How to use this retirement corpus calculator
- Enter your age and retirement age. The default retirement age is 60.
- Add your current retirement savings (corpus): EPF, PPF and NPS balances, plus mutual funds or FDs you plan to live on.
- Enter your monthly contribution and the expected return before retirement.
- Open "More options" to set your employer contribution, how much your contributions rise each year, the return in retirement, inflation and how long the money must last ("Plan until age").
- Set your desired retirement income as a yearly figure in today's money (₹50,000 a month is ₹6,00,000 a year), and add any pension or other income, such as an annuity or rent.
You see your projected corpus at retirement and its value in today's money, how long it lasts, the income it can sustain, and either your surplus or the extra monthly saving that would close the gap.
How the corpus is projected
While working: corpus = corpus × (1 + m) + monthly contributionIn retirement: corpus = (corpus − monthly withdrawal) × (1 + m)m = (1 + annual return)1/12 − 1 · today's money = amount ÷ (1 + inflation)years Contributions rise once a year by your contribution increase. Withdrawals rise with inflation every year, so your income keeps its buying power.
The calculator runs month by month. It also works out the corpus you would need at retirement to pay your target income, rising with inflation, until your plan-until age, and compares that with the corpus you are on course to build.
Worked example
You are 30, plan to retire at 60 and have ₹5 lakh saved. You put in ₹10,000 a month and your employer adds ₹5,000, with both rising 5% a year. Your money earns 9% before retirement and 7% after, and inflation runs at 4%.
Over 30 years you and your employer contribute ₹1,19,58,993, and growth adds ₹3,60,65,377. At 60 your corpus is ₹4,85,24,369, about ₹1,49,60,969 in today's money.
You want ₹6 lakh a year (₹50,000 a month) in today's money. After 30 years at 4%, that is about ₹19,46,039 in your first year of retirement. Paying it until 90 needs ₹3,86,26,308 at 60, so you have a surplus of ₹98,98,061 and the corpus lasts beyond 90. It could sustain ₹7,53,751 a year in today's money, and on these numbers you could retire as early as 58.
What changes your corpus the most
Each row changes one thing in the example above:
| Change | Corpus at 60 | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Example as above | ₹4,85,24,369 | Surplus of ₹98,98,061 |
| Start at 35 instead of 30 | ₹2,88,33,750 | Corpus runs out at 85 |
| Return of 8% instead of 9% | ₹4,07,21,025 | Surplus shrinks to ₹20,94,717 |
| No yearly increase in contributions | ₹3,21,65,534 | Corpus runs out at 82 |
| Save ₹5,000 more a month | ₹6,24,87,879 | Surplus of ₹2,38,61,571 |
| Inflation of 6% instead of 4% | ₹4,85,24,369 | Corpus runs out at 75 |
Time is the biggest lever. Starting five years later leaves you with about 40% less at 60. Step-ups matter too: without the 5% yearly rise, your contributions stay at ₹15,000 a month, while with it they reach about ₹61,742 a month by your last working year. Planning to 95 instead of 90 lowers the sustainable income from ₹7,53,751 to ₹6,86,227 a year, which is the price of a safer margin.
Why inflation matters so much
The RBI targets 4% CPI inflation, with a tolerance band of 2–6%, and CPI is published by MoSPI. Over 30 working years and 30 years of retirement, small differences compound. At 6% instead of 4%, the corpus you need at 60 jumps from about ₹3.86 crore to ₹8.78 crore, while the corpus you build stays the same in rupees. That is why every result here is also shown in today's rupees, and why it is worth testing the top of the band. See how prices add up with the inflation calculator.
How EPF, PPF and NPS fit in
Most people build a retirement corpus from several sources. EPF comes through your job, with a share from your employer. PPF and NPS are other common long-term savings schemes, and many people add mutual funds and FDs. Each scheme has its own rules on contributions, returns and withdrawals, which this calculator does not model. Instead, add your balances under current savings, your own and your employer's monthly amounts in the contribution fields, and use a blended return you consider realistic for the mix.
If you expect a pension, an annuity or rent from a property, enter it under "Pension or other income", so your corpus only needs to cover the rest. To see how regular saving compounds on its own, try the compound interest calculator, and for nearer goals, such as a down payment, use the savings goal calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much corpus do I need to retire in India?
How much corpus do I need for ₹1 lakh a month after retirement?
Should I include EPF, PPF and NPS?
What return should I assume?
Why does the calculator use 4% inflation?
What is the 4% rule?
Sources and further reading
Independent, official guidance on this topic. Rules differ by country, so check the regulator where you live.
- Consumer Price Index releases · Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- Income tax e-filing portal: returns, tax slabs and calculators · Income Tax Department, Government of India
This calculator gives estimates for education and planning. It is not financial advice, and your lender's figures may differ. See how we calculate.