🌅
Retirement Planner
How much do you need to retire? · Corpus calculator · Monthly SIP needed · Inflation-adjusted · Updated 2026
Corpus goalSIP requiredInflation-adjustedWithdrawal phase
Your retirement timeline
Accumulation 30 yr
Retirement 25 yr
Age 30Age 60Age 85
Accumulation - 30 years to save & invest
Retirement - 25 years of withdrawals
Your personal details
Current age
years
Retirement age
years
Life expectancy
years
₹
₹10K₹5L
Expected inflation
%
Pre-retirement return (equity)
%
Post-retirement return (debt)
%
Target retirement corpus
₹4.02 Cr
needed by age 60 to retire comfortably
Today's expenses
₹50,000/mo
At retirement (inflated)
₹2,87,175/mo
Retirement duration
25 years
SIP required
₹6,348/mo
Monthly SIP needed to reach your corpus
Required monthly SIP
₹6,348
for 30 years at 12% return
Target corpus
₹4.02 Cr
by age 60
| Annual return | Monthly SIP needed | Total invested | Corpus achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8% p.a. | ₹23,277/mo | ₹83.80 L | ₹4.00 Cr |
| 10% p.a. | ₹13,378/mo | ₹48.16 L | ₹3.92 Cr |
| 12% p.a.(selected) | ₹6,348/mo | ₹22.85 L | ₹3.74 Cr |
| 14% p.a. | ₹1,387/mo | ₹4.99 L | ₹3.32 Cr |
| 16% p.a. | ₹0/mo | ₹0 | ₹4.29 Cr |
Corpus growth during accumulation phase
Projected corpusTarget corpus
Now (age 30)Target: ₹4.02 CrRetire (age 60)
Retirement corpus needed - by monthly expense & timeline
Assuming 6% inflation, 12% pre-retirement returns, 7% post-retirement returns, 25-year retirement
| Monthly expenses today | Retire in 10 yrs | Retire in 15 yrs | Retire in 20 yrs | Retire in 25 yrs | Retire in 30 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹30,000/mo | ₹75.13 L | ₹1.01 Cr | ₹1.35 Cr | ₹1.80 Cr | ₹2.41 Cr |
| ₹50,000/mo | ₹1.25 Cr | ₹1.68 Cr | ₹2.24 Cr | ₹3.00 Cr | ₹4.02 Cr |
| ₹75,000/mo | ₹1.88 Cr | ₹2.51 Cr | ₹3.36 Cr | ₹4.50 Cr | ₹6.02 Cr |
| ₹1,00,000/mo | ₹2.50 Cr | ₹3.35 Cr | ₹4.48 Cr | ₹6.00 Cr | ₹8.03 Cr |
| ₹1,50,000/mo | ₹3.76 Cr | ₹5.03 Cr | ₹6.73 Cr | ₹9.00 Cr | ₹12.05 Cr |
| ₹2,00,000/mo | ₹5.01 Cr | ₹6.70 Cr | ₹8.97 Cr | ₹12.00 Cr | ₹16.06 Cr |
How Much Do You Need to Retire in India? A Complete Guide
Retirement planning is the most important - and most deferred - financial task for most Indians. The good news: starting even 5 years earlier dramatically reduces how much you need to save each month. The bad news: inflation makes the numbers much larger than most people intuitively expect.
If you spend ₹50,000/month today, you'll need approximately ₹1.6 lakh/month at retirement (30 years away at 6% inflation). To sustainably fund ₹1.6 lakh/month for 25 years while the corpus earns 7% post-retirement, you need a corpus of approximately ₹2.4 crore. These numbers surprise most people - and that's exactly why calculating them early matters.
The three phases of retirement planning
1
Accumulation phase
From today until retirement — you invest monthly and let compounding do the heavy lifting. The longer this phase, the smaller your required monthly SIP. A 30-year accumulation at 12% lets ₹10,000/month grow to ₹3.5 crore.
2
Decumulation phase
From retirement until you pass away — you draw down the corpus. The corpus itself continues earning (7–8% in conservative debt instruments). The math here is annuity: how much monthly withdrawal can the corpus sustainably fund for X years?
3
Legacy planning
If you want to leave wealth for children or charity, the corpus must outlast you. This requires either a larger corpus (interest-only withdrawals) or a systematic withdrawal plan (SWP) with a defined end date.
Why inflation is the biggest retirement risk
| Today's monthly expense | At 6% inflation in 20 yrs | At 6% inflation in 30 yrs | At 6% inflation in 40 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹25,000 | ₹6,682 | ₹11,966 | ₹21,429 |
| ₹50,000 | ₹13,363 | ₹23,931 | ₹42,857 |
| ₹75,000 | ₹20,045 | ₹35,897 | ₹64,286 |
| ₹1,00,000 | ₹26,726 | ₹47,862 | ₹85,714 |
| ₹1,50,000 | ₹40,089 | ₹71,794 | ₹1,28,571 |
Key insight
At 6% inflation, prices double every 12 years. Today's ₹50,000/month lifestyle requires ₹1,61,000/month in 30 years. If your retirement corpus is based on today's expenses without adjusting for inflation, you will run out of money far sooner than expected.
Where to invest for retirement in India
Accumulation phase (pre-retirement)
Equity mutual funds (SIP)
Primary vehicle — 12–15% historical CAGR
NPS (National Pension System)
80CCD(1) deduction + employer contribution
EPF (Employee PF)
Mandatory + additional VPF contributions
PPF (Public PF)
Tax-free returns, 80C deduction, safe
ELSS funds
Tax saving + market-linked returns under 80C
Decumulation phase (post-retirement)
Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS)
9.2% guaranteed (Q2 FY25), ₹30L limit
PM Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)
7.4% guaranteed for 10 years, ₹15L
Post Office Monthly Income Scheme (MIS)
7.4%, monthly payout, ₹9L limit
Conservative debt mutual funds (SWP)
Systematic withdrawals, tax-efficient
FD with monthly interest payout
Safe, predictable, widely available
Calculate your SIP corpus
See exactly how your monthly SIP grows over 20–30 years
Frequently asked questions
How much corpus do I need to retire in India?▼
A practical rule: multiply your expected annual expenses at retirement by 25–30. This is called the 4% rule — if your corpus is 25× annual expenses, you can safely withdraw 4% per year (adjusted for inflation) and the corpus should last 30+ years. For Indian realities with higher inflation (6%) and potentially lower equity returns in later life, use 30–33× annual expenses for safety. For ₹1 lakh/month (₹12L/year) retirement expenses at today's value, target a corpus of ₹3–4 crore. Adjust upward if you retire early (longer retirement phase) or have expensive medical needs.
What is the 4% withdrawal rule and does it work in India?▼
The 4% rule (from US-based research) says you can safely withdraw 4% of your corpus in Year 1 and increase it by inflation each subsequent year, and the corpus should last 30 years. In India, with 6% inflation vs the US's 2–3%, a safe withdrawal rate is closer to 3–3.5% to ensure the corpus lasts 25–30 years. This means a ₹3 crore corpus can safely sustain ₹75,000–₹90,000/month in withdrawals (at today's value), increasing with inflation each year.
Should I include NPS in my retirement corpus calculation?▼
Yes, but with an important nuance. NPS mandates that you annuitise at least 40% of the corpus at retirement (buy an annuity product). Only 60% is available as a tax-free lump sum. Include the expected NPS corpus in your total, but note that the annuity rate may be lower than the 7% post-retirement return this calculator assumes. The NPS Tier 1 account gets Section 80CCD(1) deduction (up to ₹1.5L, counted in 80C), plus an additional ₹50,000 deduction under 80CCD(1B) — making it one of the most tax-efficient retirement savings vehicles in India.
How do I account for EPF in retirement planning?▼
Add your current EPF balance to 'Current retirement savings' in this calculator. EPF grows at approximately 8.25% per year (declared by EPFO, reviewed annually). It's effectively a debt instrument with guaranteed returns, so for accumulation, use a blended return rate — perhaps 10–11% overall if you have substantial EPF plus equity SIPs. At retirement, EPF is fully tax-free if you've completed 5 years of continuous service. EPF withdrawal is restricted until 55–58 years of age for most members, making it genuinely long-term retirement money.
When should I shift from equity to debt as I approach retirement?▼
A common rule of thumb: the percentage in debt should equal your age. A 50-year-old keeps 50% in debt, 50% in equity. A safer version for Indian investors: start shifting to debt 7–10 years before retirement. Begin at 70% equity / 30% debt at age 50, move to 50/50 at age 55, and 30% equity / 70% debt at age 60. This 'glide path' protects your corpus from a market crash right before retirement (sequence of returns risk) while keeping some equity for growth during a potentially 25-year retirement. Most NPS lifecycle funds do this automatically.
What is a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) and how does it help in retirement?▼
An SWP is the withdrawal equivalent of a SIP. Instead of investing a fixed amount monthly, you withdraw a fixed amount monthly from a mutual fund. For example, ₹3 crore in a balanced/debt mutual fund, with ₹60,000/month SWP (2.4% annual withdrawal rate). The remaining corpus continues earning returns — ideally enough to sustain withdrawals indefinitely or for a very long period. SWP from equity-oriented funds also benefits from Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax treatment after 1 year, making it more tax-efficient than FD interest (which is taxed at your slab rate).
What about healthcare costs in retirement — how much should I budget?▼
Healthcare is the most volatile and often underestimated retirement expense in India. Medical inflation runs at 8–10% per year — faster than general inflation. A practical approach: build a health insurance coverage of ₹25–50L family floater now, and plan for ₹5,000–₹15,000/month in out-of-pocket medical costs (co-pays, medicines, diagnostic tests) in the early retirement years, rising to ₹20,000–₹40,000/month in your 70s–80s. Some retirement planners set aside a separate ₹25–50L 'medical corpus' beyond the lifestyle corpus to handle potential major medical expenses.