First check the comparison
Confirm the income goal, the household it represents, and every monthly source. Check whether the entries use before-tax or after-tax amounts consistently and whether they are stated in today’s dollars. Verify Social Security against a personal estimate and pension amounts against current plan information. Make sure you did not count the same withdrawal twice.
The calculator does not independently verify your expenses or income. Its shortfall is the amount by which your entered goal exceeds your entered income, not a prediction of future account balances.
Try a budget scenario
Review the categories behind your income goal. You could create a second scenario with a different housing cost, discretionary spending level, or monthly reserve to see how the comparison changes. Treat a scenario as a question, not a recommendation that you reduce a particular expense. Health-care and housing decisions can have consequences beyond their monthly cost.
When you compare scenarios, change one or two assumptions at a time and keep a note of what changed. Use the monthly expense guide to organize variable and irregular costs.
If you are still working
A separate scenario could test a different monthly contribution or work timeline. In the detailed estimate, a contribution change affects projected savings under the return assumption; selecting “Use this estimate” also changes the savings-income figure in the quick comparison. It does not model taxes, employer benefits, contribution limits, or market variability.
A later age in the detailed projection simply adds months under the assumptions entered. It does not automatically calculate a higher Social Security payment, revise a pension, or model health insurance. Check those figures with their official sources or plan administrators before treating a scenario as realistic.
Compare information and get help when needed
Review current benefit information from the Social Security Administration, and current health-care costs from Medicare when relevant. Questions about account distributions or tax treatment are different from this calculator’s arithmetic; consult the plan administrator, IRS materials, or a qualified tax professional for those questions.
Professional help is optional. The calculator provides results without a form, email, purchase, or call request. Read the methodology and worked examples before drawing conclusions.
Related pages
Review the calculator methodology, compare hypothetical worked examples, or return to the free retirement income calculator.