Your personal AI for understanding and tracking your personal finance.
Your personal AI for understanding and tracking your personal finance.
The ASFA standard says $630,000. But your real number depends on your city, lifestyle, and pension eligibility.
Quick answer: to work out how much super you need, run it backwards from your target income — under the 4% rule you need roughly 25× your annual spend (about ~$1.25M for a fully self-funded $50,000/year, ~$1.5M for $60,000), less any Age Pension. ASFA Retirement Standard for retirement at age 67, homeowners: comfortable lifestyle ~$630,000 single / ~$730,000 couple (revised February 2026) to fund $55,923 / $78,566 annual spend on the March quarter 2026 budgets, combined with a part Age Pension. Modest lifestyle: ~$110,000 single / ~$120,000 couple, funding $36,434 / $52,473 — the lump sum is far smaller because the Age Pension covers most of a modest budget. Concessional contributions cap is $32,500/year for FY2026-27 (up from $30,000); non-concessional cap $130,000. Super preservation age is 60 for those born after July 1964; tax-free withdrawal applies after age 60.
Your retirement target
$1,375,000
$55,000/yr × 4% rule
Projected at 60
$18,066,155
At 7.5% return + 12% SG
Surplus
+$16,691,155
| City | Comfortable/yr | Modest/yr | Super needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $58,000 | $32,000 | $1,450,000 |
| Melbourne | $52,000 | $29,000 | $1,300,000 |
| Brisbane | $48,000 | $27,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Perth | $50,000 | $28,000 | $1,250,000 |
| Adelaide | $44,000 | $25,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Hobart | $45,000 | $26,000 | $1,125,000 |
| Regional Avg | $42,000 | $24,000 | $1,050,000 |
Sources: ASFA, ABS. Click a city to update the calculator. Super needed assumes 4% withdrawal rate.
Two Age Pension changes land on 20 September 2026, and they pull in opposite directions. Maximum rates rise $36.80 a fortnight for singles and $55.60 for couples combined — the largest increase since March 2023 — but the deeming rates rise 0.5 percentage points each to 1.75% and 3.75% on the same day. Deeming feeds only the income test, so full-rate and assets-tested pensioners keep the whole rise, while an income-tested single with more than about $382,700 in financial assets ends up worse off, not better (about $578,200 for a couple). Run both bases to see which test binds your payment.
Tell Richify AI your current super balance and it will show you exactly how to get there — and how soon. Track super, investments, and property all in one place.
Download Richify — free for AustraliansASFA recommends $630,000 (single) or $730,000 (couple) for a comfortable retirement — revised upward in February 2026 from $595,000 / $690,000. But your actual number depends on your city, desired lifestyle, and Age Pension eligibility.
Someone retiring in Sydney needs significantly more than someone in regional Queensland.
As a rule of thumb, about $1.25 million if you fund it entirely from super — the 4% rule takes $50,000 ÷ 4%. For $60,000/year it's about $1.5 million, and for $80,000/year about $2 million, fully self-funded.
In practice most retirees also draw a part Age Pension, which cuts the super needed substantially: ASFA estimates roughly $630,000 (single homeowner) supports a comfortable ~$52,000/year once combined with a part pension. Enter your target income and toggle the Age Pension above to see your own number.
It works backwards from the income you want. You set your desired annual retirement income; the calculator applies the 4% safe-withdrawal rule (income ÷ 4% = the lump sum that can sustain it), subtracts the Age Pension if you're eligible, and compares the result to your projected balance so you can see the gap.
That makes it a reverse 'how much super do I need' calculator, not just a forward balance projection.
ASFA defines a comfortable retirement as requiring ~$51,000/year for singles and ~$72,000/year for couples. This covers essentials plus regular recreational activities, a good car, private health insurance, and occasional overseas travel.
Most Australians can access super from age 60 if they've met a condition of release (e.g., retirement, ceasing employment). From age 65, super is accessible regardless of employment status.
If you retire before 60, you need non-super savings to bridge the gap.
Yes — you can toggle Age Pension eligibility. If eligible, the calculator reduces the required super balance accordingly.
Full Age Pension is $31,223/year (single) or $47,070/year (couple combined) for 20 March – 19 September 2026, rising to $32,180 and $48,516 from 20 September 2026, subject to assets and income tests.
