthly spending. Include housing (rent or maintenance), food, transport, utilities, insurance, entertainment and healthcare. Exclude EMIs that will end before retirement and children’s expenses if your children will be financially independent by retirement.

Step 3: Enter your existing corpus or savings

If you have existing savings earmarked for retirement (EPF balance, PPF balance, mutual fund portfolio, FDs set aside for retirement), enter the current value here. These are projected forward at your pre-retirement return rate and credited against your target.

Step 4: Enter your monthly SIP or investment

This is your current monthly investment toward retirement. The calculator will show whether this is enough or how much more you need to add.

Step 5: Set advanced parameters (inflation and returns)

Open the Advanced Settings section to customise:

• Life expectancy: the age until which you want your corpus to last. Use 85 to 90 for conservative planning.
• Inflation rate: 6 per cent is the standard India-specific assumption for retirement planning.
• Pre-retirement return: the expected annual return on your investments during your working years. For an equity-heavy portfolio, 10 to 12 per cent. For a balanced portfolio, 8 to 10 per cent.
• Post-retirement return: the expected annual return on your corpus after retirement. Because you shift to safer assets (SCSS, debt funds, annuities), use 6 to 7 per cent.

Step 6: Click Calculate

Your results appear instantly, showing target corpus, projected corpus, monthly income, required SIP, and surplus or shortfall.

Retirement Planning for Different Life Stages

Retirement planning in your 20s (age 22 to 30)

The most powerful time to start. Time is your biggest asset.

Example: A 25-year-old investing 5,000 rupees per month at 12 per cent CAGR for 35 years accumulates approximately 3.24 crore by age 60. The same person starting at age 35 would need to invest approximately 16,000 rupees per month to reach the same corpus at 60.

Starting in your 20s means you can build a retirement corpus of 2 to 5 crore with a relatively small monthly investment. The key is starting, not the amount.

Retirement planning in your 30s (age 30 to 40)

The productive decade. You likely have 25 to 30 years to retirement and are entering peak earning years.

Target: Build 10 to 12 times your annual salary as a retirement corpus (the thumb rule used by many Indian financial planners).

The 30s are also when EPF contributions start accumulating meaningfully. Add EPF balance to your existing corpus field in the calculator for a more accurate picture.

Recommended monthly SIP allocation: 15 to 20 per cent of take-home salary toward retirement, starting in your 30s.

Retirement planning in your 40s (age 40 to 50)

The catch-up decade. If you have not started yet, this is when urgency begins.

At age 40 with 20 years to retirement, even 15,000 rupees per month at 12 per cent CAGR grows to approximately 1.5 crore by age 60. However, the required corpus for a comfortable retirement is typically 3 to 5 crore or higher for most urban Indian households. The gap between where you are and where you need to be may require significant SIP increases.

Practical step: Run the calculator with your current age, current savings and current SIP. The calculator shows you the exact shortfall. Then work backwards to find the additional monthly investment required to close it.

Retirement planning in your 50s (age 50 to 60)

Final accumulation phase. Focus shifts from growth to preservation of corpus.

At 50, you have 10 years of active accumulation left. Even at this stage, SIPs in equity mutual funds targeting 10 to 12 per cent returns over 10 years can meaningfully grow your corpus.

Start planning your post-retirement income strategy: SCSS (Senior Citizens Savings Scheme), systematic withdrawal plans (SWP) from mutual funds, NPS annuity and rental income.

How Much SIP Is Needed to Build a Retirement Corpus?

This table assumes retirement at age 60, life expectancy 85, inflation 6 per cent and pre-retirement return of 12 per cent.

The dramatic increase in required SIP at age 45 versus age 25 for the same corpus target illustrates why starting early is the single most impactful retirement planning decision.

Use the PlanMyReturns retirement calculator to find your exact number based on your current age, savings and expenses.

Early Retirement in India: FIRE Calculator

FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is growing rapidly among Indian professionals in their 30s and early 40s. The goal is to accumulate a corpus large enough to retire 15 to 25 years before the traditional retirement age of 60.

Why early retirement requires a larger corpus

If you retire at 45 instead of 60, your corpus needs to last 40 to 45 years instead of 25. This means:

Using the standard 4 per cent withdrawal rate, a 25-year retirement needs 25 times annual expenses. A 45-year retirement needs approximately 30 to 33 times annual expenses (3 to 3.5 per cent safe withdrawal rate).

Additionally, a longer accumulation period is not available, so a higher monthly SIP is needed to reach a larger corpus target in fewer working years.

How to use the PlanMyReturns calculator for FIRE planning

Set your retirement age to 40, 45 or 50 as your target. Set life expectancy to 85 or 90. Enter your current expenses and inflation rate. The calculator will show you the corpus required for your early retirement age and the monthly SIP needed to get there.

FIRE corpus reference figures (India, at 6 per cent inflation, 7 per cent post-retirement return)

Inflation and Retirement: Why Most Indians Underestimate Their Corpus Requirement

Inflation is the most underestimated risk in retirement planning.

At 6 per cent annual inflation:

• 50,000 rupees per month today becomes approximately 1,60,000 per month in 20 years
• 50,000 rupees per month today becomes approximately 2,87,000 per month in 30 years
• 1 lakh rupees today buys what 3.2 lakh rupees will buy in 20 years

The consequence: An investor who plans for a 50 lakh corpus thinking that is enough for a 50,000 per month lifestyle is making a serious error. That 50 lakh at a 7 per cent post-retirement return generates only 29,000 rupees per month in income, which would be worth only about 9,000 rupees per month in today’s purchasing power in 20 years.

The PlanMyReturns retirement calculator applies inflation at two stages: before retirement (to project what your expenses will be at retirement age) and implicitly during retirement (through the real return concept, where the post-retirement return is compared against inflation to find the sustainable withdrawal rate). This dual-inflation treatment produces accurate corpus estimates, not optimistic ones.

Pre-Retirement Return vs Post-Retirement Return: What to Use

The return assumptions you enter in the retirement calculator are the most consequential numbers in the entire calculation. Use these as your reference benchmarks.

Pre-retirement return (while still working)

This is the average annual return on your investments during your working years. Because you have a long time horizon, you can afford a growth-oriented, equity-heavy portfolio.

Recommended assumption: 10 to 12 per cent for an equity-heavy portfolio (70 to 80 per cent equity, rest in debt). This reflects realistic long-term Nifty 50 performance averaged over 20 to 30 year periods.

Conservative assumption: 8 to 10 per cent for a balanced portfolio (50 per cent equity, 50 per cent debt).

Very conservative: 7 to 8 per cent for a debt-heavy or PPF-focused portfolio.

Do not use historical recent returns (15 to 18 per cent over the last 5 years) as your assumption. Long-term averages of 10 to 12 per cent are more realistic for retirement planning across multiple market cycles.

Post-retirement return (after you stop working)

After retirement, you shift your corpus to safer, income-generating instruments to reduce volatility risk. The post-retirement return is lower than pre-retirement.

Recommended instruments and their approximate returns (2025-26 data):

Recommended post-retirement return assumption for the calculator: 6.5 to 7 per cent for a conservative, income-generating post-retirement portfolio.

Retirement Planning Options in India: Where to Build Your Corpus

Employee Provident Fund (EPF)

For salaried employees, EPF is the foundational retirement savings instrument. Contributions are 12 per cent of basic salary from both employee and employer. The EPF interest rate is 8.25 per cent for FY 2023-24. EPF balances accumulate tax-free and withdrawals after 5 years of service are fully tax-exempt.

Use the PlanMyReturns EPF Calculator to estimate your EPF corpus at retirement.

National Pension System (NPS)

NPS offers equity and debt fund options with returns of approximately 10 to 12 per cent for equity funds and 8 to 9 per cent for corporate bond funds historically. An additional Section 80CCD(1B) deduction of 50,000 rupees per year is available exclusively for NPS contributions, making it a tax-efficient retirement savings vehicle.

At maturity (age 60), 60 per cent of the NPS corpus can be withdrawn tax-free. The remaining 40 per cent must be used to purchase an annuity, which is taxed as income.

Use the PlanMyReturns NPS Calculator to project your NPS corpus.

Public Provident Fund (PPF)

PPF offers 7.1 per cent interest (current rate) with full tax exemption on contributions (Section 80C), growth and maturity (EEE status). The 15-year lock-in makes it ideal for retirement planning for younger investors. Maximum contribution is 1.5 lakh rupees per year.

Use the PlanMyReturns PPF Calculator to estimate your PPF maturity value.

Equity Mutual Funds via SIP

For the core wealth-creation component of a retirement portfolio, equity mutual funds through SIP have historically delivered 12 to 14 per cent CAGR over 15 to 20 year periods in India. LTCG (Long Term Capital Gains) tax applies at 12.5 per cent on gains above 1.25 lakh rupees per year.

Equity mutual funds via SIP are the most common and effective tool for building the bulk of a retirement corpus for investors in their 20s, 30s and early 40s.

Use the PlanMyReturns SIP Calculator to estimate how a monthly SIP grows over your accumulation period.

Comparison of retirement corpus building options

EEE = Exempt Exempt Exempt (no tax at any stage). EET = Exempt Exempt Taxable (taxed only at withdrawal).

Retirement Calculator vs NPS Calculator: Key Differences

For complete retirement planning, start with the retirement calculator. Then use the NPS calculator, EPF calculator and SIP calculator separately to plan each component, and reconcile all numbers back to the retirement calculator’s required corpus.

Healthcare: The Retirement Planning Variable Most Indians Miss

Healthcare costs are the single most underestimated variable in Indian retirement planning. Medical inflation in India runs at 10 to 14 per cent per year, roughly double the general CPI inflation rate.

What this means in practice:

• A medical procedure costing 1 lakh rupees today will cost approximately 2.6 lakh rupees in 10 years at 10 per cent medical inflation
• A procedure costing 1 lakh today will cost approximately 6.7 lakh rupees in 20 years

How to account for healthcare in your retirement calculation: Add a healthcare buffer of 25 per cent to your current monthly expenses in the calculator. This means if your current monthly expenses are 50,000 rupees, enter 62,500 rupees in the calculator to ensure your retirement corpus includes a meaningful healthcare reserve.

Additionally, purchase a comprehensive health insurance plan with a large sum insured (25 to 50 lakh rupees for a senior citizen policy) before age 60 while health-based underwriting is more favorable.

The Impact of Starting Early: Why Every Year Matters

The following numbers illustrate the cost of delaying retirement planning, using a 3 crore retirement corpus target at age 60 and a 12 per cent pre-retirement return assumption.

Two observations: First, the monthly SIP required increases 15-fold between starting at 25 versus starting at 45. Second, despite paying far more monthly, the 45-year-old actually invests a larger total amount (54 lakh versus 25.2 lakh) for the same outcome. Starting early is not just easier on your monthly budget — it generates the same wealth at a lower total cost.

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