Retirement countdown app

By Kevin Lan · Updated September 2026

A retirement countdown app shows how long until you retire, on your home screen. Most count down to a date you type in. FIRE: Retirement Calculator counts down to the date your investments are projected to reach financial independence — a date it computes, and that moves as your net worth grows.

Full disclosure: fireretirement.app is the home of FIRE: Retirement Calculator, an iPhone app built by Kevin Lan, an independent developer. This page describes what to look for in any retirement countdown app; where it names this one, that's disclosed — and every point below is written so you can check it against any app, including this one.

Two kinds of retirement countdown

Retirement countdown apps come in two kinds, and they answer different questions.

Pick-a-date countdowns. You enter a retirement date and the app counts down to it. Simple and motivating — but the date is only as good as your guess, and it never changes on its own.
Computed-date countdowns. The app works out the date from your finances — your investments, contributions, expenses, and expected return — so the countdown reflects when you're actually projected to reach financial independence, and shifts as your numbers change.

Both are valid. If you already know your retirement date, a pick-a-date timer is fine. If you want the countdown to tell you something you don't already know, you want the computed kind.

A countdown that's an output of the math

FIRE: Retirement Calculator counts down to a date it computes for you. Enter your age, investments, yearly contributions, spending, and expected return; it finds your FIRE number and the first year your portfolio reaches it. That date becomes the home-screen widget. Update your net worth after a good month, and the date — and the countdown — move with it. The target on your phone stays tied to reality instead of a number you typed once.

More than a timer

Because the date comes from a real projection, the same app carries the planning behind it: every FIRE variant, a Monte Carlo check on whether the money lasts, side-by-side scenarios, and Social Security and pension income. Finding your number and the countdown are free; the deeper tools are an optional one-time Pro unlock, no subscription.

Compute your date, then count down to it

Find the year you reach financial independence here — the app turns it into the countdown.

Count down to this date on youriPhone

This calculator gives educational estimates only. It plans in today's dollars using a real (after-inflation) return, so your FIRE number reflects total spending including any taxes you'll owe. Projections are illustrative, not guarantees, and this is not financial advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is a retirement countdown app?

A retirement countdown app displays the time remaining until you retire, usually as a home-screen widget or full-screen timer. Some count down to a date you enter; others, like FIRE: Retirement Calculator, compute the date from your finances and update it as your savings grow.

Is there a retirement countdown app that calculates the date for me?

Yes. FIRE: Retirement Calculator computes your financial-independence date from your investments, contributions, expenses, and expected return, then counts down to it — you don't have to guess or enter a date.

Does the countdown update automatically?

The date is recalculated whenever you update your numbers in the app, and the home-screen widget reflects the new date, so the countdown stays tied to your actual progress rather than a fixed guess.

Is the retirement countdown app free?

Finding your FIRE number and putting the countdown widget on your home screen are free. The deeper planning tools are an optional one-time Pro unlock, with no subscription.

FIRE calculator app When can I retire?Monte Carlo simulation What Pro adds

Count down to a date that means something

Find your financial-independence date free, then put the countdown on your home screen.

Download on theApp Store