--- title: "Retirement Calculator Australia: How Much Super Do You Need?" description: "Free retirement calculator for Australia: the super and savings you need, the monthly investment to build it and whether it lasts. Inflation-adjusted, in A$, no sign-up." canonical: https://mywealthcheck.com/calculators/retirement-calculator-australia/ language: en updated: 2026-11-11 publisher: MyWealthCheck (hello@mywealthcheck.com) note: Text copy of the canonical page, generated from the same build. For education only, not investment advice. --- # Retirement calculator for Australia For a retirement from 65 to 90 you typically need super and savings of 18 to 25 times your first-year spending in retirement, less what the Age Pension will pay. Enter your numbers to see your own target and the monthly investment that builds it. Everything is in Australian dollars and runs in your browser. Free · any currency · no sign-up · method last reviewed 11 November 2026 > **Interactive tool.** This part of the page runs in the browser and is not included in this text copy. Open https://mywealthcheck.com/calculators/retirement-calculator-australia/ to enter your own numbers. ## Quick answer: how much do you need to retire in Australia? For a retirement from 65 to 90, you typically need super and other savings of **about 18 to 25 times your first-year spending in retirement**, with that spending grown by inflation from today, minus what the Age Pension will pay. For example, A$5,000 a month today is about A$145,600 a year in 30 years at 3% inflation, so roughly A$2.6 to 3.6 million at retirement before any Age Pension. Owning your home outright and qualifying for a part pension later can bring that down a lot; retiring earlier, or planning to 95, needs more. ## How this retirement calculator works 1. **Spending at retirement.** Today's monthly spending grows with inflation until your retirement age. 2. **Retirement savings needed.** We add up every year's spending from retirement to your plan age. Money for the next 10 years sits in bonds and cash; money for later years stays partly in shares so it can keep up with inflation. 3. **Your savings.** What you already have in super and outside it grows at the returns you enter. 4. **Monthly investment.** We work out the first-year monthly amount, including your employer's super, that fills the gap, rising by your yearly increase, with fewer shares as retirement gets close. 5. **Will it last?** We test your savings year by year at expected returns and after a 35% crash in your first year of retirement. ## What changes your retirement number the most in Australia? - **Your home.** Retiring without a mortgage removes the biggest cost for most households, and your home is not counted in the Age Pension assets test. - **The Age Pension.** It starts at 67, rises with prices and wages, and lasts for life. A part pension later in retirement lowers how much your own savings must cover. - **Your spending.** Every A$1,000 a month you spend today adds roughly 18 to 25 times its inflated yearly value to what you need. - **Tax-free super pensions.** From 60, payments from an account-based pension are generally tax-free, so the spending you enter is close to what you need to withdraw. - **Retiring before 67.** Every year between stopping work and the Age Pension has to come from your own savings. Super is available from 60 once you retire. Rules as of November 2026. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much super do I need to retire in Australia? For a retirement from 65 to 90, typically about 18 to 25 times your first year of spending in retirement, across super and other savings, less what the Age Pension will pay. For example, A$5,000 a month today becomes about A$145,600 a year in 30 years at 3% inflation, so savings of roughly A$2.6 to 3.6 million before any Age Pension. A paid-off home and a part Age Pension can lower this a lot. Enter your own numbers above for an exact figure. ### When can I access my super? Your preservation age is 60 if you were born on or after 1 July 1964. You can then take your super once you retire, or when you stop a job after turning 60 even if you work again later. From 65 you can take it even if you are still working. From 60 you can also start a transition to retirement pension while still working, but only up to 10% of the balance a year. ### How does the Age Pension change how much I need? The Age Pension starts at 67 and is income and assets tested, so the amount depends on what you own and earn. Your home is not counted in the assets test. Many retirees start with a small part pension or none and receive more as their savings are drawn down. This quick calculator assumes no other income; for a quick estimate, enter your spending minus the pension you expect. Services Australia publishes the current rates and limits, which change every March and September, and the full planner can add the pension from 67. ### How much can I contribute to super? For 2026–27, the concessional cap is A$32,500 a year, which includes your employer's 12% super guarantee and any salary sacrifice, and is taxed at 15% in the fund. If your total super balance is under A$500,000, unused cap from the past five years can be carried forward. The non-concessional cap is A$130,000, or up to A$390,000 at once under the bring-forward rule. From 55 you may also be able to add up to A$300,000 as a downsizer contribution after selling your home. ### How is super taxed in retirement? Once you are 60 and move super into an account-based pension, the payments are generally tax-free and the fund pays no tax on the earnings. Up to A$2.1 million can be moved into the tax-free retirement phase (the transfer balance cap from 1 July 2026); the rest can stay in an accumulation account, taxed at up to 15%. An account-based pension must pay at least a minimum each year: 4% of the balance under 65, 5% from 65 to 74, rising with age. ### What inflation rate should I use? Around 3% is a cautious long-term assumption for Australia. The Reserve Bank targets 2 to 3%, but prices have risen faster in some years. Health costs and insurance premiums usually rise faster than other prices. If you are unsure, test 3.5% to see how much more you would need. ### Until what age should my retirement plan last? Plan until at least 90, and to 95 if you are healthy or your family tends to live long. Many Australians who reach 65 live into their late 80s or 90s, and running out of money at 85 is a much bigger problem than leaving some behind. ### Why increase my monthly investing every year? Raising what you invest by 2 to 5% a year, in line with pay rises, can cut the starting amount you need by a lot, because later, larger contributions do much of the work. Your employer's 12% grows automatically with your salary, and the concessional cap is indexed, so there is usually room to add more. ### Is my data stored anywhere? No. The calculator runs in your browser and your numbers are not sent to any server. The inputs appear in the page address only so you can bookmark or share a result yourself. ## Sources Rules and rates change. Check the current figures with the official source before acting. - [Australian Bureau of Statistics](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation): consumer price inflation - [Reserve Bank of Australia](https://www.rba.gov.au/inflation/inflation-target.html): inflation target of 2–3% - [ATO](https://www.ato.gov.au/tax-rates-and-codes/key-superannuation-rates-and-thresholds): 2026–27 super contribution caps, the 12% super guarantee and the transfer balance cap - [ATO](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/withdrawing-and-using-your-super/super-withdrawal-options): preservation age and conditions of release - [Services Australia](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/age-pension): Age Pension age, income test and assets test - [ATO](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/cgt-discount): the 50% capital gains tax discount - [ATO](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/capital-gains-tax-reform): capital gains tax reform from 1 July 2027 - [privatehealth.gov.au](https://www.privatehealth.gov.au/health_insurance/surcharges_incentives/lifetime_health_cover.htm): Lifetime Health Cover loading - [Moneysmart (ASIC)](https://moneysmart.gov.au/retirement-income-sources/account-based-pensions): account-based pensions and minimum withdrawals **For education only, not financial advice.** Results depend on your inputs and on assumed returns and inflation, which will differ from reality. 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