When Can I Afford to Stop Working? UK Retirement Planner

Find out when you can afford to stop working.

Add your pensions, ISAs, savings and the lifestyle you want. Have I Enough models every year of your retirement and shows when work becomes optional — and what would bring that day closer.

Your figures stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to share.

No sign-up. No sales call. Answers in about three minutes.

Built for UK tax, pension access and State Pension rules — with the assumptions written down.

Example retirement plan

This is a sample household: Alex & Sam, 43 and 41.

Every figure below is illustrative — it shows how the planner works. Add your own pensions, savings and spending to find out when work becomes optional for you. No sign-up, and it stays in your browser.

Have I Enough?

Know when you have the freedom to choose.

On track

Can Alex & Sam afford to stop working?

You're on track.

Every year is funded, and savings are still growing at the end of the plan — on average returns the model projects you could stop work around 49. The pot keeps growing throughout: the plan ends with more than it ever draws on, which implies room to stop earlier, spend more, or leave a larger legacy.

Planned stop

Age 55

Alex's age

Work optional from

Age 49

on average returns

Confidence

…

of simulated markets fund every year

Spending

£35k/yr

today's money

Savings · age 43today's money · age 95

1Can Alex & Sam afford to stop?

Yes — on track

Every year is funded, and savings are still growing at the end of the plan.

2When?

You could stop around 49

That's 6 years earlier than your current plan of 55 — the model projects the plan still funds a full retirement.

3How confident is that?

4What's the biggest risk?

5Biggest opportunity?

6What can I change?

The numbers behind it · today's money

Savings at 55

£1,078,733

Pensions, ISAs and cash the moment you stop work.

Reachable savings, lowest

£297,478

What you can actually draw is at its lowest at age 56, while pension money is still locked.

Lowest point after stopping

£1,078,733

Savings never fall below where they start when you stop work.

Left at 95

£2,695,623

On average returns. The stress test shows how much this can vary.

All figures are in today's money — adjusted for inflation, so £1 buys what £1 buys now. Projections use your assumed average returns — real markets will be bumpier (see the stress test).

Your savings over time

Pensions, ISAs, cash and investments.

Money you can reach vs money locked away

Pensions can’t be drawn until they unlock. The years before that have to be paid from savings you can reach.

Can reach now (ISA, cash, unlocked pensions)Locked in pensions

How each year of retirement is paid for

After-tax income first, then withdrawals from savings and pensions, against what you plan to spend (today's money). Any shortfall shows in red.

55–69 · Active years · £35,000/yr
70–79 · Slower years · 20% less · £28,000/yr
80–95 · Later life · back to full spending (care) · £35,000/yr

Age 55

£35k

Age 58

£35k

Age 61

£35k

Age 64

£35k

Age 67

£35k

Slower years · 20% less

Age 70

£28k

Age 73

£28k

Age 76

£28k

Age 79

£28k

Later life · back to full spending (care)

Age 80

£35k

Age 82

£35k

Age 85

£35k

Age 88

£35k

Age 91

£35k

Age 94

£35k

Income after tax (State Pension, DB, work)From savings (ISA, cash, investments)From pensions, after taxShortfallSpending target

Show the full figuresevery metric, in detail

First-year withdrawal rate

3.2%

Share of the pot drawn in the first year of retirement.

Total tax paid

£0

Modelled income + capital-gains tax across retirement.

First unfunded year

None

Every year of the plan is funded.

For the complete year-by-year ledger, tax and withdrawal breakdown, open

About these figures

This tool is intended for UK residents and models UK tax rules, allowances, and pension rules only. It provides general information to help you explore scenarios — it is not financial, tax, investment, or pension advice, and it is not a personal recommendation. All figures are estimates based on the assumptions you enter and simplified modelling; they are not guarantees of future outcomes. Investments can fall as well as rise, and tax rules can change. Before making any decisions, consider seeking advice from an FCA-regulated financial adviser. Everything is computed in your browser, and your plan stays in this browser unless you explicitly choose to create a shareable snapshot. A share link is not private — anyone with the link can view it.

The UK retirement & pension planner that answers “can I retire?”

Have I Enough? is a free retirement planner for the UK. Enter your pensions, ISAs and savings, the age you’d like to stop work and the lifestyle you want, and it builds a year-by-year cashflow projection that tells you whether you have enough — and, if not, when the money would run short. Test when you can retire, work out how much you need to retire, and stress-test the plan against market ups and downs. Everything runs in your browser; your figures never leave your device unless you choose to share them.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if I have enough to retire?

You have enough to retire when your pensions, ISAs and other savings can fund your planned spending for the rest of your life without running out. Have I Enough? models this year by year — it projects your pots forward, draws down your target spending, adds your State Pension and any other income, and tells you the age (if any) at which the money runs short.

How much do I need to retire in the UK?

It depends on the lifestyle you want. A common rule of thumb is that you can safely draw around 4% of your pot each year, so you need roughly 25 times your annual spending after any State Pension and other income. Rather than rely on a single figure, enter your own numbers and the planner shows exactly how long your money lasts.

When can I retire?

Try different “stop work” ages in the planner and watch when your plan tips from “enough” to “not enough”. Remember you normally can’t access a private pension until age 55 (rising to 57 in April 2028), and the State Pension starts at your State Pension age (currently 66), so retiring earlier means bridging the gap from ISAs and savings.

Can I retire early?

Often yes — but early retirement usually means funding the years before your pension and State Pension kick in from other savings. The scenario grid lets you test retiring at 50, 55 or 60 at different spending levels so you can see which combinations your money actually supports.

Is it free, and is my data private?

Yes. Have I Enough? is free to use and runs entirely in your browser — your figures never leave your device unless you deliberately create a share link. It is a planning tool, not regulated financial advice.