Barista FIRE Calculator
Semi-retire sooner. Calculate the smaller investment portfolio you need when a part-time job covers a portion of your annual expenses — and see how much earlier you can leave full-time work.
Your Numbers
Your expected barista / part-time / freelance income.
How this calculator works
Barista FIRE portfolio = (Annual expenses − Part-time income) ÷ Withdrawal rate. Your part-time job covers day-to-day costs; the portfolio only needs to generate the remainder.
Test: expenses $50K, part-time $20K, WR 4%: ($50,000 − $20,000) ÷ 0.04 = $750,000. That's 40% smaller than the Standard FIRE target of $1,250,000.
The strategy is especially powerful when part-time work also provides health insurance — a major expense in early retirement. Many Barista FIRE practitioners treat it as a bridge: they work part-time until their portfolio naturally grows to full Standard FIRE, then stop working entirely.
Important: if part-time income is $0 or higher than expenses, the formula reduces to Standard FIRE or $0 respectively. The calculator clamps the portfolio floor at $0.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Barista FIRE?
Barista FIRE is a semi-retirement strategy where you leave your high-pressure full-time job but continue working part-time — just enough to cover day-to-day expenses. Your investment portfolio only needs to cover the gap between your total expenses and your part-time income, letting you semi-retire with a much smaller portfolio than full FIRE requires.
How do I calculate my Barista FIRE number?
The barista fire calculator uses this formula: portfolio = (Annual expenses − Part-time annual income) ÷ Withdrawal rate. If your expenses are $50,000, part-time income is $20,000, and you use a 4% withdrawal rate: ($50,000 − $20,000) ÷ 0.04 = $750,000. That's 40% smaller than the standard FIRE portfolio of $1,250,000 for the same expense level.
How is Barista FIRE different from Coast FIRE?
Coast FIRE means your portfolio is large enough to grow to your full FIRE number without contributions — you still work, but you don't need to save. Barista FIRE means your portfolio permanently covers only a portion of expenses, with part-time income covering the rest. Coast FIRE is a milestone you pass through on the way to full retirement; Barista FIRE can be a long-term retirement arrangement in its own right.
Does this calculator assume part-time income continues throughout retirement?
Yes — this barista fire calculator assumes part-time income continues indefinitely to cover the gap between your expenses and your portfolio withdrawals. If part-time income stops, your portfolio must cover all expenses at your chosen withdrawal rate, meaning you'd need your full standard FIRE number. Many Barista FIRE practitioners use it as a bridge: they work part-time until the portfolio grows to the full FIRE number, then stop working entirely.
What happens if my part-time income stops?
If part-time income ends, your portfolio must cover all annual expenses at your chosen withdrawal rate — that's your full standard FIRE number. A conservative approach is to treat any part-time income as a bonus and size your portfolio to survive a scenario where the income eventually disappears.