Ledgerly Early Retirement Bridge
Retire early? The years and money between leaving work and the state pension.
Try an example: Germany, born 1990, stop at 55 · US, born 1985, 401(k) locked until 59½ · Switzerland, woman born 1963
How it works
Plans the bridge from early retirement (FIRE) to the statutory pension: the pension age by year of birth for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the US (editable, with sources), locked pension savings with their access age, the capital needed when you stop, a year-by-year plan and the earliest age that works.
- Everything is in today’s money with a real (after-inflation) return. Each year: withdraw spending minus the state pension at the start, then add the return and, while working, the contributions at the end of the year.
- Withdrawals come from the savings you can use first; locked pension savings (401(k)/IRA, Riester/Rürup, UK personal pensions) only from their access age. A shortfall before that age means the bridge fails even if the total would last.
- Capital needed when you stop = present value of the bridge (full spending until the pension age) plus the gap after it (spending − pension) until the plan ends. Pension ages by year of birth for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States; the birthday is assumed in mid-year and every age can be overridden.
- The earliest age that works is the first whole age at which the year-by-year plan never runs short. The 4 % rule (25 × spending) is shown as a reference only.
A planning model, not advice: pension amounts drop when you stop contributing early, laws change, and returns are uncertain. Check your pension statement and the official rules.
Sources
- § 235 SGB VI — Regelaltersrente (standard retirement age by year of birth) (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- § 1 AltZertG — payout not before age 62 for certified pension contracts (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- Alterspension — Regelpensionsalter (men 65; women rising to 65 for births from 1 July 1968) (Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs)
- AHV 21 — reference age 65; women born 1961–1963: 64 and 3, 6 or 9 months (Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office)
- Your AOW pension age (established up to births on 30 September 1964, projections after) (Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB))
- State Pension age timetables (GOV.UK (Department for Work and Pensions))
- Finance Act 2022, section 10 — normal minimum pension age 57 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Full retirement age by year of birth (U.S. Social Security Administration)
- Topic no. 558, Additional tax on early distributions from retirement plans (Internal Revenue Service)
Part of Ledgerly
-
Ledgerly Household finance & life-admin desk
Budgets, bills, subscriptions, loans, contracts and deadlines on one private desk.
Related tools
- Ledgerly Rent vs Buy Calculator – Rent or buy? Break-even year, net worth over time, scenarios and a sensitivity table.
- Inflation Time Machine – What was money from one year worth in another? CPI-based, 20 countries, World Bank data.
- Break-even Explorer – When does an investment pay for itself? Payback, NPV and IRR for solar, EVs, heat pumps…
How to use the Early Retirement Bridge calculator
Plan the years between leaving work early and your state pension, with official pension ages, locked savings and a year-by-year plan.
What it is for
Early-retirement plans often stop at one big number — "25 times your spending". The real difficulty is the bridge: the years between your last pay cheque and the state pension, when all spending comes out of savings, and some of those savings may be locked in pension accounts until a certain age.
This calculator looks up the state pension age for your year of birth (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, each with its official source), lets you add locked pension savings with their access age, and simulates every year in today's money. You can override every age, and for other countries you simply enter your own.
Worked example
Born in 1990 in Germany, you want to stop working at 55. You spend €36,000 a year, expect €18,000 a year of state pension, have €150,000 in savings and add €24,000 a year until you stop, with a 3 % real return.
- State pension age: 67 (§ 235 SGB VI, born 1964 or later).
- Bridge: 12 years.
- Needed when you stop: €613,095 — €369,094 for the bridge plus the present value of the €18,000 yearly gap after 67 until 95.
- Projected savings at 55: €865,831, so the plan holds until 95.
- Earliest age that works: 52.
A US example shows why locked money matters. Born in 1985, stopping at 50, with $400,000 accessible and $350,000 in a 401(k): the 401(k) can only be used without the additional tax from 59½. The tool reports that you need $485,042 in accessible savings before that age and are projected to have $886,809, so the bridge holds.
How to read the result
- Bridge to the state pension is the gap in years. Ages with months are shown as "64 years and 9 months".
- Needed when you stop is the present value of everything you will withdraw: full spending until the pension, then spending minus pension.
- Projected savings when you stop adds accessible and locked savings at that age.
- Money lasts until the plan ends fails if any year runs short — including the case where enough money exists but is still locked.
- The plan by age table shows balances, contributions, spending, pension and withdrawals for every year; the chart shows both pots.
Tips and common mistakes
- Take the pension amount from your latest statement, then lower it: stopping early means fewer contribution years.
- Spending should include health insurance and taxes on withdrawals; the model does not add them.
- A real return of 2–4 % is a cautious range; above 5 % the tool warns you.
- Plan until 95 or later. Running out of money at 85 is the expensive failure.
- Pension ages for births from October 1964 in the Netherlands are projections; the tool flags them.
FAQ
What is the "rules for women" option?
Austria and Switzerland are still raising women's pension age; women born in transitional years get a lower age. Everywhere else the age is the same for everyone.
Is the 4 % rule used?
Only as a reference line (25 × spending). The plan itself is a year-by-year simulation with your pension.
Why is my birthday assumed in mid-year?
Some rules change by birth month. The tool evaluates them for 1 July of your birth year; enter the exact age if you know it.
Does the tool include inflation?
Everything is in today's money, so use a real return (after inflation) and today's prices for spending and pension.
Guide last updated:
For scripts and AI agents
- JSON API:
POST https://ledgerlyfirebridge.usefulweb.app/api/v1/calculate(same calculation as this page) - Interface description: OpenAPI 3.1 · AI guide: llms.txt
- MCP server (Streamable HTTP):
https://ledgerlyfirebridge.usefulweb.app/mcp· tool nameledgerly_fire_bridge
Example request
curl -s -X POST https://ledgerlyfirebridge.usefulweb.app/api/v1/calculate \
-H 'content-type: application/json' \
-d '{"country":"DE","birthYear":1990,"currentYear":2026,"currency":"EUR","fireAge":55,"annualSpending":36000,"statePensionPerYear":18000,"currentSavings":150000,"annualContribution":24000,"realReturnPercent":3}'