Planning & projections
A retirement calculator for couples who save in two places
A retirement calculator for couples: each spouse's savings and contributions are projected separately and combined, so households with two 401(k)s or IRAs see one picture.
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How do couples project retirement savings together?
Project each spouse's current balance and monthly contributions to the retirement date at an assumed return, then add the two results. Keeping them separate shows who is carrying the household's savings and whether one account is falling behind, which matters for catch-up contributions, beneficiary choices and Roth decisions.
Tax season, when both spouses' W-2s are on the table
Couples often manage retirement accounts separately and only see the whole picture at tax time or when one spouse changes jobs. The joint question arrives with a mix of curiosity and tension: are we saving enough, and is one of us doing all of it?
What the client types into a search box
“how much will we have for retirement combined”
How a client works through it
Enter spouse 1
Current savings and monthly contribution.
Enter spouse 2
Current savings and monthly contribution.
Set years and return
Years until retirement and the assumed annual return.
See the combined total
Each spouse's projected total and the combined figure.
What lands in your inbox
When a client asks your firm to review the result, the request arrives as a contact record with their inputs and results attached, by email and, on paid plans, by webhook to your CRM.
Received
Two balances, two contribution rates and a shared horizon show household assets and savings behavior. A spouse with little or no savings suggests a spousal IRA. A large combined balance with years to go is a meaningful planning prospect.
What does the split between spouses show?
Combined at Retirement is the headline. Spouse 1 Total and Spouse 2 Total show who is building it, and Total Future Contributions separates new saving from growth.
A lopsided split isn't necessarily a problem, but it affects planning: survivor needs, beneficiary designations and which account to draw from first.
Results shown: Combined at Retirement · Spouse 1 Total · Spouse 2 Total · Total Future Contributions.
Why do firms value a two-spouse projection?
Married clients are planned as a household, and requests that include both spouses' figures are far more useful than one person's guess. The projection often reveals a spouse with no workplace plan, which opens a spousal IRA conversation, or uneven savings that affect Roth and beneficiary planning.
Tax preparers see both W-2s anyway; offering the calculator turns that into a planning conversation.
Follow-ups this request opens
- Open or fund a spousal IRA for the lower-saving spouse
- Coordinate Roth and traditional contributions across both plans
- Review beneficiary designations on both accounts
- Build a household retirement income plan
What this calculator leaves out
- Same retirement date and return for both spouses.
- No inflation, taxes or employer match modeled separately.
- Does not include Social Security for either spouse.
- Constant monthly contributions.
Platform disclaimer shown under the calculator: Estimates only. Assumes a constant return compounded monthly with level contributions for each spouse; inflation, taxes and differing retirement dates are not modeled.
Compliance note for firms
Joint projections are hypothetical when an adviser presents them; keep assumptions visible and explain limitations. Advice to a married couple should consider both spouses' interests, and data from both spouses should be handled under your privacy notice.
Not legal advice. See our disclaimer and the guide to compliance for client calculators.
2026 figures this page relies on
| Figure | Value | Tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA contribution limit (all IRAs combined) | $7,500 | 2026 | IRS |
The same values drive the calculator. Full list on the 2026 figures page.
Terms your client sees in the calculator
These definitions appear in the calculator's collapsible Definitions block, so clients don't have to call to ask what a label means.
- Combined retirement savings
- The projected total of both spouses’ balances at retirement: each spouse’s current savings grown at the assumed return plus each one’s future contributions and their growth. It is a nominal, pre-tax figure. The calculator assumes both retire at the same time, so different retirement dates would need separate runs.
- Nest egg
- The pool of savings meant to fund retirement spending. How long it lasts depends on withdrawals, investment returns, inflation, taxes and other income such as Social Security or pensions, none of which this calculator models. The projection shows the likely size at retirement, not whether it will be enough.
- Monthly contribution
- The amount each spouse adds each month, entered separately. The calculator assumes it stays level until retirement; in practice contributions often rise with pay, which would increase the result. Total future contributions is the sum of both spouses’ monthly amounts times the number of months until retirement.
- Annual return
- The average yearly growth rate applied to both spouses’ savings, divided by 12 and compounded monthly. Using one rate for both assumes similar investment mixes. Real returns vary from year to year and can be negative, so the projection is one illustrative scenario; trying a lower rate shows how sensitive it is.
- Compound growth
- Growth earned on both contributions and prior growth, so the balance builds on itself over time. Existing savings compound for the full period, which is why a spouse with a larger current balance can end with more even while contributing less each month. The effect is strongest in the final years before retirement.
- Years until retirement
- The number of years until the household retires, applied to both spouses. It is the most powerful input after the return, since more years mean more contributions and more compounding. If spouses expect to retire at different times, running the calculator once per spouse with their own horizon gives a closer estimate.
In our glossary: Future value
Retirement Planner for Two Spouses calculator: questions from firms and clients
Can spouses retire in different years?
Not in this calculator; it uses one horizon. Run it for each spouse separately to model different dates.
Can a non-working spouse contribute to an IRA?
A spousal IRA allows contributions based on the working spouse's income, up to $7,5002026 · IRS each. The firm can confirm eligibility.
Does it include employer match?
Include match in each spouse's monthly contribution.
Does it include inflation?
No, results are in future dollars.
Can it show different returns for each spouse?
No, one return applies to both.
Is this useful for tax preparers?
Yes, at filing time, when both spouses' contribution data is already in hand.
Does it include Social Security?
No. Use the Social Security calculators separately.
Which plan includes it?
Network. See pricing.
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Clients who ask this usually ask next
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am I on track to retire at 65
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401(k) / 403(b) / 457
how much should I contribute to my 401k to get the full match
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Embed the Retirement Planner for Two Spouses calculator on your firm's site in an afternoon and receive requests with the numbers already filled in.
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