What withdrawal rate should I use?

3–4% is a common illustration. There is no official Indian safe-withdrawal statute.

Should I count EPF in the corpus?

Yes when you have a projection. Subtract that EPF/NPS/PPF expected value from the calculator’s corpus so you do not double-save. The table itself does not add EPF.

Why does starting at 50 look so large?

Fewer years for inflation-adjusted spend to be funded by compounding. The corpus is still the inflated lifestyle capitalised at 4% — the SIP to get there is a separate question.

Is SWP the same as a pension?

No. SWP is a modelled withdrawal from a market-linked corpus. NPS annuity is a different product with PFRDA rules.

What inflation should I use?

There is no mandated household rate. Many illustrations use 5–7%. Medical and rent can need a higher assumption — use the inflation calculator to test.

Finance question

How much money do I need to retire in India?

Last updated 2026-09-17

Quick answer

A simple planning stack: grow today’s annual spend with inflation until retirement age, then divide by a 3–4% withdrawal rate (the 25×–33× rule). If you spend ₹50,000 a month today and retire in 25 years at 6% inflation, annual spend is much larger than ₹6 lakh, so the corpus is several crores in that model — not a PFRDA or EPFO promise.

Calculate your numbers

Tables below use stated assumptions. Change rate, tenure or income in the calculator for your case.

Open Retirement corpus

What this is not

NPS annuity rules, EPF corpus, and medical inflation are separate. The retirement calculator on this site uses the inflation-and-withdrawal method so you can see sensitivity. SWP shows how a corpus might be drawn down if returns are assumed constant.

Worked example

₹50,000 monthly spend, 25 years to retire, 6% inflation, 4% withdrawal: the retirement calculator inflates the basket then capitalises it. Change any one input and the crore figure moves a lot — that is the point of the tool.

Formula

Expense at retirement = monthly × 12 × (1 + i)^years. Corpus ≈ annual expense / withdrawal rate.

Example scenarios

Corpus to retire at 60, ₹50,000/month spend today, 6% inflation, 4% withdrawal (modelled)

Current age	Years to 60	Annual spend at 60	Corpus at 4%
25	35	₹46,11,652	₹11,52,91,302
30	30	₹34,46,095	₹8,61,52,368
35	25	₹25,75,122	₹6,43,78,061
40	20	₹19,24,281	₹4,81,07,032
45	15	₹14,37,935	₹3,59,48,373
50	10	₹10,74,509	₹2,68,62,715

Withdrawal rate is a heuristic, not a safe-return guarantee.

What changes the answer

Today’s lifestyle spend
Years left
Inflation assumption
Whether NPS/EPF/PPF will cover part of the corpus

Things to consider

Medical costs often rise faster than CPI.
A 4% rule can fail if you retire into a bad market — SWP risk.

Retire at 60, spend ₹50,000/month today, 6% inflation, 4% withdrawal.
No EPF/NPS overlay in the table.

Results are educational estimates, not tax, legal, investment, or medical advice, and not a loan offer. Verify filings and payments with the official authority or a qualified professional.

FAQs

No. NPS has contribution, allocation and annuity rules. Use the NPS calculator for that product.

Related calculators

Retirement corpusInflate today’s monthly expenses to retirement, then divide by a withdrawal rate to size a corpus. Not a pension quote.SIPFree online SIP calculator for India — project mutual fund corpus from monthly investments with assumed annual returns.InflationSee what today’s rupees become in future money, and the real return after inflation.SWPSee how a monthly systematic withdrawal holds up if the remaining corpus keeps earning an assumed return.NPSEstimate NPS corpus, lump-sum withdrawal, and annuity pension.

Related guides

SIP calculator explained: compounding, expected returns, and corpus math