How much retirement corpus might you need?

Corpus is a bridge from expenses, not a round number

₹1 crore is a popular headline, but need depends on the lifestyle you fund, other pensions/rental income, longevity and healthcare. A clearer path is: estimate monthly expenses in today’s rupees → inflate to retirement → choose a planning withdrawal assumption → back into a corpus range.

Withdrawal-rate illustrations are assumptions

Common educational illustrations use roughly 3–4% of corpus per year as a starting withdrawal idea. That is not a guarantee of sustainability. Markets, sequence of returns, healthcare shocks and longevity can require a lower rate or a flexible spending plan.

• Lower withdrawal rate → larger corpus needed for the same expense
• Higher assumed investment return while accumulating → lower SIP, more risk
• Always keep an emergency buffer separate from “invested forever” money

Connect corpus to contributions

Once you have a target range, use Goal Planner or Reverse SIP to estimate monthly investing. Revisit when income, family or the expense estimate changes—retirement planning is iterative, not a one-time calculator screenshot.

Related calculators

• FIRE Planner
• Goal Planner
• Reverse SIP
• SWP Calculator

Keep reading

• How to plan retirement in India
• What is FIRE?
• Goal-based investing basics
• How SWP works