Safe Withdrawal Rate

Free Safe Withdrawal Rate calculator with clear step-by-step results.

About Safe Withdrawal Rate

The 4% rule is a planning baseline for a sustainable 30-year retirement.

Formula

Withdrawal rate = annual spend ÷ portfolio × 100

Worked example

With the default values below, Safe Withdrawal Rate returns Current Withdrawal Rate of 4.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Portfolio valueminimum 0 $: 800,000 $
Annual spendingminimum 0 $: 32,000 $
Years of retirementaccepts 1–50: 30

Results

Current Withdrawal Rate: 4.00%
4% Sustainable Spend: $32,000.00
Shortfall vs 4% Rule: $0.00

Step by step

1Values used
2Formula
3Current Withdrawal Rate= 4.00
44% Sustainable Spend= $32,000
5Shortfall vs 4% Rule= $0

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this calculator work?