Plan for Retirement
Build a complete picture of your retirement readiness — from knowing your numbers to optimising your contributions.
Retirement Simulator
Project your savings to retirement and see if you'll have enough.
10XRetirement Gap Calculator
Find out if your projected savings are on track for your retirement income goal — use the Am I on Track? tab.
10XTFSA / Compound Interest Calculator
See how your tax-free savings grow over time with compound interest.
EasyEquitiesRA vs Pension Comparison
Compare the tax benefits and flexibility of an RA against a pension fund.
10XTwo-Pot Withdrawal Calculator
Calculate your savings pot withdrawal — net payout after tax and the long-term cost to your retirement savings.
10XFIRE Calculator
Calculate your Financial Independence number and target date.
Your numbers carry forward automatically between stages. No re-entering required.
Retirement Planning in South Africa: Starting With the Right Numbers
Most South Africans are significantly underprepared for retirement. Studies consistently show that fewer than 10% of South Africans can maintain their standard of living after retirement. The gap between what people save and what they will need is large — but it is also closeable if you start with an accurate picture of where you stand today. This journey gives you that picture step by step.
How Much Should You Be Saving?
A widely used benchmark is saving 15% of your gross income towards retirement throughout your working life, starting no later than your mid-twenties. Delaying by five years requires saving nearly 20% to reach the same outcome. The Retirement Simulator in this journey lets you model different contribution rates, retirement ages, and growth assumptions against your specific numbers.
The Two-Pot System
Since September 2024, South African retirement funds operate under the two-pot system. One third of contributions flow into a savings pot accessible once per tax year (minimum withdrawal R2,000), and two thirds flow into a retirement pot accessible only at retirement. Withdrawals from the savings pot are taxed at your marginal rate. Understanding the long-term impact of early withdrawals is critical — the Retirement Simulator models this directly.
Tax-Free Savings Accounts
A Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) allows you to invest up to R46,000 per year (R500,000 lifetime) with all growth, dividends, and withdrawals completely tax-free. This makes a TFSA one of the most powerful long-term wealth-building tools available to South Africans. Used alongside a retirement annuity, a TFSA can meaningfully close your retirement gap. EasyEquities offers one of the most accessible TFSA products in South Africa.
Retirement Annuity Tax Deductions
Contributions to a retirement annuity (RA) are tax-deductible up to 27.5% of the greater of your taxable income or remuneration, capped at R430,000 per year. For someone in the 41% tax bracket contributing R2,000 per month to an RA, the effective after-tax cost is only R1,180 — SARS subsidises R820 of every contribution. The PAYE Calculator in this journey shows exactly how much you save in tax at your contribution level.