How much do you really need to save for retirement?

Retirement is the ultimate long-term financial goal. You might save and invest for decades, crossing your fingers that you’ll have enough. But how much do you really need to have saved for a comfortable retirement?

Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball to tell you how much you’ll need. Instead, you’ll have to use some general rules of thumb and apply them to your own situation. We’ll cover four strategies you can use to help with retirement planning — plus the factors that will affect how much you should save.

The following are some common strategies for determining your retirement savings needs. Use them as starting points when estimating your own retirement savings goal.

One way to track your retirement savings progress is to measure your nest egg against age-related benchmarks. These benchmarks aim to keep you on track as you save for retirement over the decades. They provide a measure of how much you should have stashed away as a function of your salary.

For example, if you’re 50 years old, you should have 3.5 to 5.5 times your salary saved. If you earn $100,000, that means you should have between $350,000 and $550,000 saved for retirement.

Different firms have published their own benchmarks over the years, but investment firm T. Rowe Price recently reevaluated these numbers. They’re based on a retirement that starts at age 65. See the table below for a summary of this study’s results:

Financial services firm Fidelity suggests that to have enough for retirement, you should save a minimum of 15% of your pre-tax income each year. (This includes any 401(k) match offered by your employer.)

For example, if your salary is $60,000, you should be putting away at least $9,000 per year. If your salary increases to $90,000, you should save at least $13,500 per year.

The 15% rule comes from Fidelity’s calculation that you’ll need to generate about 45% of your retirement income from savings in retirement — the rest will come from Social Security.

This rule assumes continuous savings throughout your career from age 25 to age 67. So, if you get a late start or plan to retire at a younger age, you’ll likely need to increase your savings rate to catch up on retirement savings.

Another simple way to gauge your retirement savings goal is to multiply your annual income at retirement by 10 and 12, and use those numbers as goalposts for your nest egg. (These numbers also happen to overlap with the T. Rowe Price benchmarks, assuming you retire around age 65.)

For example, if, by the time you retire, you’re earning $125,000, you should have between $1.25 and $1.5 million set aside. While this strategy can help estimate your final retirement goal, it’s less useful in tracking your retirement savings along the way.

The 80% rule says that you’ll need about 80% of your pre-retirement income to live on each year during retirement. For example, if you earn $100,000 at the end of your career, you’ll need about $80,000 annually to fund your retirement.

This rule is based on the idea that you’ll have lower expenses in retirement. For example, you’ll no longer set money aside for taxes and retirement contributions, and you may live in a paid-off house.

While the 80% rule offers a simple way to estimate your retirement budget, it doesn’t give you a detailed picture, and it’s based on several assumptions. For example, it assumes your lifestyle won’t change in retirement. But if you plan to spend more on things like travel, giving, or healthcare, replacing 80% of your income may not be enough.

These strategies are guidelines that are meant to get you in the ballpark of saving enough for retirement. But you should take these rules with a grain of salt, considering the following factors and how they’ll affect your retirement needs.

Your retirement age plays an essential role in how much money you need to save. The earlier you retire, the more money you’ll need to take care of yourself, and the less time you’ll have for your money to grow. Plus, Social Security benefit amounts increase for every month you delay drawing them between the ages of 62 and 70.

How do you picture your lifestyle in retirement? Will you stick close to home and enjoy time with family and friends, jet off to see the world, or buy a second home at the beach? How you plan to live in retirement determines how much you’ll spend each year, which directly correlates to the amount of money you’ll need.

Though your health is hard to predict, it’s worth thinking about when planning for retirement. For example, if you have a chronic illness or a family history of heart disease, you may want to plan for higher healthcare expenses in retirement.

Consider what fixed expenses you’ll have in retirement. Will you still have a mortgage or other debt you’re paying off? Or will you be completely debt-free? Similar to healthcare costs, it’s hard to predict your fixed expenses decades into the future, but good estimates of these costs can help you better plan for retirement.

Ideally, you use a combination of retirement savings guidelines and your own personal circumstances to create a realistic goal. But if your savings pale in comparison to these guidelines or the average retirement savings by age, you can use the following tips to get back on track:

• Create a retirement budget: It’s tough to plan for retirement without knowing how much you’ll need. Take the time to build a retirement budget by estimating how much you’ll spend on various categories, such as housing, food, healthcare, and travel.

• Earn your employer match: If your employer offers a 401(k) match, do everything you can to earn those dollars. It’s essentially free money for your retirement savings stockpile.

• Increase your contributions by 1%: Regardless of your age, start contributing what you can to your retirement savings. Then increase that contribution by 1% whenever possible — next month, next quarter, or even next year. The slight increase won’t feel like much, but can make a big difference down the road.

• Make catch-up contributions: If you’re 50 or older, the IRS allows you to contribute a little extra toward your retirement accounts each year. As of 2025, those who meet the age requirements can contribute an additional $1,000 to their IRA and $7,500 to qualifying workplace plans.

• Hire a financial advisor: Retirement planning isn’t always straightforward, and you don’t have to do it alone. If you’re struggling to figure out how much you’ll need or are concerned you’re behind on saving, consider working with a financial advisor.

Saving for retirement isn’t as simple as following a general guideline. Remember that the right amount to save for retirement is different for everyone, and the strategies mentioned are only suggestions. The key to saving for retirement is to start now, save consistently, and tailor your strategy to your unique circumstances.