Retire at 55
£900k - £1.1m
Forty years of drawdown is a long horizon. From April 2028 the minimum pension access age rises to 57, so anyone targeting 55 needs ISAs to bridge the gap.
UK retirement calculator
How much do I need to retire at 55, 57, 60 or 67?
Most calculators give one number. Real markets do not deliver a constant return - the honest answer is a probability range. This one runs 500 simulated paths against your numbers and tells you how often the money lasts.
The calculator
Total of pensions, ISAs and invested savings.
Gross - including employer match and tax relief.
In today's money. PLSA: £14k min, £31k moderate, £43k comfortable.
Advanced assumptions
Probability your money lasts
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Adjust inputs to see your number.
Pot at retirement (median)
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Pot at end (median)
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Worst 10% end with
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Best 10% end with
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Pot trajectory - 10th, 50th, 90th percentile of 500 runs
10th-90th percentile
Median path
Retirement
For illustration only. Not financial advice. Returns are not guaranteed - past performance does not predict the future.
The numbers, by retirement age
Indicative pot for 90% probability of lasting to 95. Single person, £35k/yr spend in today's money, 4% real return, State Pension included from 67.
Retire at 57
£820k - £1.0m
Two extra years of compounding and contributions reduce the target by £80-100k versus retiring at 55. The new minimum pension access age from April 2028.
Retire at 60
£700k - £900k
A common target. The seven-year bridge to State Pension at 67 is the expensive part - after that, the private pot only has to top up the gap.
Retire at 67
£450k - £600k
State Pension age. The full new State Pension is £11,973 for 2025/26, so private savings only need to fund roughly £23k a year.
How it works
500 random market paths, in real terms
Each year draws a return from a normal distribution with the mean and volatility you set. All figures - pot, spend, State Pension - are in today's money, so no inflation forecast is needed.
Success = pot still positive at the end
The headline percentage is the share of paths where the pot survives. Below 75% is fragile. Above 90% has margin.
What's not in this simplified version
Income tax on drawdown, ISA/GIA/SIPP wrapper rules, the 25% tax-free lump sum, and dynamic drawdown strategies. Those are in the full plannng app.
Frequently asked
How much do I need to retire at 55 in the UK?
For a single person spending £35,000 a year, roughly £900,000 - £1.1 million gives a 90% probability the pot lasts to 95 under 4% real returns. The exact figure depends on volatility, withdrawal strategy and whether you have a partner. Note the minimum pension access age rises from 55 to 57 in April 2028 - if you are retiring at 55 you also need non-pension savings to bridge the gap.
How much do I need to retire at 57?
From April 2028, 57 is the new minimum pension access age in the UK. To retire at 57 spending £35,000 a year, a single person typically needs £820,000 - £1,000,000 to give a 90% probability the pot lasts to 95. Two extra years of compounding and contributions versus retiring at 55 reduce the target by around £80-100k.
How much do I need to retire at 60?
£700,000 - £900,000 is a common target for £35,000 a year. The expensive part is the seven-year bridge to State Pension at 67 - once the State Pension begins, the private pot only needs to top up the gap. Drawdown rates of 4-4.5% are reasonable from this age.
How much do I need to retire at 67?
The new full State Pension is £11,973 a year for 2025/26. So a single person spending £35,000 a year needs private savings to fund roughly £23,000 a year - typically £450,000 - £600,000 of private wealth. Couples claiming two State Pensions need substantially less.
What is the 4% rule and does it apply in the UK?
The 4% rule says you can withdraw 4% of your pot in year one and increase it with inflation each year, with a high probability the pot lasts 30 years. It is a useful starting point but a single rule cannot reflect tax, the State Pension or sequence-of-returns risk. A Monte Carlo simulation gives a more realistic probability range - which is what this calculator does.
What return and volatility should I use?
The default 4% real / 12% volatility is broadly representative of a 60/40 equity-bond portfolio after costs and inflation. A 100% global equity portfolio would justify higher numbers (around 5% / 16%). A bond-heavy portfolio would justify lower (around 2% / 7%). Try both ends to see how sensitive your plan is.
Pensions, ISAs, GIAs, full UK tax, couples - free to start.