Retirement drawdown simulator
Works out what age your savings run out at, and what monthly spending they can safely support.
Enter what you have at retirement and what you spend each month, and this works out the age the money runs out — and what monthly spending would make it last to the age you want. It runs for one person or a couple, applies inflation to both spending and pensions, includes the gap before the pension starts and any remaining loan, and lists the withdrawals year by year.
Your numbers
What you enter is saved in this browser, so it is still here next time
One person spending, one pension
The further out you plan, the safer — and the more you need
Treated as repaid out of assets at the start. Enter 0 if there is none.
Inflation is added each year for you
If it starts after you retire, living costs come entirely out of assets in between
How long the money lasts
Age the money runs out
81
The drawdown
- Covered by the pension each month
- From age 65
- Taken from assets each month
- ₩3,000,000
- Lasts
- 21 yrs
Retiring at 60 and with the first pension at 65, there are 5 years with none. In that stretch the full ₩3,000,000 a month comes out of assets, which is where the balance falls fastest.
To make it last to 100
- Most you can spend a month
- ₩2,204,583
- Over the current plan by
- ₩795,417
As planned, the money runs out at 81. Bring monthly spending under ₩2,204,583, save more before retiring, or retire later.
An estimate that assumes a year's spending is withdrawn at the start of each year and the rest earns the return you entered. Real returns vary year to year, and a large loss early in retirement empties the pot far faster even at the same average return. Tax on pensions and withdrawals is not included.
How the balance falls
Year by year
What is spent each year and how much of it comes out of assets. Living costs and pensions both rise each year by the inflation rate you set.
| Age | Living costs | Pension | Taken from assets | Taken so far | Returns that year | Balance at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | ₩36M | ₩0 | ₩36M | ₩36M | ₩18.6M | ₩482.6M |
| 61 | ₩36.9M | ₩0 | ₩36.9M | ₩72.9M | ₩17.8M | ₩463.5M |
| 62 | ₩37.8M | ₩0 | ₩37.8M | ₩110.7M | ₩17M | ₩442.7M |
| 63 | ₩38.8M | ₩0 | ₩38.8M | ₩149.5M | ₩16.2M | ₩420.1M |
| 64 | ₩39.7M | ₩0 | ₩39.7M | ₩189.2M | ₩15.2M | ₩395.6M |
| 65 | ₩40.7M | ₩13.6M | ₩27.2M | ₩216.4M | ₩14.7M | ₩383.1M |
| 66 | ₩41.7M | ₩13.9M | ₩27.8M | ₩244.2M | ₩14.2M | ₩369.5M |
| 67 | ₩42.8M | ₩14.3M | ₩28.5M | ₩272.7M | ₩13.6M | ₩354.6M |
| 68 | ₩43.9M | ₩14.6M | ₩29.2M | ₩302M | ₩13M | ₩338.4M |
| 69 | ₩45M | ₩15M | ₩30M | ₩332M | ₩12.3M | ₩320.8M |
| 70 | ₩46.1M | ₩15.4M | ₩30.7M | ₩362.7M | ₩11.6M | ₩301.6M |
| 71 | ₩47.2M | ₩15.7M | ₩31.5M | ₩394.2M | ₩10.8M | ₩281M |
| 72 | ₩48.4M | ₩16.1M | ₩32.3M | ₩426.4M | ₩9.9M | ₩258.6M |
| 73 | ₩49.6M | ₩16.5M | ₩33.1M | ₩459.5M | ₩9M | ₩234.6M |
| 74 | ₩50.9M | ₩17M | ₩33.9M | ₩493.4M | ₩8M | ₩208.7M |
| 75 | ₩52.1M | ₩17.4M | ₩34.8M | ₩528.2M | ₩7M | ₩180.9M |
| 76 | ₩53.4M | ₩17.8M | ₩35.6M | ₩563.8M | ₩5.8M | ₩151.1M |
| 77 | ₩54.8M | ₩18.3M | ₩36.5M | ₩600.3M | ₩4.6M | ₩119.1M |
| 78 | ₩56.1M | ₩18.7M | ₩37.4M | ₩637.8M | ₩3.3M | ₩85M |
| 79 | ₩57.6M | ₩19.2M | ₩38.4M | ₩676.1M | ₩1.9M | ₩48.5M |
| 80 | ₩59M | ₩19.7M | ₩39.3M | ₩715.5M | ₩365K | ₩9.5M |
| 81 | ₩29.7M | ₩20.2M | ₩9.5M | ₩725M | ₩0 | ₩0 |
The three steps
Set a target, save towards it, then work out how to spend what you saved — each step carries into the next
- 1Set a target
- 2Save
- 3Spend
This is the last step. Change anything in an earlier step and it carries through to here again.
Make a link with these numbers
Opening the link fills this screen with the same values. Useful for going through it with a partner, or for comparing two sets of conditions.
Common questions
QWhat is the 4% rule?
A rule of thumb from US research: take 4% of your savings in the first year of retirement, then raise it by inflation, and it should last about thirty years. This calculator works from your actual spending, pension and returns instead of a fixed percentage, so the answer fits your situation more closely.
QHow do I decide what is safe to spend?
The monthly ceiling in the result is that answer. It is the amount that leaves the balance at exactly zero at the target age; spend less and money is left over, spend more and it runs out sooner.
QWhy are losses early in retirement especially dangerous?
Even at the same average return, a large loss early means spending comes out of an already-reduced pot, and the base that would have recovered is gone — sequence-of-returns risk. This calculator assumes the same return every year, so it does not capture that. Setting aside the first few years of spending in safe assets is a common answer.
QHow is the period before the pension starts handled?
Enter a pension start age later than the retirement age and the pension is treated as zero until then, with spending taken entirely from savings. Retiring at 55 with the pension from 65 makes that ten years. Skipping this makes savings appear to last far longer than they would, so anyone considering early retirement should include it.
QHow is a couple calculated?
Savings, debts and spending are entered once for the household; only the national pension is counted twice. If your ages differ the pensions arrive at different times, and the year-by-year table shows exactly when each one joins. Until both are running, more is being taken out of savings.
QWhat if a loan is still outstanding?
Enter the balance remaining at retirement and it is repaid from savings first, with the drawdown planned from what is left. If you plan to keep paying it down instead, another approach is to include the monthly repayment in your spending.
QIs tax on withdrawals included?
No, this is before tax. For tax on money drawn from a pension savings account or IRP, see the pension income tax calculator.