The increasing amount of structures presenting distress due to reinforcement corrosion is urging the establishment of more accurate calculation methods for the service life of concrete structures. In the present paper, a summary of the different approaches is presented that are able to calculate the expected life of new structures, in certain aggressive environments or the residual life of already corroding structures. The methods are based on the proper calculation of the carbonation front or chloride penetration and on the steel corrosion rate.