Independence calculator
FIRE Number Calculator
How much is “enough” to stop needing a salary? This FIRE calculator turns your expenses into a target corpus — your Lean, regular and Fat FIRE numbers — and estimates how many years of steady investing it takes to get there.
- Lean FIRE
- ₹97,50,000
- Fat FIRE
- ₹2,40,00,000
- Years to your FIRE
- 13.3 yrs
- Your FIRE number
- ₹1,50,00,000
For illustration only. It assumes constant returns and a fixed withdrawal rate; real returns vary and are not guaranteed, and the 4% rule is a guideline, not a promise. This is not investment advice.
How this FIRE calculator works
Financial independence arrives when your investments can fund your expenses without a salary. The corpus that allows it — your FIRE number — is your annual expenses divided by a safe withdrawal rate:
FIRE number = annual expenses ÷ withdrawal rate
At the common 4% rate that is 25 × your annual expenses. The calculator then grows your current investments plus your monthly contributions until they reach that number, and reports the years it takes.
Lean FIRE vs Fat FIRE — one number, three lifestyles
Lean FIRE assumes a trimmed, essentials-first budget, so the target is smaller and arrives sooner. Fat FIRE funds a richer lifestyle — more travel, more comfort — so the target is larger and takes longer. The three figures above your result show all of them from the same expenses, so you can decide how much lifestyle is worth how many extra working years.
A worked example
Spending ₹50,000 a month, at a 4% withdrawal rate, your FIRE number is about ₹1.5 crore (Lean ≈ ₹97 lakh, Fat ≈ ₹2.4 crore). Starting with ₹10 lakh invested and adding ₹30,000 a month at an 11% return, you reach it in roughly 13 years. Trimming to Lean shaves years off; stretching to Fat adds them.
Using it well
The two levers that move your date most are your expenses and your savings rate — not your return. Lowering the withdrawal-rate slider to 3–3.5% is the conservative choice for India’s inflation, and it raises the corpus you need. MoneyGrad tracks your real expenses and investments so your FIRE number stays honest as life changes.
Frequently asked questions
- What is FIRE and a FIRE number?
- FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. Your FIRE number is the corpus at which your investments can cover your living expenses indefinitely, so working becomes optional. It is usually estimated as your annual expenses divided by a safe withdrawal rate — about 25× your annual expenses at a 4% rate.
- What is the difference between Lean FIRE and Fat FIRE?
- They are the same idea at different lifestyles. Lean FIRE targets a trimmed, essentials-first budget, so the number is smaller and reached sooner. Fat FIRE funds a richer lifestyle with more travel and comfort, so the number is larger and takes longer. This calculator shows your Lean, regular and Fat FIRE targets together so you can see the trade-off.
- How is the FIRE number calculated?
- FIRE number = annual expenses ÷ safe withdrawal rate. At the common 4% rate that is 25 × annual expenses. A lower withdrawal rate (say 3.5%) is more conservative and raises the number; a higher rate lowers it but carries more risk of the corpus running down.
- Is the 4% withdrawal rate safe for India?
- The 4% rule comes from US market history and is only a guideline. With India’s higher inflation, many planners prefer a more conservative 3–3.5% rate, which raises the corpus you need. Move the withdrawal-rate slider to see how sensitive your FIRE number is to that single assumption.
- Are these FIRE projections guaranteed?
- No. The years-to-FIRE estimate assumes a constant return, but real returns vary and are not guaranteed, and your expenses will change over life. Use it to set a direction and revisit it regularly; it is an illustration, not investment advice.