Pension Calculator: How Long Will My Pension Last?
This calculator projects your occupational pension, PRSA, My Future Fund and investment account to your
retirement date, then answers the question that actually matters: how long the
money lasts once you stop earning. It runs 500 Monte Carlo simulations rather than
a single straight-line projection, so you get the odds your pension outlives you instead of
one falsely precise number.
What makes this different
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500 simulated market histories, not one average. Most "how long will my
pension last" calculators apply a fixed return every year. This one varies returns the way
markets actually do, and reports the share of outcomes where your pot survives.
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Risk lives in your investments, not your account type. An occupational
pension and an investment account holding the same index funds grow identically, so the
return comes from your stock/bond mix — Conservative, Moderate or Aggressive — and the
simulation draws bond-like variance on the bond slice and equity-like variance on the
equity slice.
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Employer contributions are counted. For most people it's the single
biggest lever in the plan, and it's a separate contribution stream from your own budget.
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My Future Fund is modeled, not ignored. Auto-enrolment has applied to
employees aged 23–60 earning over €20,000 who aren't already in a workplace pension since
1 January 2026. Contribution rates are fixed by law and rise over 10 years — employee 1.5%
→ 6%, matched by your employer, plus a State top-up of 33% of your own contribution — so
this account defaults to the year-1 rate rather than assuming you're already at the
eventual 6%.
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Age-related pension relief limits are built in. Contribution fields flag
when you exceed the age-related percentage-of-earnings relief limit (up to 40% of salary,
capped by the €115,000 earnings cap), and the budget splitter fills tax-relieved pension
wrappers before the taxable investment account.
- Free, instant, no signup and no email wall.
Frequently asked questions
How long will my pension last in retirement?
At a 4% withdrawal rate, a pot is designed to last roughly 30 years — that's where
the number comes from. But the honest answer is a probability, not a duration: it depends
on what you're invested in, what returns actually arrive and in what order, and how fast
inflation raises your spending. This calculator reports it as the percentage of 500
simulated market histories in which your money survives to your life expectancy.
Can I retire at 60 with €400,000 in my pension?
€400,000 supports about €1,333/month at a 4% withdrawal rate before the State Pension
(Contributory). Retiring at 60 means funding roughly 28 years, which is a long time for
that pot to stretch on its own — but the State Pension (Contributory), paid from age 66,
is an inflation-adjusted income floor on top of it and changes the picture substantially.
Who has the most accurate pension calculator?
No calculator predicts the future, so "accurate" really means honest about uncertainty.
Tools that return one number are the least honest, because they hide the range of
outcomes. Prefer ones that show a distribution — a probability of success and a spread
between good and bad markets — and that let you see and change every assumption behind
the answer.
How much do I need to retire?
A common rule of thumb is 25× your annual spending, which is the 4% rule stated
backwards. If you spend €30,000 a year, that's €750,000. Spending is the input that
matters most — it sets both the target and the withdrawal — which is why this planner
asks for your expenses in the FIRE section rather than assuming a percentage of salary.
What is My Future Fund and should I include it?
My Future Fund is Ireland's new pension auto-enrolment scheme, live since
1 January 2026. If you're aged 23–60, earn over €20,000 and aren't already in a
workplace pension, you're automatically enrolled. Contribution rates are fixed by
law and rise over 10 years: you contribute 1.5% of gross pay for the first 3 years
(rising in stages to 6% by year 10), your employer matches it, and the State adds a
top-up worth 33% of your own contribution. Include it here if it applies to you —
the default uses year-1 rates, since this planner doesn't simulate the 10-year
phase-in schedule.
Does this include the State Pension?
Not yet. Every figure here comes from your own occupational pension, PRSA, My Future Fund and
investment account savings, so treat the results as conservative — the State Pension
(Contributory) is an inflation-adjusted income floor on top from age 66, and for most
households it covers a meaningful share of retirement spending. Check your contribution
record at
gov.ie.
What return and inflation assumptions does it use?
Returns come from your allocation: Irish & European stocks 7.5%, global stocks 9%,
bonds 3.5% and cash 2.5% nominal, with volatility of 18%, 19%, 6% and 1% respectively.
Inflation defaults to 2% and the withdrawal rate to 4%. All of them are editable — these
are long-run averages, not forecasts, and your results should be read as a range rather
than a prediction.
Estimates only, not tax, investment or pension advice. Results depend entirely on assumptions
that will not match the future exactly. Consult a licensed financial adviser before acting.
