Freelancer & Gig

Freelancer Retirement Planner

Plan retirement with irregular income and no employer match. Compare Solo 401k, SEP IRA, and Roth options.

Decision Summary

Projected portfolio at retirement

$1,486,352.39

Based on 25 years of contributions at 7% return. Monthly retirement income at 4% rule: $4,954.51.

Scenario Comparison

The main answer and the most important supporting outputs in one glance.

Projected portfolio at retirement

$1,486,352.39

Monthly retirement income (4% rule)

$4,954.51

Effective contribution rate

19.58%

Annual SE tax drag

$18,360.00

Key Metrics

Monthly retirement income (4% rule)

$4,954.51

Effective contribution rate

19.58%

Annual SE tax drag

$18,360.00

Solo 401(k) max contribution

$53,500.00

SEP IRA max contribution

$30,000.00

How to use it

Enter average annual net income, income variability, current retirement savings, annual contribution capacity, expected return, and retirement age. Use a conservative income estimate since freelancers cannot count on steady raises or employer matches.
Read projected nest egg, contribution gap, and the savings rate required to close it. Without an employer match, every dollar of retirement savings comes from your own margin, so the required rate is usually higher than for salaried workers.
If the required savings rate exceeds 20%-25% of net income and your income swings widely, the plan is fragile. A freelancer who saves aggressively in good years and nothing in bad years often falls behind a steady modest saver.
Set up a Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA to maximize tax-advantaged space, automate a baseline contribution from every invoice, and build a separate buffer so retirement savings survive slow months. Use the Roth vs Traditional calculator to direct contributions.
Re-run quarterly and after any major client change. Track rolling 12-month savings rate, retirement gap, and whether contributions survived the last income dip.

AI Integrations

Contract, discovery endpoints, and developer notes for agent use.

Always available for agents

Tool contract JSON

https://aifinhub.io/contracts/freelancer-retirement-planner.json

Stable input and output contract for this exact tool.

Human review

People can use the browser page to sense-check outputs and charts, but agents should still execute against the contract and discovery endpoints.

/agent-tools.json - machine-readable tool index.
/llms.txt - human-readable model discovery guide.
/.well-known/webmcp.json - WebMCP capabilities manifest.
/.well-known/ai-plugin.json - plugin-style discovery manifest.

{
  "tool": "freelancer_retirement",
  "annual_income": 95000,
  "income_variability_percent": 30,
  "se_tax_rate_percent": 15.3,
  "annual_contribution": 22500,
  "annual_return_percent": 7,
  "years_to_retirement": 25
}

Open tool contract JSON Open AI integrations guide

Expand developer notes

Agent playbook

Resolve Freelancer Retirement Planner from /agent-tools.json and open its contract before execution.
Validate inputs against the contract schema instead of scraping labels from the page UI.
Open the browser page only when a person wants to review charts, assumptions, or related tools.

Agent FAQ

Should ChatGPT, Claude, or another agent click through the UI?

No. Start with /agent-tools.json, then follow the tool's contract URL. The page UI is for human review, not parameter discovery.

When do tools show Quick and Advanced?

Every tool opens in Quick Start first. Advanced Controls keeps the same scenario, reveals more assumptions or diagnostics, and every tool keeps AI integrations inline below the instructions.

When should an agent still open the browser page?

Open it when a human wants to sense-check the output, review the chart, or keep exploring related tools after the calculation finishes.

Questions people usually ask

How does this handle irregular freelance income?

You enter your average monthly income and an income variability percentage. The tool models savings capacity across high and low earning periods, showing how inconsistency affects your retirement trajectory compared to a steady paycheck.

What retirement accounts does this cover?

It models Solo 401(k), SEP IRA, and traditional/Roth IRA contribution limits. Solo 401(k) allows both employee and employer contributions, often enabling freelancers to shelter $60K+ per year — significantly more than a SEP IRA alone.

Do freelancers really need to save more than employees?

Yes. Freelancers miss employer 401(k) matches (typically 3-6% of salary), pay both halves of FICA (15.3% vs 7.65%), and lack employer-subsidized benefits. You need to save a higher percentage of gross income to reach the same retirement outcome.

When should I use this vs the standard retirement calculator?

Use this if your income fluctuates, you lack an employer match, or you want to compare Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA strategies. The standard calculator assumes steady income and employer contributions, which does not reflect freelance reality.

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing is stored or transmitted.