Household

Last updated September 19, 2026

Household is who's in the plan and when — your age, retirement age, filing status, dependents, and how long the plan runs.

Your current age and target retirement age anchor every age-based rule in your results: when required distributions start, when Social Security timing options open up, and how many years the simulation actually runs. "Plan to age" (95 by default) is the last year simulated — push it later and the same savings have to stretch further.

Filing status picks which federal tax table applies and, if you're married filing jointly, unlocks a full set of spouse fields (age, retirement age, plan-to age) alongside your own — each spouse gets an independent Social Security and required-distribution schedule.

If you set a target retirement age before 59½, a note about the 10% early-withdrawal penalty appears, with an option to elect a 72(t) "substantially equal periodic payments" schedule that avoids it. The payment amount shown is a simplified estimate, not the exact IRS calculation — confirm the real number with a CPA before actually filing a 72(t) election.

The wizard's own Household step has a "Help me find it" button that sweeps possible retirement ages to find one that clears your success target — it only solves for the primary person's age, not a joint solve for both spouses at once.

Kids get a name and current age here; their college plans live on the Spending & goals section, not here.