US Retirement · 2027 Social Security
How Much Do I Need to Retire? Your Number by Age
The savings you need at 67 come from what you will spend, minus Social Security. Here is that number at five spending levels, and whether you are on track for it at 45, 50, 55 or 60.
Published 2026-11-01 · Updated 2026-11-01 · Reading time ~6 min
How much you need to retire (US, today's dollars): spending $60,000 a year, with the 2027 average Social Security benefit of $2,170 a month, leaves $33,960 a year for your savings to cover. Under the 4% rule that is about $849,000 at 67, or $970,000 at a cautious 3.5%. At $40,000 a year you need about $349,000; at $100,000, about $1,849,000.
Are you on track to retire?
Pick your age and type what you have saved for retirement (all 401(k)s and IRAs). Measured against the $60,000-a-year example.
Example figures. Change them to yours.
Typical (median)
$133,000
=
On-track mark
$521,000
$388,000 below
To reach $849,000 by 67 from the typical balance, save about $2,410 a month.
On-track mark: the balance that grows to $849,000 by 67 with no further saving, at a 2.9% real return. Typical balance: Federal Reserve SCF 2025 median retirement-account balance for the age band, among families holding one.
How much you need at 67, by yearly spending
Savings needed at 67 after the 2027 average Social Security benefit ($26,040 a year). "Income" is the pre-retirement salary that spending implies if you spend 80% of it, a common rule of thumb.
| Spend / yr | Income | 4% rule | 3.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $50K | $349K | $399K |
| $50,000 | $63K | $599K | $685K |
| $60,000 | $75K | $849K | $970K |
| $75,000 | $94K | $1.22M | $1.40M |
| $100,000 | $125K | $1.85M | $2.11M |
Social Security does a lot of the work at the low end: at $40,000 a year it covers 65% of spending, so the savings target is small. At $100,000 it covers 26%. Higher earners usually get a larger benefit than the average used here, which lowers their figure: each extra $100 a month of benefit cuts the 4%-rule number by $30,000.
Social Security: SSA, 2027 COLA fact sheet (average retired-worker benefit $2,170/month, maximum at full retirement age $4,188). Amounts are before income tax on traditional 401(k)/IRA withdrawals.
Am I on track? The number at 45, 50, 55 and 60
For the $60,000-a-year example ($849,000 at 67). "On-track mark" is the balance that reaches the target with no more saving; the last two columns are the monthly saving needed from the typical balance for your age, and from nothing.
| Age | On track | Typical | Save/mo | From $0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | $451K | $133K | $1,630 | $2,310 |
| 50 | $521K | $133K | $2,410 | $3,230 |
| 55 | $602K | $239K | $2,980 | $4,940 |
| 60 | $694K | $239K | $5,990 | $9,140 |
The typical family's savings sit well below the on-track mark at every age: at 50 the median is $133,000 against a mark of $521,000. The cost of catching up rises steeply with age because there are fewer years of growth left: from the typical balance it is about $2,410 a month at 50 and $5,990 at 60. Your whole balance sheet matters too: see where you stand on net worth by age and on 401(k) balances by age.
Typical balance: Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances 2025, median retirement-account balance by age of the family head, among families holding any account (45 and 50 use the 45–54 band; 55 and 60 use 55–64).
How much you need to retire at 55, 60 or 62
Stopping work before 67 means paying the full $60,000 a year yourself until Social Security starts at 67, then the gap to 95. Steady 2.9% real return, no market shock.
| Stop work at | Savings needed |
|---|---|
| 55 | $1,098,000 |
| 60 | $941,000 |
| 62 | $871,000 |
| 65 | $759,000 |
| 67 | $678,000 |
The 67 row ($678,000) is lower than the 4%-rule figure ($849,000) because a steady return supports about 5.0% a year over 29 years; the 4% rule keeps a margin for bad years early on. Use the steady figures to compare ages, and the 4% figure to plan. To model your own bridge years, use the early retirement calculator, and for when to claim, the Social Security calculator.
Starting late: what catch-up contributions can still do
From 50 the IRS lets you put more into a 401(k): $24,500 plus a $8,000 catch-up ($32,500 in 2026), and $35,750 at ages 60–63, where the larger catch-up replaces the standard one. Maxing that every year from 50 to 67 builds about $738,000 in today's dollars at a 2.9% real return, before any employer match.
Three other levers each move the number more than chasing a higher return: working two or three more years (more saving, fewer years to fund), delaying Social Security towards 70 (8% more benefit for each year past full retirement age), and trimming planned spending. See the 401(k) and catch-up limits or project a full plan with the retirement calculator.
How these numbers are worked out
- Everything is in today's dollars. Returns are 6% a year with 3% inflation, about 2.9% after inflation.
- Social Security starts at 67, full retirement age for anyone born in 1960 or later, at the 2027 average retired-worker benefit. Your own figure is on your Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount.
- The 4% and 3.5% columns divide the yearly gap by the rate. The steady-return figures use the same engine as the retirement withdrawal calculator: an inflation-raised withdrawal taken at the start of each year, lasting to 95.
- Withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s and IRAs are taxed as income; Roth withdrawals generally are not. The figures are before that tax.
Want to test your own pace of spending? The retirement withdrawal calculator shows how long a balance lasts, and the retirement planning hub runs three scenarios side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to retire?+
Work it out from your spending, not a rule-of-thumb total. Take what you expect to spend a year in retirement, subtract Social Security, and multiply what is left by 25 (the 4% rule). Spending $60,000 a year with the 2027 average retired-worker benefit of $2,170 a month ($26,040 a year) leaves $33,960 for your savings to cover, so you need about $849,000 at 67. At $40,000 a year it is about $349,000; at $100,000 about $1,849,000. All in today's dollars.
How much do I need to retire at 50?+
If you are 50 and plan to stop work at 67, the $60,000-a-year example needs $849,000 by then. You are on track today if you hold about $521,000, which grows to that figure with no further saving at a 2.9% real return. From the typical 45–54 balance ($133,000, Fed SCF 2025 median) you would need to save about $2,410 a month. If you mean stopping work AT 50, you have to fund 17 years before Social Security starts, which is what the early retirement calculator models.
How much do I need to retire at 60 or 62?+
More than at 67, because you pay for every year until Social Security replaces part of your spending. On the same $60,000 a year, assuming a steady 2.9% real return and Social Security from 67, retiring at 62 needs about $871,000 against $678,000 at 67, and at 55 about $1,098,000. Those steady-return figures carry no buffer for a bad market early in retirement; the 4% rule figure does.
Is the 4% rule still right?+
It is a sensible planning anchor, not a guarantee. It comes from Bengen (1994): withdraw 4% of your starting balance, then raise the dollar amount with inflation each year, and historically the money lasted at least 30 years. A steady-return model on this page's assumptions (6% return, 3% inflation, money lasting from 67 to 95) supports about 5.0%, but real returns arrive in a random order and a crash in the first years does lasting damage. That is why this page leads with 4% and shows 3.5% as the cautious case.
How much Social Security will I get?+
Your own benefit is on your Social Security Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. For 2027 the average retired-worker benefit is $2,170 a month after the 3.6% COLA, and the maximum for someone retiring at full retirement age is $4,188. This page uses the average. If your own benefit is higher you need less in savings: every extra $100 a month of benefit lowers the 4%-rule figure by $30,000.
I'm 55 with little saved. Is it too late?+
No, but the levers change. From 2026 limits, a 401(k) takes $24,500 plus a $8,000 catch-up from 50, and $35,750 in total at ages 60–63. Someone who maxes that from 50 to 67 reaches about $738,000 in today's dollars before any employer match. Working two or three years longer, delaying Social Security towards 70 and trimming planned spending each move the number more than chasing returns. This is general information, not personal advice.
