Barista FIRE Calculator — Australia
Barista FIRE is the halfway house: you leave the career job, take something lower-stress and part-time, and let that income cover part of your spending while the portfolio keeps compounding untouched. You need far less invested to make the jump.
Your situation
Everything in today's dollars.
Retirement age
Income & spending
Take-home after tax: $104,330
What you have invested
Earliest Barista FIRE age
Age 48
That is 13 years from now, around 2039. From that age the portfolio funds your spending all the way to 92, including the years before Super unlocks.
- Target portfolio
- $1,875,000
- Projected at retirement
- $1,218,313
- Savings rate
- 31%
General information, not advice
Why you can retire on less than the 4.0% target
Portfolio through to your planning horizon
Shown in today's dollars, so every figure keeps the purchasing power you understand right now.
- Outside super
- Super
- Target to sustain spending
- Left at the end
- $586,500
- Money runs out
- Never
- Year one saving
- $36,610
In today's dollars, at age 92
Including employer contributions
Present value on ASIC's standard basis
Present value is a future amount in today's dollars. This page converts at your 2.5% inflation rate, which keeps figures in today's prices. ASIC asks calculators that project super to also show them at 3.7% a year until retirement age — about the rate wages grow — and 2.5% a year after, which measures them against today's wages instead.
| Amount | At 2.5% inflation | ASIC’s basis |
|---|---|---|
| Super at 60 | $874,498 | $653,712 |
| Everything when you retire at 48 | $1,218,313 | $1,059,498 |
| Left at 92 | $586,500 | $438,426 |
ASIC’s basis changes rate at age 60: the retirement age used here, but never before 60, when super unlocks, and 67 when a plan never reaches retirement.
Assumptions and limitations
Every result above rests on these assumptions, and each can be changed in the inputs. Why the defaults are reasonable
- Return — Outside super
- 8.0% a year, before fees
- Return — Super
- 7.5% a year, before fees
- Fees
- 0.20% outside super · 0.70% Super
- Tax drag — Outside super
- 0.00% a year
- Inflation
- 2.5% a year
- Salary growth
- 3.7% a year
- Withdrawal rate
- 4.0%
- Plan to age
- 92
- Tax on withdrawals
- 0.0%
- Tax on super earnings
- Already in the return
- Tax and super rules
- 2026-27 law, unchanged
- Super unlocks at
- Age 60
- Other income and spending
- 1 added
Limitations
- Returns are the same every year. Real markets rise and fall. A run of poor years early in retirement can use up savings sooner than this shows, even when the average return is the same. The drawdown simulator tests that risk.
- Tax and super rules are 2026-27 law, unchanged. Tax brackets and thresholds stay at today's amounts, while the contribution caps grow with wages, as the law provides. Past governments have lifted the brackets from time to time; any change to the law will change the result.
- The Age Pension is a flat amount you add. It is not means-tested here. What you would actually receive depends on your assets and income, and may be less or nothing.
- Tax is simplified. Withdrawals are taxed at one flat rate, and capital gains cost bases, franking credits, property, businesses, defined benefit schemes and differences between partners are not modelled. Your actual tax may be higher or lower.
- Small differences compound. Over decades, a 1% difference in returns or fees, or a change in spending, can move the result by years. The “What actually moves your date” panel shows how much each one moves yours.
The bridge: 12 years before Super unlocks
Retiring at 48 means funding everything from investments outside super until age 60.
- Needed for the bridge
- $900,000
- Accessible at retirement
- $690,686
- Shortfall
- $209,314
12 years of spending
Investments outside super
This is the constraint that usually bites
What actually moves your date
Each row changes one thing and re-runs the whole projection.
Spend $5k less a year
Cuts both what you need and what you must save towards.
-2 yr
Age 46
Earn 10% more
A raise, with the extra going straight to investments.
-2 yr
Age 46
Fees 0.5% lower
Fees on both pools half a percent a year below what you assumed.
-1 yr
Age 47
Returns 1% lower
A more pessimistic market than the one you assumed.
+3 yr
Age 51
Live 5 years longer
A longer horizon the portfolio has to stretch to cover.
No change
Age 48
Retire on 10% more
A more comfortable retirement budget than you planned for.
+1 yr
Age 49
Where your money goes this year
Based on Australia rules for the 2026-27 tax year.
- Gross income
- $140,000
- Salary sacrifice into super
- $0
- Income tax
- −$32,870
- Medicare levy
- −$2,800
- Take-home pay
- $104,330
- Spending
- −$82,000
- Into outside super
- $22,330
- Employer SG (12%)
- $16,800
- Contributions tax
- −$2,520
- Into super
- $14,280
Year by year
Retirement years are shaded.
| Age | Year | Spending | Outside super | Super | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 2026 | $82,000 | $119k | $185k | $305k |
| 36 | 2027 | $82,000 | $148k | $207k | $356k |
| 37 | 2028 | $82,000 | $179k | $231k | $410k |
| 38 | 2029 | $82,000 | $213k | $255k | $468k |
| 39 | 2030 | $82,000 | $248k | $281k | $529k |
| 40 | 2031 | $82,000 | $287k | $308k | $594k |
| 41 | 2032 | $82,000 | $327k | $336k | $663k |
| 42 | 2033 | $82,000 | $371k | $366k | $736k |
| 43 | 2034 | $82,000 | $417k | $397k | $814k |
| 44 | 2035 | $82,000 | $466k | $429k | $895k |
| 45 | 2036 | $82,000 | $537k | $461k | $998k |
| 46 | 2037 | $82,000 | $612k | $493k | $1.11m |
| 47 | 2038 | $82,000 | $691k | $528k | $1.22m |
| 48 | 2039 | $40,000 | $683k | $550k | $1.23m |
| 49 | 2040 | $40,000 | $675k | $573k | $1.25m |
| 50 | 2041 | $40,000 | $667k | $597k | $1.26m |
| 51 | 2042 | $40,000 | $659k | $622k | $1.28m |
| 52 | 2043 | $40,000 | $650k | $648k | $1.30m |
| 53 | 2044 | $40,000 | $640k | $675k | $1.32m |
| 54 | 2045 | $40,000 | $630k | $703k | $1.33m |
| 55 | 2046 | $40,000 | $620k | $733k | $1.35m |
| 56 | 2047 | $40,000 | $608k | $764k | $1.37m |
| 57 | 2048 | $40,000 | $597k | $796k | $1.39m |
| 58 | 2049 | $40,000 | $585k | $829k | $1.41m |
| 59 | 2050 | $40,000 | $572k | $864k | $1.44m |
| 60 | 2051 | $40,000 | $584k | $874k | $1.46m |
| 61 | 2052 | $75,000 | $582k | $863k | $1.44m |
| 62 | 2053 | $75,000 | $579k | $852k | $1.43m |
| 63 | 2054 | $75,000 | $577k | $840k | $1.42m |
| 64 | 2055 | $75,000 | $573k | $827k | $1.40m |
| 65 | 2056 | $75,000 | $570k | $815k | $1.38m |
| 66 | 2057 | $75,000 | $566k | $802k | $1.37m |
| 67 | 2058 | $75,000 | $562k | $788k | $1.35m |
| 68 | 2059 | $75,000 | $557k | $775k | $1.33m |
| 69 | 2060 | $75,000 | $552k | $761k | $1.31m |
| 70 | 2061 | $75,000 | $547k | $746k | $1.29m |
| 71 | 2062 | $75,000 | $541k | $731k | $1.27m |
| 72 | 2063 | $75,000 | $535k | $716k | $1.25m |
| 73 | 2064 | $75,000 | $528k | $700k | $1.23m |
| 74 | 2065 | $75,000 | $520k | $684k | $1.20m |
| 75 | 2066 | $75,000 | $512k | $667k | $1.18m |
| 76 | 2067 | $75,000 | $504k | $650k | $1.15m |
| 77 | 2068 | $75,000 | $494k | $632k | $1.13m |
| 78 | 2069 | $75,000 | $484k | $613k | $1.10m |
| 79 | 2070 | $75,000 | $474k | $594k | $1.07m |
| 80 | 2071 | $75,000 | $462k | $575k | $1.04m |
| 81 | 2072 | $75,000 | $450k | $554k | $1.00m |
| 82 | 2073 | $75,000 | $437k | $533k | $971k |
| 83 | 2074 | $75,000 | $424k | $512k | $935k |
| 84 | 2075 | $75,000 | $409k | $490k | $898k |
| 85 | 2076 | $75,000 | $393k | $466k | $860k |
| 86 | 2077 | $75,000 | $377k | $443k | $819k |
| 87 | 2078 | $75,000 | $359k | $418k | $777k |
| 88 | 2079 | $75,000 | $340k | $392k | $732k |
| 89 | 2080 | $75,000 | $320k | $366k | $686k |
| 90 | 2081 | $75,000 | $299k | $338k | $637k |
| 91 | 2082 | $75,000 | $276k | $310k | $587k |
How this works
How much less do I need if I keep working part-time?
Why it works so well
Part-time income does two jobs at once. It funds spending directly, and it stops you drawing down in the early years — which is exactly when a portfolio is most vulnerable to a bad sequence of returns. A modest wage for a few years can move your full FIRE date forward dramatically.
Modelling it here
Set your part-time income and the age it stops. The model treats it as taxable income during those years and funds the remainder from the portfolio, then tests whether the plan still survives once that income ends.
How Barista FIRE works in Australia
Barista FIRE means leaving full-time work before you have your full FIRE number and covering part of your spending with part-time or casual income. The portfolio has to pay for less each year, and it is left to grow for longer.
The default scenario adds $35,000 a year of part-time income from 45 to 60, against $75,000 of retirement spending, so while the part-time work lasts the portfolio only has to fund $40,000 a year. Change the amounts and ages under Other income & expenses to match what you have in mind.
Part-time pay is taxed lightly
Australia taxes each person on their own income, and the first $18,200 is tax free. In 2026-27 the next band, to $45,000, is taxed at 15% (ATO), so a part-time income pays a much lower average rate than a full-time salary.
Once you have left full-time work, the calculator taxes part-time income at the flat withdrawal tax rate set under Assumptions, 0% by default, rather than running it through the brackets. That is close for incomes near the tax-free threshold but understates tax on larger part-time incomes, so setting the rate to the average tax you expect on that income gives a more conservative projection.
Part-time wages also earn the Super Guarantee: 12% of earnings, with no minimum threshold since 1 July 2022 (ATO). The calculator treats part-time income as taxable income but does not add the Super Guarantee on it, so it understates super a little during the part-time years.
Bridging to 60 with part-time income
Barista FIRE fits the Australian bridge problem well. The hardest years to fund are those before 60, when super is locked. Part-time income that runs until 60 reduces how much you need outside super for exactly those years.
Set the part-time income to end at 60 and the bridge panel shows the smaller amount your accessible investments need to cover. Set it to end earlier and you can see how much of the plan depends on that income continuing.
Testing how much the plan leans on the job
Part-time income is less certain than a portfolio: hours get cut, health changes and some industries hire fewer older workers. One way to test a Barista plan is to move the part-time income's end age a few years earlier, or lower the amount, and see whether the plan still holds.
If it holds only with the income running to 60, the plan depends on the job; if it holds with the income ending at 50, the part-time work is closer to a margin of safety. The calculator shows the result either way; what you make of it depends on your situation.
Barista FIRE, Coast FIRE and full FIRE
- Coast FIRE asks whether your investments will reach the full FIRE number on their own by your retirement age. Work pays for the present. See the Coast FIRE calculator.
- Barista FIRE asks whether part-time income plus a smaller portfolio can fund the years until the work stops, and whether the money then lasts. It is the calculator on this page.
- Full FIRE asks when your investments alone can fund retirement to your plan-to age. See the FIRE calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much part-time income do I need for Barista FIRE?
Enough to close the gap between your spending and what the portfolio can pay. With $75,000 of spending and $35,000 of part-time income, the portfolio has to fund $40,000 a year, which at a 4% withdrawal rate needs about $1 million, against about $1.88 million for full FIRE. The calculator also tests what happens once the income stops.
Does part-time work keep adding to my super?
Yes. Employers pay the Super Guarantee of 12% on part-time and casual wages, with no minimum earnings threshold since 1 July 2022 (ATO). The calculator does not add it to part-time income, so super during those years is slightly understated.
Is salary sacrifice worth anything on a part-time income?
The tax saving shrinks as income falls. Concessional contributions are taxed at 15% going in, so on income taxed at 15% plus the Medicare levy the saving is small, and below the $18,200 tax-free threshold there is none. The low income super tax offset refunds the contributions tax, up to $500 a year, for incomes up to $37,000 (ATO).
How is Barista FIRE income taxed?
As ordinary income, through the same brackets as a full-time salary, with the tax-free threshold and the Medicare levy. Once you have left full-time work, the calculator taxes it at the flat withdrawal rate under Assumptions, so set that rate to roughly the average tax you expect on it.
What happens when the part-time work stops?
The portfolio takes over all of your spending from then on. The calculator models that change and checks the money lasts to your plan-to age, including any years before 60 when only investments outside super can be used.
Sources
Keep going
Other Australian calculators
FIRE
The full projection: earliest retirement age, the bridge years, and whether the money lasts.
Coast FIRE
Find the point where you can stop contributing and let compounding finish the job.
Lean FIRE
Independence on a deliberately small budget — and an honest test of whether it survives.
Fat FIRE
A no-compromise retirement, where contribution caps and tax become the binding constraint.
Drawdown / SWR
Thousands of simulated market paths to test whether your withdrawal rate survives.