Free safe withdrawal rate calculator
A safe withdrawal rate calculator tells you what percentage of your portfolio you can spend each year without running out. The famous answer is the "4% rule" — but that single number was calibrated to a 30-year retirement. Retire earlier and the safe rate falls; retire later and it can rise. Coastline computes the horizon-specific rate with taxes included, so it isn't one flat guess.
Safe withdrawal rate by retirement age
The safe rate depends mostly on how long the money must last. After-tax sustainable withdrawal on a $1,000,000 portfolio, 6% nominal return, 3% inflation, no Social Security:
| Retire at | Horizon | Safe rate | Safe spend / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 55 yrs | 3.5% | $35,000 |
| 45 | 50 yrs | 3.6% | $36,000 |
| 50 | 45 yrs | 3.8% | $38,000 |
| 55 | 40 yrs | 4.0% | $40,500 |
| 60 | 35 yrs | 4.3% | $43,500 |
| 65 | 30 yrs | 4.8% | $48,000 |
Why "4%" is a starting point, not a law
- Horizon. The 4% rule assumed ~30 years. A 45- or 50-year early retirement needs a more conservative rate; a shorter late retirement can support more.
- Sequence of returns. The safe rate exists because of the risk of a crash early in retirement. A calculator that ignores that (using a flat average) will overstate what's safe.
- Taxes. The rule is usually quoted pre-tax. What you can actually spend is lower, because withdrawals from traditional accounts are taxed — which Coastline nets out.
- Flexibility. Adjusting spending down in bad years (rather than a rigid inflation-adjusted draw) can safely raise your average rate. A dynamic strategy is worth modeling.
Why Coastline's version is different
Most free calculators hand you a single headline number with the assumptions hidden. Coastline is built the opposite way:
- Real tax math, not a flat rate. It applies federal and state income tax, long-term capital-gains rules, and account-by-account treatment (taxable, traditional, Roth) — in both your working years and retirement.
- The whole journey. It models accumulation (saving and investing) and drawdown (spending it down), so you see how the plan connects end to end, not just one half.
- The math is shown. Every figure has a click-through breakdown of how it was computed — a level of transparency even paid tools rarely expose.
- US and Canada. It natively handles Canadian plans (RRSP, TFSA, CPP, OAS) alongside US accounts, which most calculators ignore.
- Free, no signup. No account, no email, no account-linking. Your inputs run the projection and are then discarded.
Figures assume a $1,000,000 portfolio, 60% taxable / 30% traditional / 10% Roth, 6% nominal return, 3% inflation, single filer, no Social Security. Guaranteed income and a paid-off home raise the sustainable rate — model yours in the calculator.
Common questions
What is a safe withdrawal rate?
The percentage of your portfolio you can withdraw in the first year (then adjust for inflation) with a high chance the money lasts your whole retirement. The classic 4% rule is a 30-year benchmark, not a universal law.
Is 4% still safe?
It depends on your horizon. For a ~30-year retirement (say, starting at 65) a rate near 4.8% after tax holds up in this projection; for a 45-year early retirement the safe rate falls closer to 3.6%. Sequence risk and taxes are why.
Does the calculator include taxes?
Yes. Coastline nets out the federal and state tax on withdrawals from each account type, so the "safe spend" is what you can actually spend — not a pre-tax figure.
Is it free?
Yes, entirely free with no signup, and you can stress-test your rate against real historical market sequences as well as the year-by-year projection.