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Withdrawal calculator

Test how long a retirement nest egg could last when you withdraw a fixed amount each year, allowing for investment returns and inflation.

How it works Report a problem

Withdrawal calculator

Enter your values below and press Calculate to see your result instantly.

Portfolio Exhaustion Point
32 Years
SUSTAINABILITY SCORE
Moderate
TOTAL PAYOUT
$2,450,000
At your current withdrawal rate, the portfolio will be exhausted in 32 years, failing your 40-year horizon.

A savings pot under withdrawal is a race between two forces: the money leaving each month and the growth trying to replace it. This calculator runs that race honestly, showing how long a balance survives a given withdrawal, or what withdrawal a balance can sustain for exactly as long as you need.

How to use this calculator

  • Enter the starting balance.
  • Enter the regular withdrawal amount and how often it is taken.
  • Enter the expected annual growth rate of what remains invested.
  • Press calculate to see how long the pot lasts (or, in reverse, the sustainable withdrawal for a chosen period).


Withdrawals taken while the pot is shrinking early do outsized damage, because they remove money that would have compounded for decades — a pattern called sequence risk. It is why the same average returns in a different order can leave one retiree comfortable and another short, and why early restraint buys disproportionate safety.

Frequently asked questions

How long will 500,000 last withdrawing 2,000 a month?
With no growth, exactly 250 months (about 20.8 years). At a steady 5% annual growth, roughly 33 years, because growth replaces part of each withdrawal.
What is the 4% rule?
A retirement guideline: withdrawing about 4% of the starting balance per year (adjusted for inflation) historically sustained a diversified portfolio for about 30 years in most market sequences, though it is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
How is the withdrawal period calculated?
By simulating period by period: each step the balance grows by the rate, then the withdrawal leaves. The calculator counts the steps until the balance reaches zero.