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Retirement Withdrawal Calculator

Translate an initial withdrawal-rate assumption into retirement income and see an inflation-adjusted withdrawal projection.

Your assumptions

Formatting only, not an exchange-rate conversion. Use the same currency for every amount.

The amount already saved or invested.

A planning assumption, not a guaranteed safe rate. Try several values.

A projection horizon, not a prediction of your lifespan.

An effective annual return before fees and inflation. The example is not a forecast.

A percentage of invested assets, modeled as an annual growth reduction.

Your assumed yearly change in prices, not a country-specific forecast.

These calculator inputs stay in this page and are not saved or sent to an application API. They do not change your Canadian planner inputs or saved profiles.

Your illustration

The percentage applies to the starting portfolio, not each year's remaining balance. The first-year amount then rises annually with inflation; withdrawals occur monthly.

First-year annual withdrawal
CAD 40,000
First-year monthly withdrawal
CAD 3,333.33
Full withdrawals funded
At least 30 years

No withdrawal shortfall within the 30-year model. This does not mean savings will last indefinitely or that the chosen rate is safe.

Year-by-year projection (CAD)
Projection from year 0 to year 30. Exact values are available in the year-by-year table below.0545.3K1.1MYear 0Year 30
Nominal balanceBalance in today's money
View year-by-year table
Illustrative year-end values in CAD. Displayed amounts are rounded.
YearNominal balanceBalance in today's money
0CAD 1,000,000CAD 1,000,000
1CAD 1,003,787CAD 979,304
2CAD 1,006,719CAD 958,210
3CAD 1,008,733CAD 936,709
4CAD 1,009,761CAD 914,794
5CAD 1,009,732CAD 892,456
6CAD 1,008,572CAD 869,688
7CAD 1,006,201CAD 846,482
8CAD 1,002,536CAD 822,828
9CAD 997,490CAD 798,718
10CAD 990,970CAD 774,144
11CAD 982,880CAD 749,097
12CAD 973,117CAD 723,567
13CAD 961,573CAD 697,545
14CAD 948,135CAD 671,021
15CAD 932,684CAD 643,986
16CAD 915,095CAD 616,431
17CAD 895,236CAD 588,345
18CAD 872,967CAD 559,717
19CAD 848,144CAD 530,538
20CAD 820,613CAD 500,796
21CAD 790,213CAD 470,482
22CAD 756,774CAD 439,583
23CAD 720,119CAD 408,089
24CAD 680,060CAD 375,988
25CAD 636,402CAD 343,269
26CAD 588,937CAD 309,919
27CAD 537,450CAD 275,927
28CAD 481,713CAD 241,280
29CAD 421,487CAD 205,965
30CAD 356,522CAD 169,969

Educational estimates, not financial advice. Actual returns and inflation vary. Taxes, government benefits, currency movements and market volatility are not modeled. No result guarantees retirement income.

How this calculator works

We multiply the starting savings by the selected rate to determine first-year income. After that, the amount increases with inflation instead of resetting to a percentage of the remaining balance. The projection uses the same beginning-of-month withdrawal method as the savings-longevity calculator.

First-year withdrawal = starting savings x withdrawal rate / 100. Later annual withdrawals = first-year withdrawal x (1 + inflation)^year.

Rates in formulas are decimals. P is starting savings, C is the monthly contribution, n is the number of months, and m is the effective monthly return. Net annual growth is (1 + gross return) × (1 - annual fee) - 1. The equivalent monthly rate is (1 + annual rate)^(1/12) - 1. Real returns also divide the annual growth factor by (1 + inflation).

Example: With 1,000,000 saved and a 4% assumption, first-year withdrawals total 40,000. At 2.5% inflation, the second year's requested withdrawals total 41,000, regardless of that year's portfolio balance.

Change the examples to reflect your situation and test less favorable assumptions. These simplified formulas exclude country-specific taxes and benefits. Constant investment returns do not capture market volatility or the order in which gains and losses occur.

Common questions

Is the 4% rule a guarantee?

No. Four percent is an editable illustration, not a universal recommendation. Historical research, different markets, fees, taxes and retirement horizons do not establish a guaranteed outcome for you.

Is this a tax-withholding or minimum-withdrawal calculator?

No. It excludes tax calculations and mandatory retirement-account withdrawals in every country. The displayed income is before any taxes you may owe.

Background & references

These references explain the underlying concepts. The formulas and timing described above define this tool; no country-specific rules are imported from the references.

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Estimate your financial independence target, when you might reach it, and how different withdrawal rates change how long savings may last.

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Go beyond these general illustrations with Canadian government benefits, registered accounts and estimated taxes.

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