The headline number most calculators show you is in future dollars - bigger than it looks, because inflation quietly eats into it every year between now and retirement. This shows both numbers side by side.
A dollar today and a dollar in thirty years are not the same thing, even before inflation - because a dollar today can be invested and grow, while a promised future dollar can't. Present value is the answer to: "how much would I need today to end up with that future amount?" It's the mirror image of compound growth - instead of asking what an amount grows into, it asks what a future amount is worth right now.
The formula is compound interest run backwards: PV = FV ÷ (1 + r)n, where FV is the future amount, r is the rate per period, and n is the number of periods. Use your real (inflation-adjusted) return for r, and the answer tells you what a future balance is genuinely worth in today's purchasing power - exactly what the toggle above is doing with your projected retirement balance.
This is also why "the market has historically returned 7-10%" can be misleading on its own - what matters for planning is the real return: your return rate minus inflation, since that's the rate your purchasing power is actually growing at. A 7% return during 3% inflation is really only about a 3.9% gain in what your money can buy. The same present-value logic is exactly why comparing a house price today against a salary from 20 years ago, or a pension quote in "future dollars," is genuinely misleading without this adjustment - and it's the same principle a properly built NPV or IRR calculation applies to any set of cash flows spread over time, not just a single lump sum - buying a rental property, for instance, where money goes out at purchase and comes back over years of income plus an eventual sale.
This varies more by country than most people realize - and not just in the number, but in what kind of number it is. Some countries mandate a minimum; others just publish guidance; one defines a ceiling on tax-advantaged saving rather than a target at all. Treat these as reference points, not rules - your own number depends on your age, existing savings, and when you plan to stop working.
| Country | System | Typical figure | What kind of number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Superannuation Guarantee | 12% of earnings | Mandatory employer floor |
| United Kingdom | Workplace pension auto-enrolment | 8% of qualifying earnings (3% employer + 5% employee) | Mandatory combined floor |
| United States | 401(k) / employer plans | 15% of pre-tax pay, including employer match | Voluntary guidance, not a mandate |
| Canada | RRSP | Up to 18% of prior year's earned income | A contribution ceiling, not a target |
Australia's 12% is the rate employers are legally required to pay on top of wages, reaching its final legislated level on 1 July 2025 with no further scheduled increases (Australian Taxation Office). The UK's 8% is also a legal minimum, split between employer and employee, applied to earnings within a set band (MoneyHelper, UK government-backed guidance). The US 15% is not required by law at all - it's Fidelity's widely-cited planning benchmark, aimed at replacing roughly 45% of pre-retirement income (Fidelity). Canada's 18% is different in kind from the other three: it's the maximum you're allowed to contribute to an RRSP tax-deductibly, up to an annual dollar cap - there's no minimum at all (Sun Life Canada).
Whichever system you're in, an employer match is close to the best return available anywhere - it's an immediate, guaranteed gain before the money has even been invested. If your plan offers one, contributing enough to capture the full match is usually worth doing before anything else on this page.