Calculators
Safe Withdrawal Rate Calculator
Calculate the first-year retirement withdrawal from a portfolio, then how many years it lasts with inflation-adjusted withdrawals.
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The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Checking whether retirement savings are enough
- Choosing a withdrawal rate
- Testing early retirement plans
- Retirement income conversations
About this tool
What the Safe Withdrawal Rate Calculator does
A safe withdrawal rate is the share of a portfolio you withdraw in the first year of retirement, then increase with inflation each year. The well-known 4% rule comes from studies of historical US returns over 30-year retirements. This calculator tests your rate against an assumed return.
It also works as a safe withdrawal calculator or a 4% rule calculator.
Formula
- First-year withdrawal = portfolio × withdrawal rate
- Each year: balance = (balance − withdrawal) × (1 + return); withdrawal rises with inflation
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Portfolio at retirement | $1,000,000 |
| First-year withdrawal rate | 4% |
| Annual return | 5% |
| Inflation | 2.5% |
| Years to plan for | 30 |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| First-year withdrawal | $40,000 |
| Over your plan period | Lasts the full period |
| Monthly in year one | $3,333 |
| Years until money runs out | 37.5 years |
| Balance at the end of the plan | $584,993 |
How to read the result
A constant return hides sequence risk: poor returns in the first years of retirement do far more damage than the same returns later. Use a cautious return.
Flexible spending, such as cutting withdrawals after a bad year, makes higher starting rates safer.
For education only, not investment advice. Past returns do not guarantee future results.
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Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
Withdrawing 4% of your portfolio in the first year of retirement and adjusting for inflation each year, which historically lasted at least 30 years in most US periods.
It depends on returns, fees, retirement length and flexibility. Many planners use 3% to 4% for longer retirements.
The risk that poor returns early in retirement deplete savings faster than the same returns later would.
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