Retirement
How to calculate retirement corpus
A practical outline of inflating expenses, a planning horizon and turning a gap into a monthly investment estimate.
Publisher: SmartCalculatorsLast updated: 17 August 2026
Inflate today’s spending
Start with current monthly expenses, convert to an annual figure, and grow it at an assumed inflation rate until retirement. That is the first-year spending the corpus has to support, not today’s rent.
A corpus is a present value
SmartCalculators treats the corpus as the present value of those growing withdrawals until a planning age (default 85, which you can change). Existing savings are grown at the pre-retirement return. Any gap becomes a monthly SIP until retirement.
Sequence of returns, healthcare and taxes are not in the model. The output is labelled as an estimate because it is one.
Related calculators
- Retirement CalculatorEstimate a retirement corpus, required monthly investing and any shortfall or surplus.
- SIP CalculatorEstimate the future value of monthly systematic investments, with an optional annual step-up.
- Inflation CalculatorSee how inflation changes future costs and the purchasing power of money.
- PPF CalculatorProject PPF maturity using a configurable interest rate and annual contribution.
Frequently asked questions
Is the monthly SIP number a recommendation?
No. It is the installment that would close the modelled gap if every assumption held. Pensions, employer benefits, taxes and health costs can change the picture. Treat it as a starting estimate.
Related guides
SmartCalculators provides educational calculators and estimates. Results are for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, investment, legal or professional advice.