Retireator
Free, open-source retirement simulation in Microsoft Excel.
At a glance
- Editor scoreNot yet scored
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree users modeling taxes, annuities, and debt
- Free planYes
- Paid fromNone
- Tax modelingDetailed
- Facts checked19 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Models federal, state, payroll, capital-gains, annuity, and Social Security taxes
- Covers Social Security spousal and survivor benefits, plus multiple annuity types
- Compares retirement simulations and can solve for a retirement date
Where it doesn't
- The downloadable workbook requires Windows and Excel with macros
- Excel Online has limited functionality
- Account synchronization is not supported
Our verdict on Retireator
Retireator is a free, open-source retirement simulator implemented as a Microsoft Excel workbook. It is suited to people who want to model retirement income, withdrawals, taxes, debt, and savings goals in a spreadsheet, rather than rely on synchronized financial accounts. Its scope reaches beyond basic portfolio projections: users can model employer, self-employment, passive, and pension income, alongside investment accounts and strategies such as target-date funds. It also supports short- and medium-term financial planning.
Tax and retirement-income modeling are the product’s strongest angles. Retireator calculates federal and state taxes, payroll and capital-gains taxes, and taxes on annuity and Social Security income. Social Security calculations include spousal and survivor benefits. Annuity scenarios cover life, period-certain, deferred, immediate, fixed, variable, and indexed options. Mortgage and reverse-mortgage calculations, expense schedules, inflation, and market conditions add further variables to drawdown simulations. A dashboard supports retirement-date solving and comparison of successive simulation results; savings-goal calculations account for taxes, inflation, and portfolio return. This breadth may suit planners exploring intertwined income and tax scenarios, though it also means users need to configure assumptions and interpret spreadsheet outputs themselves.
The Excel format is central to both access and limitations. The downloadable workbook requires Microsoft Windows and Excel with macros; the listed Excel versions are Excel 2007–2019 or Excel 365. Microsoft Excel Online is also supported, but with limited functionality. Microsoft Excel and Excel Online are the listed integrations. Retireator is distributed under the GNU Affero General Public License and is free. Choose it if spreadsheet-based scenario modeling and detailed taxes matter more than account synchronization. People who want connected accounts or a fuller online experience should consider another retirement planner.
Retireator pricing
Retireator fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | None |
| Income projection | Yes |
| Savings growth projection | Yes |
| Withdrawal planning | Yes |
| Tax modeling | Detailed |
| Social Security modeling | Yes |
| Scenario analysis | Yes |
| Account synchronization | None |
| Deployment | Desktop, Cloud |
| Platforms | Windows, Web |
| Integrations | 2 integrations: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Excel Online |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | retireator.org |
| Facts checked | 19 Sep 2026 |
Retireator integrations
Retireator lists 2 integrations on its own site.
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Excel Online
Alternatives to Retireator
- BoldinA guided retirement plan with detailed projections, plus a free tier to get started.9.6
- Fidelity Planning & Guidance CenterA free planner with tax, Social Security, withdrawal and what-if analysis.8.6
- MaxiFiDeep lifetime and retirement planning across web, desktop, and mobile for an annual fee.7.4
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
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