Barista FIRE calculator
Go part-time now — when could you stop working entirely? Your savings, part-time income, real UK tax rules, and 86 years of market history. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.
How this calculator works
You go part-time now: contributions stop, your part-time pay (taxed like the wage it is) covers what it can, and your pots fund the gap until the age we solve for.
Part-time income uses your personal allowance first; pension drawdown stacks on top — taxed with 2026/27 bands, capital gains rules on investment sales, allowances first.
Your barista plan is replayed through every market window since 1940 — booms, crashes, and inflation shocks — and we report the share of history it survived.
Assumptions
Every calculator makes assumptions — ours are on the table:
- Barista FIRE mode: you go part-time today — contributions stop, your full retirement spending starts now, and your gross part-time income (taxable, inflation-linked) offsets the drawdown until the stop-work age shown.
- Investments grow at 7% a year before a 0.25% platform/fund fee (6.75% net) and cash at 3% (nominal) in the point-estimate projection; the backtest replays actual historical returns and inflation, with the same fee applied.
- Inflation of 2.5% a year — every figure is shown in today's money.
- Pensions unlock at 57 with 25% tax-free. The State Pension defaults to the 2026/27 full new rate (£12,548/year) from your State Pension age (66–68 by birth year) — both adjustable — inflation-linked and taxable.
- Income tax uses 2026/27 rest-of-UK bands. Shares outside an ISA (GIA) pay capital gains tax at 18%/24% above the £3,000 annual exemption — we assume no gains are embedded in today's balance. Withdrawals are ordered to minimise tax: allowances and tax-free pots first.
- Your plan runs to age 95. Contributions rise with inflation until retirement; pensions are one pot with your and your employer's contributions, while ISAs, GIA and cash are modelled separately.
Frequently asked questions
What is Barista FIRE?
Barista FIRE means quitting full-time work before you're fully financially independent, covering part of your spending with an easier part-time job (the classic example: pulling espressos) while your savings fund the rest. Your pots keep growing — or at least deplete more slowly — until they can fund retirement alone.
How does this calculator model Barista FIRE?
It assumes you go part-time today: contributions stop, spending starts coming out of your pots, and your part-time income offsets the drawdown until the age we solve for — the age your part-time work can stop entirely. Each candidate age is checked with real UK tax rules and replayed across every market window since 1940.
Is my part-time income taxed?
Yes — enter it before tax, and the calculator applies income tax the way HMRC does, with pension withdrawals stacking on top of it. That interaction matters: part-time income uses up your personal allowance, so pension drawdown alongside it is taxed more.
What if I already spend less than my part-time income would pay?
Then your pots barely deplete at all — or keep growing — and your stop-work age lands much earlier. The calculator handles this naturally: income first covers spending, and only the gap comes from your savings.
What's the difference between Barista FIRE and Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE keeps your full-time job and just stops retirement saving. Barista FIRE swaps full-time for part-time now and starts drawing on savings immediately. Coast is the milder milestone; Barista changes your working life today.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's a projection based on your inputs and stated assumptions, for information only. Past market performance doesn't guarantee future returns. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser.