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FIRE Calculator for Couples
Enter your shared spending and what each partner has invested and adds each month. You get the household target, the time to reach it and each person’s pot at that point.
Example
A household spending $60,000 a year needs $1,500,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate. Starting from $120,000 combined and investing $2,000 a month, the couple gets there in 24 years 3 months, with $928,217 in one pot and $575,282 in the other.
How the fire calculator for couples works
A couple reaches financial independence when their combined investments can pay for their shared spending. The target is household spending divided by the withdrawal rate.
Both pots grow at the same return after inflation, each with its own monthly contribution, and the calculator stops when the two together reach the target.
The separate figures matter for practical reasons. Pension accounts usually belong to one person, tax allowances are often per person, and a balanced split gives both partners security.
Common questions
Do couples need twice as much as a single person?
Usually not. Housing, utilities and a car are shared, so two people living together tend to spend well under twice what one person does.
What if one partner wants to stop working first?
Set that partner’s monthly investment to zero and see how the time changes. The other partner’s contributions then carry the plan.
Should we keep investments in both names?
Where each person has their own tax allowances and pension limits, using both usually reduces tax. The right split depends on your country’s rules.