LGBTQ+ FIRE Number Calculator 2026

The standard 25× FIRE number was designed for a married couple with Social Security spousal benefits, a partner caregiver fallback, and Medicaid spousal protection. Most LGBTQ+ households — especially domestic-partner couples and single individuals — don’t have all three. This calculator adds the dollar value of each structural gap to your base FIRE target so you can plan for what’s actually in front of you.

The core insight: A domestic-partner couple retiring at 60 with $85,000 in annual expenses typically needs $600,000–$900,000 more than the standard 25× = $2,125,000 baseline — driven by the Social Security spousal gap, 5 years of pre-Medicare healthcare for two, and an LTC reserve without a partner-caregiver offset. The calculator breaks down exactly which components apply to your household.

Your household

Domestic partners — not legally married. No SS spousal or survivor benefit. Each applies for ACA and Medicare individually. Married same-sex couple — legal marriage recognized federally. SS spousal and survivor benefits apply. ACA and Medicare as a household. Single individual — no partner. Full LTC and healthcare exposure; no spousal SS fallback of any kind.

Your current age

Partner’s current age

Your target retirement / FI age When you plan to stop full-time work. Pre-Medicare healthcare costs are modeled from this age to 65.

Partner’s target FI age Enter a different age if your partner plans to retire earlier or later.

Expenses & savings

Annual household expenses at FIRE ($) Your planned retirement spending. Exclude pre-Medicare healthcare and LTC — those are added as separate line items below.

Current retirement savings ($) Total across 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, brokerage, and other invested assets.

Monthly savings rate ($) (optional) Used to estimate years to FI. Leave at 0 to skip that output.

Expected annual investment return

Social Security estimates (optional — affects SS gap calculation)

Find your estimates at ssa.gov/myaccount. Enter 0 to skip the SS adjustment.

Your projected SS benefit if claiming at 70 ($/month)

Partner’s projected SS benefit if claiming at 70 ($/month) The lower earner may be eligible for a spousal benefit if married (50% of higher earner’s FRA amount). Not available for domestic partners.

How the three adjustments work

1. Social Security spousal benefit gap (domestic partners)

When a married same-sex couple retires, the lower-earning spouse can claim a spousal Social Security benefit equal to 50% of the higher earner’s full retirement age (FRA) benefit — even with low or zero personal SS earnings. If the higher earner dies first, the surviving spouse inherits 100% of the higher earner’s benefit. A domestic partner gets neither benefit under current law.¹

The calculator computes: (spousal benefit − lower earner’s own SS) × 12 × 25, which is the additional savings required to generate that income at a 4% withdrawal rate. If the lower earner’s own projected SS exceeds the spousal benefit (both partners have strong earnings histories), the adjustment is zero — which is the correct result.

2. Pre-Medicare healthcare gap

For every year before 65, you need private health coverage. In 2026, the enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired and the 400% FPL cliff returned: households earning above $62,600 (single) or $84,600 (two-person household) receive zero subsidy and pay the full unsubsidized premium.² Premiums rose roughly 20% year-over-year in 2026.³

For domestic partners, each applies as a separate household of one — two plans, two deductibles, two premium payments. The calculator models each partner’s pre-Medicare years using 2026 national-average Silver plan premiums by age. Actual premiums vary significantly by state; income-managed early retirees who stay below the subsidy cliff will pay less. These estimates represent the conservative unsubsidized baseline.

3. LTC self-insurance reserve

Married couples often delay expensive facility care because the healthier partner provides informal care at home, substantially reducing early-stage LTC costs. Domestic partners and single individuals cannot count on the same offset. National median assisted living runs $54,000/year; memory care runs $65,000–$130,000/year nationally.⁴ The calculator adds $200,000 per person for domestic partners and singles (full self-insurance assumption) and $100,000 per person for married same-sex couples (50% partner-caregiver offset for early LTC events).

These are estimates for planning purposes. LTC insurance, Roth-funded LTC bridges, and hybrid life/LTC policies can reduce your self-insurance need — a fee-only advisor can model the tradeoffs.

Example — domestic partner couple, Kai (42) and Morgan (40), retiring at 58 and 56:
Annual expenses: $90,000 → Base FIRE number: $2,250,000.
SS gap: Kai’s projected SS at 70 = $3,200/month; Morgan’s = $900/month. Higher earner’s PIA = $3,200 ÷ 1.32 = $2,424/month. Spousal benefit (50% × $2,424) = $1,212/month > Morgan’s $900 → annual gap = ($1,212 − $900) × 12 = $3,744/yr → capitalized = $93,600.
Healthcare: Kai retires at 58 → 7 years of ACA premiums (ages 58–64, avg ~$1,090/month); Morgan retires at 56 → 9 years (ages 56–64, avg ~$1,060/month). Combined: ~$207,000.
LTC: 2 × $200,000 = $400,000.
Total adjusted FIRE target: ~$2,950,000 — 31% above the 25× shorthand.

Example — married same-sex couple, Cameron (50) and Drew (48), retiring at 65:
Annual expenses: $75,000 → Base FIRE number: $1,875,000.
SS gap: $0 — Drew gets the married spousal benefit (50% of Cameron’s FRA amount, higher than Drew’s own SS).
Healthcare: Both retire at 65 → $0 (Medicare eligible on day one).
LTC: 2 × $100,000 = $200,000 (partner caregiver offset).
Total adjusted FIRE target: ~$2,075,000 — 11% above base.

What this calculator doesn’t model

This calculator covers three of the largest LGBTQ+-specific FIRE adjustments. It does not model the inherited IRA 10-year rule tax exposure (see the Domestic Partner Inherited IRA Calculator), IRMAA premium surcharges in retirement (see the IRMAA Calculator), or Roth conversion optimization to shrink the inherited IRA problem. A complete plan requires modeling all three together.

Related tools and guides

LGBTQ+ FIRE Planning Guide — full framework: pre-59½ access strategies, ACA income management, SS delay math, IRMAA sequencing
Domestic Partner Inherited IRA Tax Calculator — quantify the 10-year forced distribution vs. spousal rollover penalty
LGBTQ+ Medicare IRMAA Premium Calculator — single-filer $109K vs. MFJ $218K IRMAA threshold difference
Roth Conversion Strategy for LGBTQ+ Households — why DPs have more urgency to convert before retirement
LGBTQ+ Health Insurance Planning — ACA marketplace rules for DP households and the 2026 subsidy cliff
LGBTQ+ Financial Planning for Singles — FIRE math without any partner safety net

Model your actual FIRE number with a specialist

The calculator identifies the structural gaps. Your real FIRE target depends on your specific tax situation, Roth conversion opportunities, IRMAA exposure, LTC insurance options, and Social Security timing strategy — all modeled together. A fee-only advisor who has built these plans for many LGBTQ+ households can give you a defensible number, not a range.

Fee-only · No commissions · Free match · No obligation

FIRE multiplier and safe withdrawal rate are standard financial-planning conventions. ACA values reflect 2026 plan-year data. LTC figures from 2025 national survey data. Verified June 2026.

SSA.gov — Spousal and Survivor Benefits. Spousal benefits (26 U.S.C. § 402(b)) are available only to legally married spouses. Domestic partners are not spouses under federal Social Security law regardless of the length of the relationship. Maximum spousal benefit: 50% of the higher earner’s primary insurance amount (PIA) at FRA. Survivor benefit: 100% of the deceased spouse’s benefit. Both are zero for domestic partners.
Healthcare.gov — Federal Poverty Level 2026. ACA premium tax credits (26 U.S.C. § 36B) phase out entirely at 400% FPL beginning with plan year 2026 following expiration of enhanced subsidies. 400% FPL thresholds: $62,600 for a household of one; $84,600 for a household of two. Domestic partners apply as separate households-of-one unless one is a tax dependent of the other.
KFF — ACA Marketplace Premiums 2026. Enhanced PTCs from the American Rescue Plan/Inflation Reduction Act expired December 31, 2025. 2026 gross premiums rose approximately 20% nationally. National average unsubsidized Silver plan for a 40-year-old: approximately $589/month (MoneyGeek/KFF 2026 data). Calculator uses national averages; actual premiums vary significantly by state and county.
Genworth 2025 Cost of Care Survey. National median assisted living: ~$54,000/year. Memory care: $65,000–$130,000/year. Average long-term care event duration: 2–3 years. Medicaid spousal impoverishment rules protect a community spouse’s assets (up to $162,660 CSRA) and income; domestic partners receive no corresponding protection and are subject to individual spend-down to $2,000.
SSA.gov — Social Security Benefits at Age 70. Delaying Social Security to 70 increases the monthly benefit to approximately 132% of the FRA (primary insurance amount) for workers born 1943 or later. Calculator reverses this factor to estimate PIA from user-entered age-70 benefit for spousal benefit computation.

LGBTQAdvisorMatch is a referral service, not a licensed advisory firm. We may receive compensation from professionals in our network. Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, or investment advice.