Reading a before-tax retirement projection
Enter your current age, planned retirement age and projection end age. The planner projects contributions before retirement and withdrawals afterwards. Use an income target in today’s money, then choose an inflation assumption to translate it into future pounds.
Worked example
A £3,000 monthly target is £36,000 a year before tax. Once an illustrative £12,000 annual State Pension begins, the remaining annual gap is £24,000 before other income. Before that start age, the pension must cover the full gap. This example ignores inflation to make the timing clear.
Interpreting the result
The growth input is an annual assumption after fees. The yearly table lets you trace contributions, growth, income and the remaining pension. A positive final balance means the model lasts only to the selected end age under those inputs; it is not a probability of success.
Checks before relying on the numbers
Try delaying income, reducing growth, increasing inflation and extending the end age. Gross pension withdrawals and take-home spending are different. Pension access rules, tax-free withdrawals, changing tax law and individual eligibility require separate consideration. For a model with explicit Cash and Growth withdrawal rules, use the Pension Bucket Planner.
Read the retirement projection guide →
Personal Fortune · Updated 25 September 2026. Educational illustrations, not personal financial advice. Our approach and corrections.