Zero return, fixed withdrawals
A 12,000 balance with 1,000 withdrawn monthly and no growth or yearly withdrawal increase is exhausted in month 12. Total withdrawn is 12,000.
Simulate monthly withdrawals from a balance at a constant effective annual return. Optionally increase the withdrawal once each year, beginning in month 13.
Scenario outcome
Depleted in month 111
The last withdrawal is capped at the available balance.
USD 119,979.44Total withdrawn
USD 19,979.44Total growth / loss
USD 0.00Ending balance
Monthly schedule
Calculated at full precision; displayed amounts are rounded. CSV includes every period with six decimal places.
| Month | Opening | Interest / growth | Withdrawal | Closing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USD 100,000.00 | USD 327.37 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 99,327.37 |
| 2 | USD 99,327.37 | USD 325.17 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 98,652.55 |
| 3 | USD 98,652.55 | USD 322.96 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 97,975.51 |
| 4 | USD 97,975.51 | USD 320.75 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 97,296.26 |
| 5 | USD 97,296.26 | USD 318.52 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 96,614.78 |
| 6 | USD 96,614.78 | USD 316.29 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 95,931.07 |
| 7 | USD 95,931.07 | USD 314.05 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 95,245.12 |
| 8 | USD 95,245.12 | USD 311.81 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 94,556.93 |
| 9 | USD 94,556.93 | USD 309.55 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 93,866.49 |
| 10 | USD 93,866.49 | USD 307.29 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 93,173.78 |
| 11 | USD 93,173.78 | USD 305.03 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 92,478.81 |
| 12 | USD 92,478.81 | USD 302.75 | USD 1,000.00 | USD 91,781.56 |
Monthly return = (1 + annual return)^(1/12) − 1. This assumes smooth growth and ignores taxes, fees, market volatility, sequence of returns, and required distributions. It is not a retirement adequacy or safe withdrawal assessment.
Your inputs and calculations stay in this browser. No live financial data is fetched; amounts use your selected USD or GBP labels.
How to use the Savings Withdrawal Calculator
- 01
Enter the starting balance and initial monthly withdrawal.
- 02
Choose an effective annual return, an annual withdrawal increase, and start- or end-month timing.
- 03
Set a horizon, inspect whether funds remain, and download the monthly cash-flow schedule.
Examples
A partial last withdrawal
A 2,500 balance with 1,000 monthly withdrawals at 0% provides two full withdrawals and a final 500 withdrawal in month three.
Growth and withdrawal timing
The monthly growth factor is the twelfth root of one plus the effective annual return. For month-end withdrawals, growth applies to the opening balance before withdrawing. For month-start withdrawals, the withdrawal comes first and only the remaining funds receive that month’s growth or loss.
Annual increases are step changes
The initial withdrawal applies to months 1 through 12. It is multiplied by one plus the increase rate for months 13 through 24, and again each year after that. The increase can represent a chosen inflation assumption, but it is not tied to actual CPI data.
A scenario cannot establish a safe withdrawal rate
The same average return can produce very different outcomes when losses happen early rather than late. This simulation smooths all returns and does not test volatility or a range of market paths. A balance remaining at your selected horizon says only that it remains in this particular arithmetic scenario.
What to know
- No taxes, fees, investment recommendations, market volatility, required distributions, or retirement adequacy assessment.
- Annual return is effective, not nominal. At most 1,200 months are simulated.
Common questions
What happens when the requested withdrawal is too large?
The withdrawal is capped at available funds. The balance becomes zero, the simulation stops, and the last scheduled withdrawal may be smaller than requested.
Does money left after 20 years last forever?
No. That result only describes the selected horizon, up to 100 years. Longer withdrawals, changing returns, taxes, and fees may change the outcome.
Can I model annual losses?
Yes. An effective return as low as −99% is accepted, converted to an equivalent monthly rate. This is a smooth loss assumption rather than market behavior.