Irish Calculators
Retirement planning

Retirement Savings Target and Bridge Calculator

Model the capital needed for your spending horizon and any gap before pension resources become accessible. Returns, access ages and pension income are supplied scenarios, not an entitlement or a sustainable-withdrawal guarantee.

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Your numbers

%
After your assumed fees and taxes.
%
Spending and income grow at this assumed rate.
%
A scenario, not a safe-rate guarantee.
Display currency only. Convert all inputs to this currency before calculation.
Your figures stay on this device.

How the calculation works

A retirement target has two different constraints: enough total assets to fund spending, and enough accessible money before a pension pot can be used. This calculator tests both in today’s purchasing power rather than treating every asset as immediately spendable.

Discount annual spending gaps at the real return (1+net nominal return)/(1+inflation)−1. Separate the pre-access spending bridge; solve the larger total-capital or liquid-bridge shortfall for monthly contributions.

  1. Measure annual spending gaps

    Other income offsets spending from retirement. Pension income offsets it only from its selected start age. Negative gaps are treated as zero rather than assumed extra saving.

  2. Separate capital and bridge needs

    Annual gaps are discounted using the real return. Spending before pension-pot access forms a separate accessible bridge that locked assets cannot satisfy.

  3. Compare projected resources

    Current accessible savings and the pension pot grow to retirement. The capital gap is the larger total-funding or accessible-bridge shortfall, with a minimum of zero.

  4. Translate a gap into extra saving

    When retirement is in the future, the gap is converted to month-end contributions in today’s money. Those contributions are assumed accessible and increased with inflation.

Worked example: Check Capital required at retirement (today’s money)

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

The first example retires at 60 and plans through age 70, with €10,000 annual spending, no income and zero return or inflation. Ten annual spending gaps therefore require €100,000. There are no existing assets to offset that requirement.

Current age
60
Target retirement age
60
Planning end age
70
Annual spending in today’s money
10000
Other annual income from retirement
0
Annual pension income once accessible
0
Age pension pot becomes accessible
66
Pension income start age
Same as pension pot access
Accessible savings today
0
Pension pot today (locked until access age)
0
Annual effective net return (%)
0
Annual inflation (%)
0
Capital method
Fund spending to planning end age
Currency for all amounts
Euro (EUR)

Expected result

Capital required at retirement (today’s money)
€100,000.00
Worked example: Check Accessible bridge capital required

Sample inputs demonstrate the method. They are not a forecast or product offer.

Current age
60
Target retirement age
60
Planning end age
70
Annual spending in today’s money
10000
Other annual income from retirement
0
Annual pension income once accessible
5000
Age pension pot becomes accessible
65
Pension income start age
Same as pension pot access
Accessible savings today
0
Pension pot today (locked until access age)
0
Annual effective net return (%)
0
Annual inflation (%)
0
Capital method
Fund spending to planning end age
Currency for all amounts
Euro (EUR)

Expected result

Accessible bridge capital required
€50,000.00

Understanding your result

A funded overall total can still leave a bridge shortfall. Check the accessible bridge result alongside the total target, particularly for an early retirement date.

Returns follow a constant scenario, with spending at the start of retirement years. The calculation does not measure market-sequence risk or guarantee a safe withdrawal rate.

Questions you might have

What does the result include?

Estimate retirement capital and the extra monthly saving needed, including a separate bridge before pension access.

Which limits should I check?

A fixed return path does not model sequence risk or establish a safe withdrawal rate. No State Pension entitlement is calculated.

Choosing the right inputs

Annual spending in today’s money
Enter annual spending in today’s money and subtract no pension income yourself; other income and pension income have separate fields.
Pension income start age
Pension-pot access and pension-income commencement can use different supplied ages. Choose separate timing when those events do not coincide.
Annual effective net return
Use a nominal effective return after your assumed fees and taxes. Inflation is entered separately to derive the real return.
Capital method
Finite mode funds annual gaps up to the planning end age. Withdrawal-rate mode values the transition and a later capital target based on your chosen initial withdrawal percentage.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Do not treat supplied access ages or pension income as confirmed entitlement.
  • When retirement starts now there is no contribution period; the capital gap is an immediate funding need.

Assumptions to check

  • A fixed return path does not model sequence risk or establish a safe withdrawal rate. No State Pension entitlement is calculated.
  • All calculations run on your device. Figures are scenarios based on your inputs, not investment recommendations.

Sources and method

Read our calculation and testing approach.