Paige Legacy Group

Your Retirement Paycheck Worksheet

The working vs. retired take-home comparison

A balance is not a paycheck. Grab a recent pay stub and your Social Security statement (free at ssa.gov/myaccount), fill the boxes top to bottom, and the math does the rest.

The math runs right here on your phone. Nothing you type on this page is sent anywhere or stored by anyone.

You'll need a recent pay stub for Part 1. Don't have one handy? Rough numbers are fine for a first pass; you can come back and sharpen it anytime.

Already retired? Skip the pay stub and use what you actually spend each month as your take-home.

Who are you planning for?

Just meMe and my spouse

What should we aim at?

My paycheck todayA goal I choose

Part 1 · What you actually live on today

Monthly gross pay, before anything comes out

Federal and state income tax withheld

Social Security and Medicare payroll tax (7.65% for most)

Your 401(k) or other retirement contributions

Health insurance premiums from your check

Other paycheck deductions

= YOUR REAL MONTHLY TAKE-HOME$0

The math most people miss: retirement doesn't have to replace your salary, just this take-home number. And two of those subtractions, payroll tax and your own retirement contributions, end the day you retire. The target is almost always smaller than people fear.

Part 2 · What will come in when the paychecks stop

Your monthly Social Security estimate, at the age you plan to claimDon't have your statement handy? A rough guess is fine for a first pass. You can sharpen it anytime.

Monthly pension (if you have one)

Other reliable monthly income (rent, part-time work you plan to keep)

= YOUR GUARANTEED MONTHLY FLOOR$0

Part 3 · Your clarity number

your real monthly take-home (Part 1)$0

-your guaranteed monthly floor (Part 2)$0

= THE GAP your savings must cover each month$0

Multiply the gap by 12 and you have the yearly job your nest egg is being asked to do, for two or three decades. A real plan is an honest answer to how it does that job without running out and without handing more to taxes than the law requires. And if your gap is small, or even negative, that's worth knowing too: it changes what your savings are free to do.