(1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1Your nominal investment return is reduced by inflation. With 7% return and 2.5% inflation, the real return is 4.4%.
Coast FIRE Calculator Australia
Find the amount you need invested today so compounding can do the rest—while keeping money inside and outside super separate for early-retirement access.
YOUR NUMBERS
UPDATES LIVESet your Coast FIRE plan
KEEP BUILDING
You are not at Coast FIRE yet.
Invest about $14,161 a year in today's dollars until age 60 to close the modeled gap.
Your Coast FIRE number today$512,382$300,000 currently invested
59% funded$212,382 gap today
FIRE target at retirement$1,500,000Today's dollars
Projected at age 60$878,252No more contributions
Outside super at target$351,301Modeled accessible bucket
Super at target$526,951Subject to access rules
MODELED CONTRIBUTION NEEDED$14,161 / year
$1,180 is the monthly budgeting equivalent; the model applies $14,161 as one end-of-year contribution.
AUSTRALIAN SUPER ACCESS CHECKNo pre-super bridge is required.
Your retirement target is at or after the selected super access age. Actual access still depends on the super rules and conditions that apply to you.
On these assumptions, your current balance could first support Coast FIRE at age 73.
THE CALCULATION
How the Coast FIRE formula works
Every figure is expressed in today's purchasing power, so the result is easier to compare with what you spend now.
annual spending ÷ withdrawal rateAnnual spending of $60,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate produces a $1,500,000 target.
FIRE target ÷ (1 + real return)yearsThis discounts the retirement target back to the amount that would need to be invested today if no more money were added.
WORKED EXAMPLE
A 35-year-old aiming to retire at 60
$120,000 outside super plus $180,000 in super gives a $300,000 starting balance. Spending is $60,000 a year, with a 4% withdrawal rate, 7% nominal return and 2.5% inflation.
1
The FIRE target is $1,500,000.
2
Discounted over 25 years at a 4.4% real return, the Coast number today is $512,382.
3
The current balance is short, so the model suggests roughly $14,161 a year in today's dollars until age 60.
READ THE FINE PRINT
Assumptions behind this estimate
- Returns and inflation are constant every year; real markets are volatile.
- Balances, spending and contribution results are in today's dollars.
- Suggested contributions are equal annual, end-of-year amounts that earn the selected real return.
- Outside-super contributions are prioritised when a bridge to super access is underfunded.
- The withdrawal-rate target is a planning shortcut, not a guarantee that money will last.
- Tax, fees, contribution caps, insurance, Age Pension eligibility and changes to Australian super law are not modeled.
- The selected super access age is an assumption; access also depends on satisfying an applicable condition of release.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Coast FIRE calculator FAQs
What is Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE is the point where your existing invested balance could compound to your retirement target by your chosen age without further contributions. You still need income to cover life before retirement.
Does Australian super count towards Coast FIRE?
It can count toward the long-term target, but it may not be accessible when early retirement starts. This calculator keeps super and outside-super balances separate and adds a bridge check when your retirement age is earlier than your selected access age.
Is my Coast FIRE number in today's dollars?
Yes. The nominal return is converted to a real return after inflation. That keeps the spending target, current balances and suggested contributions in today's purchasing power.
What return should I enter?
Use a long-run nominal return that suits your asset mix, then test a lower-return case as well. A Coast FIRE result is sensitive to small changes compounded over many years.
What if I want to retire before I can access super?
You need enough outside super to fund spending until the selected super access age. The blue access panel estimates this bridge as the present value of those spending years using your real return.
Does this include tax and all Australian super rules?
No. It does not model personal tax, investment tax, super contribution caps, insurance, Age Pension eligibility or every condition of release. Treat it as an educational first pass, not personal financial advice.
KEEP PLANNING
Put your Coast number in context.
Stress-test retirement paths, compare the mortgage offset decision, or tidy your portfolio allocation.