Coast FIRE Planner

Barista FIRE Calculator

See when part-time work plus your savings can pay for your life, so you can leave full-time work early.

Go part-time at41

You can switch to part-time work at 41

That's 9 years 10 months from now. With $500,000 invested, a 4% withdrawal plus your part-time pay covers $40,000 a year.

Where your $40,000 a year comes from

Part-time $20,000Portfolio $20,000

Barista FIRE number$500,000($40,000 − $20,000) ÷ 4%
Full FIRE number$1,000,000No work needed
Invested today$185,00037% of your Barista number

Estimates based on your assumptions, in today's money. Educational only, not financial advice.

Same numbers, three milestones

Coast FIREAge 39Stop saving; keep working to pay today's bills.
Barista FIREAge 41Go part-time and start drawing on savings.
Full FIREAge 51Stop working entirely, if you keep saving until then.

Your numbers

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After tax, in today's money.

The age you'd stop work entirely, used for Coast FIRE and as the search limit.

Assumptions
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How Barista FIRE works

Barista FIRE sits between Coast FIRE and full FIRE. Your savings cover part of your spending and a part-time job covers the rest, so you can leave full-time work years before you could retire outright.

Barista FIRE number = (yearly spending − part-time income) ÷ withdrawal rate

Example: $40,000 of spending and $20,000 of part-time pay leaves $20,000 for your portfolio to fund. At a 4% withdrawal rate, that takes $500,000. Starting from $185,000 and saving $1,500 a month at a 7% return (2.5% inflation), you'd get there in 9 years 10 months.

Not ready to draw on savings yet? The Coast FIRE calculator shows when you can stop saving instead, and the Coast FIRE number page shows how much you need invested at each age.

More FIRE calculators

Coast FIRE calculatorThe month you can stop saving, with odds of success.Coast FIRE numberHow much you need invested today, by age.
FIRE number calculatorHow much you need to retire for good. Coming soon.
Lean and Fat FIREPlan a frugal or a generous retirement. Coming soon.

Questions

What is Barista FIRE?

A halfway point to financial independence: your investments pay for part of your spending and a lower-stress part-time job pays for the rest. The name comes from people taking jobs like barista shifts that also offer benefits.

How is the Barista FIRE number calculated?

Take your yearly spending, subtract your after-tax part-time income, and divide by your safe withdrawal rate. With $40,000 of spending, $20,000 of part-time pay and a 4% rate, you need $500,000 invested.

What's the difference between Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE?

With Coast FIRE you stop saving but keep working enough to pay all of today's bills, and you don't touch your investments. With Barista FIRE you start drawing on your investments, so you need more saved, but you can work less.

Does part-time work need to last forever?

This calculator assumes your part-time income continues. If you plan to stop working later, make sure you reach your full FIRE number first, or that pensions such as Social Security or CPP will replace that income.

Should part-time income be before or after tax?

After tax. Enter what actually lands in your account each year, in today's money.