FIRE calculator for Australia
Super is locked until 60. Retire earlier and your investments outside super have to carry you until then. See whether your two buckets add up, and which one is holding you back.
Your FIRE plan will appear here
Enter your annual spending, then your balances outside and inside super.
FIRE number at 50
On trackA$0 in today's dollars
- Outside super at
- A$0
- Super at
- A$0
Earliest you could retire
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How this is calculated Hide details
Both buckets grow at your real rate, with contributions added at the end of each working year (super contributions less 15% tax). From retirement, a year's spending comes out of the outside bucket at the start of each year until 60. From 60, you need spending ÷ withdrawal rate across super plus anything left outside. Ignores tax on earnings and withdrawals, fees, the Age Pension and contribution caps. General information only, not financial advice.
The two-bucket problem
Most FIRE calculators assume one pot of money you can draw on whenever you like. In Australia, a big share of most people's wealth sits in super, and super is preserved until you meet a condition of release. For anyone born after 30 June 1964, preservation age is 60.
Bucket 1: the bridge. Everything outside super has to pay your way from the day you stop work until 60. Because it only needs to last a fixed number of years, it can be spent down to zero. It's not a forever portfolio.
Bucket 2: super. From 60, super (plus anything left outside) has to support you indefinitely, so it's sized with the usual withdrawal-rate rule. You don't need it all on the day you retire. It keeps growing, untouched, until 60.
Either bucket can be the bottleneck. A huge super balance doesn't let you retire at 45 if your bridge runs dry at 52. And a big brokerage account doesn't help much if super won't cover you from 60. Knowing which one is short tells you where your next dollar is most useful.
Worked example
Spending A$60,000 a year, retiring at 50, 5% real growth and a 4% withdrawal rate:
- From 60 you need A$1,500,000 (A$60,000 ÷ 4%).
- The bridge covers 10 years (50 to 60): about A$486,469 outside super at 50.
- Super only needs about A$920,870 at 50, because it grows untouched for 10 years.
- FIRE number at 50: about A$1,407,339, split across the two buckets.
Sources: ATO: Conditions of release, When you can withdraw your super and super guarantee rate.
FIRE in Australia FAQ
When can I access my super?
If you were born after 30 June 1964, your preservation age is 60. Generally you can access super once you reach preservation age and retire, or stop an employment arrangement on or after turning 60, or when you turn 65 even if you're still working. Early release outside these conditions is only allowed in limited cases such as severe financial hardship or specific medical conditions.
What is the "bridge" in Australian FIRE?
If you retire before 60, your super is locked away until then. The bridge is the money held outside super (ETFs, shares, savings, an offset account) that pays your living costs from the day you stop working until you can draw on super. It has to be big enough to be spent down over those years, not just to last forever.
How is the FIRE number worked out here?
From 60 on, the target is the classic one: annual spending ÷ withdrawal rate (25× spending at 4%), held across super and anything left outside. Before 60, you also need a bridge outside super big enough to fund each year until then. Your FIRE number at your target retirement age is the bridge plus the amount of super that will grow into the post-60 target by then.
Should I put more into super or invest outside it?
Super is generally taxed more lightly, but it's locked until preservation age. If you plan to retire early, money outside super is what you'll live on first. This calculator shows which bucket is holding you back. If your bridge runs out before 60, more super won't help you retire sooner. It's general information only, not financial advice.
Does this include the Age Pension or tax?
No. It ignores the Age Pension, tax on investment earnings and withdrawals, and fees, and uses a single real (after-inflation) growth rate for both buckets. Enter spending that includes any tax you expect to pay, and treat the result as a starting estimate.
Is my data private when I use this calculator?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server, stored, or tracked.
Watch both buckets grow
Worthy tracks your super and investments side by side: privately, on your device, with no bank linking.