FIRE & Retire · With Australian super

Super FIRE Calculator — FIRE — with super in the mix.

The honest FIRE plan for Australians: super is locked until 60, so you need outside investments to bridge the gap. This models employer SG, salary sacrifice, the ${capK(SF_CAP)} concessional cap (FY 2026–27), 15% super tax in accumulation, and 0% in pension. Inputs are today's dollars.

What you enter

  • Current age
  • Target FIRE age
  • Annual salary (gross)
  • Current super balance
  • Current investments (outside super)
  • Monthly into outside investments
  • Salary sacrifice into super
  • Annual retirement spend (today’s $)
  • Investment return
  • Super return
  • Inflation
  • Withdrawal rate

How this is calculated

A year-by-year simulation of both pools: outside-super investments (your monthly investing, taxed returns simplified) and super (12% SG plus salary sacrifice within the $32,500 concessional cap, 15% contributions tax, 15% earnings tax in accumulation, 0% in pension phase). From FIRE age to preservation age 60 you spend only from the outside pool — the "bridge" — then super takes over. The result checks both that the bridge holds and that total funds last to age 90.

Common questions

What is the bridge problem?

Super can't be touched before preservation age 60, so an Australian retiring at 48 must fund 12 years entirely from outside-super investments. Many plans that look fine on total wealth fail because the outside pool runs dry at 55 while plenty sits locked in super — this calculator tests exactly that.

Should I prioritise super or outside investments for FIRE?

It's a trade-off: super gets big tax breaks (15% contributions tax versus your marginal rate) but is locked until 60. The earlier your FIRE age, the more you need outside; the closer to 60, the more super's tax advantage wins. The salary-sacrifice panel shows the annual tax saved so you can weigh it.

What does the model exclude?

Division 293 tax (incomes over $250k), the transfer balance cap, the proposed Division 296 tax on $3m+ balances, capital gains tax on the outside pool, government co-contributions, the Age Pension, and fund fees. Returns are constant; sequence-of-returns risk isn't modelled.

How does it rank?

Once you have your result, see how your number compares against your demographic with our full money rank — by age, sex, state and household composition.

Methodology & data

FY 2026–27 SUPER RULES · INDICATIVE · NOT PERSONAL ADVICE. Australian context, FY 2026–27 tax brackets by default (15% lowest marginal rate from 1 July 2026) with a financial-year selector on tax calculators. Calculations are indicative and based on simplified public models — not personal financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer.

Primary data sources

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