How Much Corpus for Retirement?

In India, a common rule of thumb is to aim for 33X to 40X your annual expenses as retirement corpus. So if you need ₹6 lakh per year (₹50,000/month), you need roughly ₹2 crore to ₹2.4 crore. This accounts for inflation and a safe withdrawal rate (about 3–4% per year).

Why 33X–40X and not 25X?

The US “4% rule” uses 25X (1 ÷ 0.04). India has higher inflation (often 6–7%) and different market behaviour, so planners use a more conservative multiple. 33X–40X is roughly a 2.5–3% withdrawal rate, which is safer for a long retirement.

What affects your number?

Your target corpus depends on: current and future expenses, retirement age, life expectancy, inflation assumption, and whether you want a buffer. A retirement planner that shows post-retirement sustainability (how long the corpus lasts) gives you a clearer picture than a single multiple.

Next step

Use a retirement calculator with EPF, NPS, and other investments. It will show total corpus at retirement and whether your withdrawal plan is sustainable year by year.