Invested Canadian

Barista FIRE Calculator for Canadians

See when part-time income could let you leave full-time work sooner. Because a modest ongoing income covers part of your spending, your portfolio only has to fund the rest, so the target is smaller and more reachable than full retirement. Built for Canadians, in today's Canadian dollars.

Build your projection
Adjust the numbers below. Your result and chart update as you type.
Your timeline
years

Your age today, in whole years.

years

The whole age you want to be fully retired by. We project up to here.

Your money
$CAD

Include invested TFSA, RRSP, and non-registered assets; exclude your home and emergency cash.

How you invest
$/ year

What you add each year while working full time, in today's dollars.

$/ year

Your desired yearly lifestyle in today's dollars, once you downshift.

$/ year

Ongoing part-time income after tax, in today's dollars. It offsets your spending, so your portfolio only has to cover the rest.

Planning assumptions

Planning assumptions

Examples, not advice
% / year

9% is a conservative long-run estimate for a broad all-equity ETF like XEQT, before inflation. A more diversified or bond-heavy portfolio would use a lower figure. Compare FP Canada's guidelines

% / year

2.5% is a reasonable long-run figure. The Bank of Canada targets the 2% midpoint of a 1% to 3% range. See the target

% / year

Roughly the share of your portfolio you can withdraw each year without eating into your principal over the long run. 3.5% is a cautious baseline; a higher rate needs a smaller portfolio but carries more risk.

These values are saved in this page's URL so the projection is shareable. Avoid sharing the link if the amounts are private.

Projected Barista FIRE age

Age 47

At $20,000 invested per year, your balance first reaches the $857,143 Barista FIRE number around age 47. From there, $20,000 of part-time income can cover the gap so you no longer need full-time work.

Progress to your Barista FIRE number12%
$100,000 invested$857,143 needed
Barista FIRE number
$857,143
Balance around age 47
$866,010
Part-time income covers
$20,000

Estimate in today's Canadian dollars. Assumes part-time income continues. Excludes CPP, OAS, workplace pensions, taxes, investment fees, and market volatility.

Reaching your Barista FIRE number
Your position
The crosshair marks the first whole age your projected balance reaches the Barista FIRE number: about age 47.

How the Barista FIRE calculation works

Start with your funding gap: your annual spending minus your part-time income. If you spend $50,000 a year and earn $20,000 part-time, the gap your portfolio must cover is $30,000. Divide that by your withdrawal rate to get your Barista FIRE number, so a $30,000 gap at a 3.5% withdrawal rate points to a portfolio of about $857,000.

The projection then grows your current investments and contributions at your return after inflation. The first whole age your balance reaches that fixed number is when you could downshift to part-time and let the smaller income cover the gap from there.

Two reasons the number is more reachable than it looks

Barista FIRE already shrinks the target, because part-time income covers part of your spending and your portfolio only funds the gap. The second reason is inflation, and it trips people up: a figure like $857,000 sounds like it needs to grow enormously to matter in the future. It does not, because this page keeps everything in today's dollars and measures growth after inflation.

Put together, you are aiming at a smaller number, quoted in the buying power you have right now. That is the whole appeal of downshifting to part-time rather than waiting for a full retirement portfolio.

A quick Canadian example

Say you are 30, want to be fully retired by 60, and expect to spend $50,000 a year in today's dollars, with $20,000 of ongoing part-time income after tax. At a 9% nominal return, 2.5% inflation, and a 3.5% withdrawal rate, your Barista FIRE number is about $857,000. Starting with $100,000 and adding $20,000 a year, this simple model reaches it around age 47, when part-time income could start covering the gap.

Choosing long-term assumptions

The 9% nominal return is an editable example, not a forecast. It is a conservative long-run estimate for a broad all-equity ETF like XEQT before inflation. A more diversified or bond-heavy portfolio would use a lower figure. FP Canada's 2026 Projection Assumption Guidelines publish more conservative nominal returns by asset class before fees.

For context, the Bank of Canada's inflation-control target aims for 2% inflation, the midpoint of a 1% to 3% range. Testing a lower return or higher inflation produces a larger target and a later downshift age.

Frequently asked questions

What is Barista FIRE, and how is it different from Coast FIRE?
Barista FIRE is the point where you can leave full-time work because ongoing part-time income covers part of your spending and your portfolio covers the rest. Because you only need to fund the gap, the target is smaller than full retirement. Coast FIRE is different: it is when your savings can grow to your full retirement number on their own, with no new contributions, while you keep earning to cover today's costs.
How is the Barista FIRE number calculated?
First the calculator finds your funding gap, which is your annual spending minus your part-time income. It divides that gap by your withdrawal rate to get the portfolio you need. Then it projects your current investments plus contributions at your return after inflation, and reports the first whole age your balance reaches that fixed Barista FIRE number.
Should the part-time income be after tax?
Roughly, yes. The part-time income offsets your real spending, so an after-tax figure is the most accurate. If you enter a before-tax number, the calculator will slightly understate the portfolio you need, because taxes would reduce how much of that income you actually keep.
What if my part-time income stops later?
This version assumes the part-time income continues, which is the classic Barista FIRE framing. If you expect it to stop at some age, your portfolio would eventually need to cover all of your spending, so treat the result as a starting point rather than a full plan.
Does this account for CPP, OAS, or taxes?
No. Results are shown in today's Canadian dollars and do not include CPP, OAS, workplace pensions, taxes, or investment fees. Government or workplace benefits could reduce what your portfolio has to fund, while taxes could increase it, so treat the result as a planning estimate.
Should my savings be in a TFSA or RRSP?
The calculator can include TFSA, RRSP, and non-registered investments, but it treats every invested dollar the same and does not model account-level tax. TFSA withdrawals are generally tax-free, while RRSP withdrawals are generally taxable, so the same displayed balance in each account does not necessarily provide the same after-tax income.

Keep going

Curious how your income and net worth stack up against other Canadians? Try the Invested Canadian dashboard, or browse the rest of our free calculators.