How Much Should You Have Saved for Retirement by Age?

Short answer: Fidelity's widely quoted guideline is to have saved 1x your salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60 and 10x by 67. On an $80,000 salary that is $240,000 at 40 and $800,000 at 67. Most people are well short of that: in the Federal Reserve's 2025 survey, the median family aged 45–54 with a retirement account had $133,000 in it, about 1.2 times that age group's median family income. Being behind is normal and fixable. A 45-year-old earning $80,000 with $80,000 saved can still reach 10x by 67 by saving about 22% of pay, employer match included, or about 13% by working to 70.

Who this is for: US workers with a 401(k), 403(b), IRA or no account yet, who want to know whether they are on track and what to do if they are not. What it does not cover: defined-benefit pensions (if you have one, your target is lower, explained below), Solo 401(k) and SEP limits for the self-employed, and retiring before 60. This is general information, not financial advice.

The milestonesFidelity's salary multiples by age

Fidelity's guideline, from its Viewpoints article "How much do I need to save for retirement?": "Aim to save at least 1x your salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67." The multiples are of what you earn at that age, so the target rises as your pay does.

Fidelity publishes only these five points. You will see figures such as "2x by 35" elsewhere. Those are other people's estimates in between, not Fidelity's.

The assumptions matter more than the numbers. Fidelity's footnotes say the milestones assume:

• A 15% saving rate from age 25, counting the employer match.
• Pay rising 1.5% a year above inflation.
• Retirement at 67, with savings lasting to age 93.
• More than half the savings in stocks, on average over your life.
• Savings replace 45% of your pre-retirement income, with no pension. Social Security, claimed at 67, is expected to cover much of the rest of a normal lifestyle.

Change the retirement age and the target changes too. Fidelity says retiring at 65 needs at least 12x, and retiring at 70 needs 8x, because you save for longer, draw for fewer years and get a larger Social Security check.

The realityWhat Americans actually have saved by age

Two large data sets measure real balances. They answer slightly different questions, so read them side by side.

The Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is the broadest. It counts every IRA and workplace account a family has, wherever it is held. The 2025 survey was published on October 9, 2026, and in our view it replaces the 2022 figures still quoted in many articles.

Set the last column against Fidelity's ladder and the gap is plain. At 35–44, Fidelity would put you near 3x; the typical saver is at 0.63x. At 55–64, the guideline is about 8x; the typical saver is at 2.59x. Across all ages, 45.1% of families had no retirement account at all, and the medians above leave those families out.

That comparison overstates the gap in one way and understates it in another, so it needs four caveats:

• The survey measures families, not people. Median family income includes two-earner households, while Fidelity's multiple is per salary. For a single earner, the gap is smaller than the ratio suggests.
• Pensions are not counted. The SCF leaves out defined-benefit pensions, and the Fed says about a quarter of families under 65 have one. A teacher with a pension and $133,000 saved may be on track.
• The medians count only people who have an account. Including the families with nothing would pull every median down sharply.
• Over 65, the income ratio stops making sense. Income usually falls once people retire, so we leave that column blank.

Vanguard's How America Saves 2026 looks at a narrower thing: balances in the workplace plans Vanguard runs, as of December 31, 2025. It counts only the account at the current employer, so an old 401(k) or an IRA is not included, and balances are lower than the SCF's.

Across all participants the average was $167,970 and the median $44,115, about 3.8 times apart. Vanguard says the average reflects someone at about the 75th percentile, so the median is the fairer yardstick. Retirement accounts also make up much of household wealth, which our guide to median net worth by age breaks down from the same Fed survey.

Your numberWhere you stand in three steps

The first step is where most people go wrong, because accounts end up scattered across employers and brokers. A net worth tracker keeps every balance in one list and records it each month, so you can see the multiple move rather than recalculating it once a year. If you also hold taxable investments, a portfolio tracker keeps those separate from retirement money.

Catching upA plan for being behind at 35, 45 or 55

Three people, each earning $80,000 and behind Fidelity's ladder. The target is 10x salary, $800,000, at 67, or 8x, $640,000, if they work to 70. All figures are in today's dollars, with a 4% annual return after inflation and contributions at the end of each year. The saving rate includes a typical employer match of 3% of pay.

• At 35, time does most of the work. About 14% of pay, match included, gets back on track. That is about $923 a month, $723 of it from you. The $30,000 already saved grows to about $105,000 by 67 without another deposit.
• At 45, it takes effort but is doable. About 22% of pay, or $1,485 a month in total, reaches 10x by 67. Working three years longer cuts that to about 13%.
• At 55, saving alone is not enough. Reaching 10x by 67 means putting away about $37,000 a year, nearly half of pay. Working to 70 halves the rate to 23%. For most people, the realistic plan combines a higher saving rate, a later retirement and a later Social Security claim.

The limits are high enough to catch up late. The obstacle is whether your budget can free up that much pay.

The limitsHow much you can put in for 2026 and 2027

The 401(k) catch-up for those 50 and older is $8,000 in 2026, and the SECURE 2.0 Act raised it to $11,250 for ages 60 to 63. The IRA catch-up is $1,100. Our article on the 2027 401(k) limit shows how the $25,500 figure follows from the inflation formula. The IRS usually confirms it in November.

The employer match comes first. Vanguard's most common formula is 50 cents per dollar on the first 6% of pay, which is worth 3% of salary; across Vanguard plans with a match, the median promised match is 4.0% of pay. On $80,000, a 3% match is $2,400 a year. Over 32 years at 4% after inflation, that alone grows to about $150,484, roughly a fifth of a 10x target. If you are not contributing enough to get it, start there. Our guide on how to maximize your 401(k) covers the order after that, and low earners may also qualify for the government's Saver's Match from 2027.

The checkHow 10x connects to the 4% rule

A salary multiple is a shortcut. The real question is whether your savings can pay for the part of retirement that Social Security does not. The 4% rule answers that: in year one, withdraw 4% of your savings, then raise that amount with inflation each year.

The two methods land close together. On an $80,000 salary, 10x is $800,000, and 4% of that is $32,000 in the first year. Fidelity asks savings to provide 45%, or $36,000, which the 4% rule would price at $900,000. The gap comes from the horizon. Fidelity plans to age 93, about 26 years from 67. The 4% rule was tested over 30 years and built to survive bad starting years. Either way, the answer for a typical earner retiring at 67 is 10 to 11 times salary.

The formula approach is better when your situation is unusual. If you will have a pension, spend far less than you earn, or retire early, start from your spending. Our retirement calculator runs that version, and asset allocation by age covers the stock-and-bond mix that the "more than half in stocks" assumption relies on.

ObjectionsWhat a careful reader will ask

• "My salary is high, so 10x is too much." It depends. Social Security replaces a smaller share of high pay, which leaves more for savings to cover, but high earners often spend a smaller share of what they earn. Start from your spending with the 4% formula.
• "My salary is low, so 10x is impossible." Social Security replaces a larger share of low pay, so the target from savings is lower. Even so, every year of saving and every match dollar counts.
• "I have a pension." Fidelity's milestones assume none. Subtract the pension from the spending your savings must cover, then multiply the rest by 25.
• "4% after inflation is optimistic." It assumes a stock-heavy mix and no fees. At 3%, our rebuild of Fidelity's path reaches only 8.52x by 67. Lower returns mean saving more, not a different plan. Fees count too: 1% a year in fees takes a 4% return down to 3%.
• "What about home equity?" Fidelity counts only investable savings. A paid-off home lowers your housing costs in retirement, and that shows up as lower spending in the 4% formula.

Common questionsFAQ

How much should I have saved for retirement by 30?
Fidelity's guideline is 1x your salary by 30, counting every retirement account. In the Fed's 2025 survey, the median family under 35 with an account had $21,000, so most people that age are below it.

How much should I have saved by 40?
Fidelity says 3x your salary. On $80,000 that is $240,000. The Fed's 2025 median for families aged 35–44 with an account was $61,200.

How much should I have saved by 50?
Fidelity says 6x your salary, $480,000 on $80,000. The 2025 median for families aged 45–54 with an account was $133,000. From 50 you can add catch-up contributions: $8,000 a year to a 401(k) and $1,100 to an IRA in 2026.

How much should I have saved by 60?
Fidelity says 8x your salary. The 2025 median for families aged 55–64 with an account was $239,000, and 36.9% of families that age had no retirement account.

What is a good 401(k) balance by age?
Vanguard's 2025 medians run from $18,732 at 25–34 to $107,269 at 55–64. Those cover one employer's plan only, so add any old 401(k)s and IRAs before comparing yourself with Fidelity's multiples.

Is 10x my salary enough to retire?
For a typical earner retiring and claiming Social Security at 67, Fidelity says yes. Retiring at 65 needs 12x, and retiring at 70 needs 8x. Check it against your spending with the 4% rule.

Does the employer match count toward the 15%?
Yes. Fidelity's 15% saving rate includes the employer match, so with a 3% match you contribute 12% yourself.

Where these numbers come from

• Milestones and assumptions: Fidelity Investments, Viewpoints, "How much do I need to save for retirement?", dated September 25, 2026, read November 9, 2026, including footnotes 1 and 2 (15% saving from 25, 1.5% real wage growth, retirement at 67, planning age 93, 45% income replacement, 12x at 65, 8x at 70).
• Balances by age: Federal Reserve Board, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, historic tables in 2025 dollars, table 6 (retirement accounts: share holding, median and mean among holders) and table 1 (median family income by age). The averages for families under 65 match box 2, table A of the Fed's report Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025.
• Vanguard figures: How America Saves 2026, Figure 53 (balances by age, December 31, 2025), page 22 (match formulas) and page 23 (promised match).
• 2026 limits: IRS news release IR-2025-111, November 13, 2025. 2027 plan limits are a projection from the inflation formula in the tax code, matching Milliman's final forecast of October 15, 2026. The IRS had not published them as of November 9, 2026. The 2027 IRA limit is not yet set, so plans use $7,500. The $150,000 Roth catch-up wage test is from IRS Notice 2025-67.
• Our calculations: the reconstruction of Fidelity's path, the catch-up plans, the match and the max-out example come from a checked script. They use a constant salary in today's dollars, a 4% yearly return after inflation, deposits at the end of each year and no taxes or fees. That is in line with Fidelity's own ladder but optimistic for a portfolio with high fees or mostly bonds, and it ignores job loss and market crashes. Treat the saving rates as minimums.

The takeawayMeasure, then raise the rate

Add up every account and divide by your salary. If you are behind, take the full match first, then raise your contribution by a point or two a year until you reach the rate in the table for your age. At 50, add the catch-up. Run your own figures in the 401(k) calculator, and check the multiple again next year.