When Can I Retire? Calculator
Enter your super balance, salary, and desired income to find out how many years until you can retire in Australia.
Based on 4% drawdown rule. Assumes 12% SG rate. Does not include Age Pension. Inflation not adjusted.
How This Calculator Works
The 4% Drawdown Rule Explained
The 4% rule is the cornerstone of this calculator. It states that you can sustainably withdraw 4% of your retirement savings each year without running out of money over a typical 30-year retirement. To find the lump sum you need, we divide your desired annual income by 0.04 — so a $60,000 income target requires a $1,500,000 portfolio. The rule was developed from decades of US market data (the Trinity Study) and has been broadly adopted as a planning benchmark in Australia. It assumes a balanced portfolio and does not account for the Age Pension, which can meaningfully reduce the super balance required for many Australians.
How Super Guarantee Contributions Work
From 1 July 2025, the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate is 12% of your ordinary time earnings. This means if you earn $90,000 before tax, your employer must contribute at least $10,800 per year into your super fund. These compulsory employer contributions are the single biggest driver of super growth for most Australians, particularly in the early years. This calculator models SG contributions at 12% and applies your chosen investment return rate on top of the growing balance, giving you a projection of how large your super could be at any given retirement age.
Why Investment Returns Matter So Much
Compound growth is powerful over long time horizons. A seemingly small difference between a 6% and 8% annual return can shift your projected retirement date by several years. For context, diversified growth-oriented super funds have historically returned around 7–9% per annum over 10-year periods, before fees. This calculator defaults to 7%, which is a reasonable after-fee estimate for a balanced to growth super option. More conservative (capital stable) options may return 4–5%, while high-growth allocations have averaged higher but with more volatility.
Common Retirement Age Targets in Australia
The average Australian retires at around age 64, though many aim for earlier. The official Age Pension age is 67 for everyone born on or after 1 January 1957, which is a common default planning target. Some Australians target 60 — the superannuation preservation age — as the earliest practical retirement point. Others plan for 55 or earlier using non-super investment vehicles. Your target retirement age depends on your income, savings rate, investment returns, and desired lifestyle.
Superannuation Preservation Age vs Age Pension Age
These two ages are frequently confused. The preservation age (currently 60) is the earliest you can access superannuation once you meet a condition of release such as retirement. The Age Pension age (67) is when the government pension becomes available, subject to means testing. Retiring at 60 is feasible if your super balance is sufficient, but you will not receive any Age Pension for 7 years. Planning for this gap is critical, particularly for managing healthcare costs and lifestyle expenses in your early retirement years.