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Retirement Planning

Retirement Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate the monthly retirement annuity contribution needed from today to support a target retirement income. The income target is treated as a present-day amount, then adjusted for inflation to retirement and through retirement.

This calculator treats your retirement income target as today's money, then increases it by 6% a year to retirement and through retirement. Monthly withdrawals after retirement are therefore assumed to keep increasing annually in line with inflation. Monthly RA contributions are also increased once a year by the same inflation assumption.
The default return assumption is 10%. This calculator applies the same annual return assumption before and after age 65. Use your own long-term planning assumption if you prefer. The default has been set more conservatively because post-retirement growth usually becomes harder once contributions stop and withdrawals begin. This is a benchmark input, not a forecast.
Planning end age: 90. This version assumes retirement income needs to last from age 65 to age 90.

Estimated Result

Required monthly RA contribution today

Enter age and target income

Years to retirement65 years
Years in retirement25 years
Monthly income at age 65R 0
Required capital at age 65R 0
Projected total contributionsR 0
Inflation assumption6%
Annual return assumption10%
Return above inflation3,8%
Monthly contributions increase by 6% every year to adjust for inflation.
Why the number can move sharply: retiring earlier means you have fewer years to build the capital and more years for that capital to pay an income. Higher inflation also pushes the target income up materially by retirement, which is why the required monthly contribution rises so quickly when inflation is high or the saving period is short.

Contribution Path

Illustrative monthly contribution path

R 0

Year 1 monthly contributionR 0
Year 5 monthly contributionR 0
Year 10 monthly contributionR 0
Year 65 monthly contributionR 0

Retirement Income View

What your income target becomes later

R 0

Today’s target monthly incomeR 0
Monthly income at age 65R 0
Monthly income in final retirement yearR 0
Retirement period usedAge 65 to age 90

Important Assumptions

  • Default retirement age is 65, but you can adjust it. This version assumes retirement income is needed until age 90.
  • The target monthly retirement income is treated as a present-day amount, inflated to retirement, and then increased each year through retirement using your chosen inflation rate.
  • Monthly RA contributions are assumed to increase once a year in line with inflation until retirement.
  • The same annual return assumption is used before retirement and after retirement while the capital is being drawn down.
  • The standard default return is 10% a year from now until death, but you can change it. Investment growth is modelled using a smooth annual return assumption and does not reflect fees, tax at retirement, sequence risk, or drawdown-product rules.
  • This is a planning calculator, not personalised financial advice or a guaranteed outcome.

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Calculator FAQ

Questions people usually have before using this calculator

How much do I need to retire in South Africa?

There is no single number. It depends on the income you want, when you want to retire, how long the money must last, inflation, and your return assumptions.

Why does inflation matter in a retirement calculator?

Because the income amount you think of in today's money will usually need to be much higher by the time you retire, and retirement contributions often need to rise over time to keep up.