How Much Do You Need to Retire in India?
The answer depends on three variables: the lifestyle you want, how long you expect to live after retirement, and inflation. A simple rule of thumb is 25–30 times your annual expenses at the time of retirement. So if you expect to need ₹50,000 per month at age 60, you'll need roughly ₹1.5–2 crore – but remember that ₹50,000 today becomes ₹1.6 lakh in 30 years at 6% inflation. The calculator above handles this automatically.
How the Calculator Works
First it inflates your current monthly expenses to their value at retirement. Then it calculates the corpus needed to fund 25 years of withdrawals at a modest post-retirement real return. Finally it reverse-engineers the monthly SIP required to reach that corpus at your expected pre-retirement return. Use it as a planning baseline and revisit annually.
Tips for a Comfortable Retirement
Start investing in your twenties – the last 10 years of compounding do more work than the first 20. Keep most of your retirement corpus in equity mutual funds until 10 years before retirement, then glide into a 50/50 mix. Never touch your PPF and NPS corpus for non-retirement goals. Buy adequate health insurance early so medical shocks don't derail your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What return should I assume till retirement?
12% for an equity-heavy portfolio, 9–10% for hybrid, 7–8% for debt-heavy.
Should I include PF and PPF in my corpus?
Yes, count your EPF, PPF, NPS and mutual fund SIPs together when comparing against the required corpus.
What if my target looks too large?
Increase the SIP, extend the retirement age by 2–3 years, or reduce expected monthly expenses. Small changes compound dramatically.