Retirement on Track? Check These Benchmarks (2026)
Am I saving enough for retirement?
The simplest retirement savings check is Fidelity's salary multiplier: by age 30, have 1x your salary saved. By 40, 3x. By 50, 6x. By 60, 8x. By 67, 10x. On a $75,000 salary at age 40, you should have approximately $225,000 in retirement savings. If that number makes you anxious because you are behind, you are not alone — the median American at 40 has approximately $60,000 saved, far below the benchmark. But the situation is recoverable at any age if you act now.
What is the 4% rule?
The 4% rule is the foundation behind these benchmarks. It states that you can safely withdraw 4% of your retirement portfolio each year for 30 years without running out of money. This means you need 25 times your desired annual retirement income saved. If you want $60,000 per year in retirement: $60,000 times 25 equals $1,500,000. If you want $80,000 per year: $80,000 times 25 equals $2,000,000. The 10x salary benchmark approximates this calculation, assuming you will need about 80% of your pre-retirement income and Social Security will cover roughly 40% of that.
What are the retirement savings benchmarks by age?
Here are the detailed benchmarks with dollar examples on a $75,000 salary. These assume your salary stays constant — in reality, your income should grow, which means the dollar targets increase too. Use the [retirement gap calculator](/calculators/retirement-gap) to enter your actual age, savings, monthly contribution, and expected return to see your projected balance at retirement.
| Age | Target savings | Salary multiple |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | $0 – $18,750 | 0 – 0.25x |
| 30 | $75,000 | 1x |
| 35 | $150,000 | 2x |
| 40 | $225,000 | 3x |
| 45 | $337,500 | 4.5x |
| 50 | $450,000 | 6x |
| 55 | $525,000 | 7x |
| 60 | $600,000 | 8x |
| 67 | $750,000 | 10x |
Run your own numbers
See if your current savings rate has you on track for your own retirement number.
Open the Are You Saving Enough to Retire? Honest Answer→What if I'm behind? How do I catch up?
If you are behind, here is what catching up looks like mathematically. A 35-year-old with $50,000 saved (instead of the $150,000 benchmark) who invests $1,000 per month at 7% return will have approximately $1,213,000 at age 65 — covering a $48,500 per year withdrawal at the 4% rule, comfortable when combined with Social Security. A 45-year-old with $100,000 saved (instead of the $337,500 benchmark) who invests $1,500 per month at 7% will have approximately $916,000 at 65, supporting $36,640 per year. Catch-up contributions also help: in 2026, the standard 401k limit is $24,000, plus a $7,500 catch-up at 50+ ($31,500 total); IRAs allow $7,500 plus a $1,000 catch-up ($8,500 total). A 50-year-old maxing both for 15 years at 7% accumulates approximately $1,006,000. The message: catching up is harder the later you start, but investing consistently for 20 to 30 years produces significant results regardless of starting point.
Are You Saving Enough to Retire? Honest Answer
Calculate if you're saving enough for retirement and how to bridge the gap.
Open Are You Saving Enough to Retire? Honest Answer