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SWP Calculator
Plan a systematic withdrawal from your corpus and see how long it lasts. Adjust any input below and your results update instantly.
Understanding SWP
The concept, the motivation, and what to watch out for.
What is a SWP?
A Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) lets you withdraw a set amount from your investment every month — optionally increasing it each year — while the rest of your corpus stays invested and continues to grow.
It's the mirror image of a SIP — instead of building up a corpus with regular contributions, you're drawing it down with regular withdrawals, commonly used to generate a monthly income in retirement.
Growth and withdrawals compete
Whether your corpus grows, shrinks, or lasts forever depends entirely on whether your withdrawals are smaller or larger than what your corpus earns each month.
Sequence of returns matters
A market downturn early in your withdrawal period can deplete a corpus much faster than the same downturn later on, even if the average return over time is identical.
How this calculator helps
Move any slider and see instantly how long your corpus lasts, with the full formula and year-by-year balance shown alongside it.
Calculate your withdrawal plan
Fill in the starred fields on the left — your results update instantly on the right.
Your details
≈ ₹50.00 L
e.g. ₹50,00,000 retirement corpus
e.g. ₹35,000/mo for living expenses
e.g. 6% to roughly match inflation
e.g. 8% for a balanced portfolio
How these compare
vs. typical India long-term ranges
Annual withdrawal rate: 8.4%
Commonly cited safe rate: 3–5%
Annual step-up: 6%
Typical India inflation: 5–7%
These are example numbers. Edit any input on the left to see your own.
Your corpus lasts
14.3y
₹91.43 L withdrawn in total
Total withdrawn
₹91.43 L
Corpus at depletion
₹0
Balance vs. withdrawn that year
Remaining balanceWithdrawn that year
Year-by-year breakdown
"% of balance" shows that year’s withdrawal as a share of what’s left — a rising share is a warning sign your corpus is depleting.
YearRemaining balanceWithdrawn that yearStatus
1₹49.79 L₹4.20 L
8% of balance
8% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
3₹48.50 L₹4.72 L
10% of balance
10% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
5₹45.77 L₹5.30 L
12% of balance
12% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
7₹41.18 L₹5.96 L
14% of balance
14% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
9₹34.26 L₹6.69 L
20% of balance
20% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
11₹24.41 L₹7.52 L
31% of balance
31% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
13₹10.90 L₹8.45 L
78% of balance
78% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
14.3₹0₹3.17 L
Depleted
100% of remaining balance withdrawn this year
Compare scenarios
See how small changes affect how long your corpus lasts.
Your plan
₹35,000/mo · 8%
14.3y
Years corpus lasts
Baseline
Withdraw 20% less
₹28,000/mo · 8%
18.7y
Years corpus lasts
+4.3y
Return +2%
₹35,000/mo · 10%
17.3y
Years corpus lasts
+2.9y
Worked example, using your numbers
A step-by-step walkthrough of how your inputs determine how long your corpus lasts.
Step 1 · Stepping up your withdrawal
Starting at ₹35,000/mo and stepping up 6% every year, your withdrawal eventually reaches
₹79,132/mo
Step 2 · Total withdrawn
Across every year, your cumulative withdrawal reaches
₹91.43 L
Step 3 · How long it lasts
Compounding monthly while stepping up your withdrawal, your corpus lasts
14.3y
✓
Withdrawing ₹35,000/mo, your ₹50.00 L corpus lasts about 14y 4m before running out.
Personalised insights
What your numbers reveal, and what changing them would do.
Your corpus lasts about 14y 4m
Withdrawing ₹35,000/mo, you'd take out a total of ₹91.43 L before it runs out.
Your 8.4% withdrawal rate is above the commonly cited 4% safe rate
You're withdrawing ₹4.20 L a year from a ₹50.00 L corpus.
Withdrawing 20% less extends your corpus by 4.3 years
Dropping your withdrawal to ₹28,000/mo changes how long ₹50.00 L can support you.
Your final year's withdrawal reaches ₹79,132/mo
Starting at ₹35,000/mo and stepping up 6% every year, your monthly withdrawal grows to ₹79,132/mo by the time your corpus runs out.
How this is calculated
Every step of the math behind your result, shown in the open.
This year's withdrawal amount
W_0 = starting monthly withdrawal, s = annual step-up, y = year index, W_y = that year's monthly withdrawal
Your starting monthly withdrawal (W_0) increases by the step-up rate (s) once per year, so year y's withdrawal is W_0 compounded by (1+s) that many times.
Example: ₹35,000/mo stepping up 6%/yr → ₹79,132/mo eventually
Your balance evolves each month
B_prev = previous month's balance, W_y = this year's monthly withdrawal, r_m = monthly rate
Each month, last month's balance grows at the monthly rate, then that year's withdrawal (W_y) is subtracted — repeated month after month until it either runs out or keeps growing.
Example: ₹50.00 L growing at 0.67%/mo, minus each year's stepped-up withdrawal
Total withdrawn over time
Σ 12·W_y = sum of every year's withdrawals
Adding up each year's stepped-up withdrawals gives the total amount you've drawn from your corpus by any point in time.
Example: ₹91.43 L withdrawn in total before depletion
Assumptions
- Your monthly withdrawal steps up by a constant percentage once every 12 months.
- Returns compound monthly at a constant rate, rather than fluctuating year to year.
- Figures are indicative and pre-tax — not financial advice.
Did you know?
A few facts behind SWPs and drawing down a corpus.
4%
The 4% rule
A widely cited retirement guideline suggests withdrawing about 4% of your corpus in the first year, then adjusting for inflation, to make it last roughly 30 years.
Seq
Sequence of returns risk
Two portfolios with identical average returns can have very different outcomes if a downturn happens early in the withdrawal period rather than late.
Tax
Often more tax-efficient than FD interest
In India, SWP withdrawals from equity mutual funds are typically treated as capital gains, which can be more tax-efficient than fully taxable fixed deposit interest.
∞
A corpus can outlive you
If your withdrawal rate stays below your corpus's growth rate, the balance doesn't just last — it keeps compounding upward indefinitely.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions we hear most about SWPs.
What is a SWP?
A Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) lets you withdraw a fixed amount from a mutual fund or investment every month, while the remaining balance stays invested and continues to earn returns.
Will my corpus ever run out?
It depends on whether your monthly withdrawal is larger or smaller than what your corpus earns that month. If your withdrawal consistently exceeds your returns, the corpus will eventually deplete — otherwise it can last indefinitely.
What's a safe withdrawal rate?
A commonly cited starting point is 4% of your corpus annually, though the right number depends on your expected returns, time horizon, and how much risk of depletion you're comfortable with.
Why would I step up my withdrawal each year?
A fixed withdrawal buys less every year as prices rise. Stepping up your withdrawal — commonly by your expected inflation rate — helps your income keep pace with the rising cost of living, at the cost of depleting your corpus faster.
Does this account for taxes?
No, figures here are indicative and pre-tax. Actual withdrawals may be subject to capital gains tax depending on the type of investment and holding period.
Is this financial advice?
No. This tool provides indicative estimates based on your assumptions. Consult a certified financial advisor before making withdrawal decisions.
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Learn more
Articles to go deeper on the ideas behind this calculator.
Fundamentals
What is a safe withdrawal rate?
How the commonly cited 4% rule works, and where it can fall short.
6 min read
Risk
Sequence of returns risk, explained
Why the order your returns arrive in matters as much as their average.
6 min read
Comparison
SWP vs fixed deposit payouts
Comparing a market-linked withdrawal plan against a fixed deposit's interest payout.
5 min read