Safe Withdrawal Rate Calculator

2026 rules

Find the steady, inflation-adjusted withdrawal your portfolio can support for the years you need, and test a bad first year.

Your numbers

Portfolio

Years it must last

Real return (after inflation)

A 60/40 portfolio has averaged roughly 4-5% real historically; lower is more cautious.

First-year loss to stress-test

Try 25-35 to see a bad start.

Result

Sustainable withdrawal rate4.82%

Yearly withdrawal (today's dollars)$48,160
Monthly$4,013
Years covered30 years
Money left at the end$0

This spends the portfolio to zero on schedule. To leave a cushion or an inheritance, use a lower rate.

How it works

The calculator solves for the level real withdrawal that spends the portfolio to exactly zero at the end of your horizon at the return you enter.

A loss early in retirement hurts more than the same loss later, because you're selling shares while they're down. That is sequence risk; the first-year loss field shows its effect on the rate.

2026 figures: IRS Publication 590-B, Appendix B; IRS Rev. Rul. 2026-19 (October 2026 AFRs); IRS Notice 2022-6 (72(t) payments).

Questions

What real return should I use?

For a balanced portfolio, 2% to 4% real is a cautious range. Lower returns give lower, safer rates.

Why does this rate differ from 4%?

The 4% rule comes from the worst historical periods. This calculator uses one steady return you choose, so it shows what that assumption supports.