# When can I reach Barista FIRE?

Computes your Barista FIRE number, (yearly spending − part-time income) ÷ withdrawal rate, and the age your investments reach it from what you have and what you save, at a real return.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/barista-fire-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/barista-fire-calculator.json
- Version: cf35413bb43d

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Your age 30, Yearly spending in retirement $50,000.00, Part-time income a year $25,000.00, Invested today $100,000.00, You save $1,500.00, Expected yearly return 7%, Prices rise each year by 3%, Safe withdrawal rate 4%): With $25,000.00 a year of part-time income, you need $625,000.00 invested; you will save $309,000.00 on the way.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| age | Your age | Your age now. |
| spending | Yearly spending in retirement | What you expect to spend each year once you stop working, in today’s money. |
| parttime | Part-time income a year | What a part-time job pays you each year after tax, in today’s money. It covers part of your spending. |
| saved | Invested today | What you have invested for retirement now. |
| save | You save | What you invest per month or per year, in today’s money: it rises with prices. A yearly amount is split into 12. |
| rate | Expected yearly return | The yearly return before inflation. It stays the same every year. |
| inflation | Prices rise each year by | The yearly inflation rate. The real return is (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. |
| swr | Safe withdrawal rate | The share of your savings you plan to spend in the first year of retirement, often 4%. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| fireAge | You reach Barista FIRE at age | Your age now plus the years it takes for your investments to reach the Barista FIRE number. |
| years | Years to go | The months until your investments reach the Barista FIRE number, divided by 12. |
| gap | Spending your investments cover | Yearly spending minus part-time income, never below $0. |
| full | Full FIRE number for comparison | Yearly spending ÷ safe withdrawal rate, with no part-time income. |
| fire | Your Barista FIRE number | (Yearly spending − part-time income) ÷ safe withdrawal rate, in today’s money. |
| progress | How far you are | What you have invested today as a percent of the Barista FIRE number. |
| contributed | You’ll save | Everything you invest until you reach the Barista FIRE number, in today’s money. |
| growth | Real growth | The growth after inflation until you reach the Barista FIRE number. |
| status | Reached by age 100? | Shown when your investments do not reach the Barista FIRE number by age 100. |

## Method

Barista FIRE number = max(0, yearly spending − part-time income) ÷ withdrawal rate; each month, in today’s money, balance = balance × (1 + i) + savings, with i = ((1 + R) ÷ (1 + inflation))^(1/12) − 1, until the balance reaches the number.

## Assumptions

- All amounts are in today’s money: your savings, spending and part-time pay rise with prices.
- You keep the part-time income for as long as you need it. If it stops, your investments must cover all your spending (the full FIRE number).
- The return and inflation stay the same every year, and savings are added at the end of each month.
- The withdrawal rate is a rule of thumb from past market returns, not a guarantee. Taxes, fees, health insurance and Social Security are not included.

## Worked examples

1. age = 30, spending = $50,000.00, parttime = $25,000.00, saved = $100,000.00, save = $1,500.00, rate = 7%, inflation = 3%, swr = 4% gives fire = $625,000.00, gap = $25,000.00, full = $1,250,000.00, progress = 16%, years = 17.166667, fireAge = 47.166667. Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, Compound interest calculator and formula, https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-03).
2. age = 30, spending = $40,000.00, parttime = $20,000.00, saved = $20,000.00, save = $2,500.00, rate = 0%, inflation = 0%, swr = 4% gives fire = $500,000.00, years = 16, fireAge = 46, contributed = $480,000.00.
3. age = 30, spending = $50,000.00, parttime = $0.00, saved = $100,000.00, save = $2,000.00, rate = 7%, inflation = 3%, swr = 4% gives fire = $1,250,000.00, years = 24.916667, fireAge = 54.916667. Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, Compound interest calculator and formula, https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-03).
4. age = 40, spending = $40,000.00, parttime = $45,000.00, saved = $0.00, save = $0.00, rate = 5%, inflation = 3%, swr = 4% gives fire = $0.00, gap = $0.00, years = 0, fireAge = 40.

## FAQ

### What is Barista FIRE?

It is a form of financial independence where you leave full-time work but keep a part-time job, often for its pay or benefits. The job covers part of your spending, so your investments only need to cover the rest.

### How is the Barista FIRE number worked out?

(Yearly spending − part-time income) ÷ withdrawal rate. Spending $50,000 a year with $25,000 from part-time work at a 4% rate needs $25,000 ÷ 0.04 = $625,000, half the full FIRE number of $1,250,000.

### How long does it take to reach?

The page saves month by month at a real return until your investments reach the number. With $100,000 invested, $1,500 a month saved, a 7% return and 3% inflation, the default reaches $625,000 in 206 months, at age 47.2.

### What withdrawal rate should I use?

Many FIRE plans use 4%, the default here. A lower rate needs a bigger number but is more cautious when the money must last for decades. No rate is guaranteed.

### What if the part-time job ends?

Then your investments must cover all of your spending, which needs the full FIRE number. The page shows both numbers so you can see the gap.

### Why does the calculator use a real return?

All amounts are in today’s money, so the return is turned into a real return: (1 + return) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1. A 7% return with 3% inflation is about 3.88% a year after inflation.

## Sources

- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, Compound interest calculator and formula. https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-03)