How Long Will My Money Last?
United States Uses U.S. IRS retirement-account and federal deposit rules. Figures are in U.S. dollars.
How long will my money last: the age your savings run out with rising withdrawals, a bad first year and Social Security, the odds of living that long and a withdrawal that lasts.
Educational estimate only. Not a lending decision. Your numbers stay in this browser.
Results
How to read this: the verdict describes how much room your numbers leave, not a decision or an offer. Change any input to see how much the result moves.
Investing and retirement guides
These guides explain compounding, contribution projections, retirement targets, inflation, and real returns.
- Compound interest explained
- Investment return with contributions
- Retirement savings target
- Inflation and real returns
For all guide topics, open Guides. For source and estimate boundaries, read Calculation Methodology and Sources and Assumptions.
Assumptions and formula
The calculator runs your savings month by month: each month’s share of the year’s withdrawal comes out first, less any other income once it has started, and the rest earns the monthly equivalent of the yearly return. Withdrawals and other income rise each year by the increase you enter. The money runs out in the month the balance cannot cover the withdrawal.
The bad-start test repeats the plan with the first year’s return replaced by the loss you enter (20% by default) and the same return after it, showing the cost of losses early in retirement. Chances of being alive are from the SSA 2023 period life table used in the 2026 Trustees Report, for your age and sex. The sustainable withdrawal is the first-year amount, rising the same way, that lasts exactly to the age you plan to; withdrawals are before tax.
Worked example
Age 65 with $500,000, taking $40,000 a year (8%) rising 2.5% with a 5% return: the money lasts about 15 years, to 80, and a woman of 65 has a 74% chance of being alive then. A 20% loss in the first year cuts it to about 11 years. Starting at about $23,650 lasts to 95; $24,000 a year of Social Security from 67 makes the $40,000 last past 110.
Frequently asked questions
How long will $1 million last in retirement?
At $60,000 a year rising 2.5% and a 5% return, about 21 and a half years from 65. To last to 95, start at about $47,300 a year.
How long will $500,000 last in retirement?
At $40,000 a year rising 2.5% for inflation and a 5% return, about 15 years: from 65 to 80. A 20% fall in the first year cuts that to about 11 years. To last to 95 at the same return, start at about $23,650 a year, 4.7% of the savings.
What is a safe withdrawal rate?
The 4% rule, from studies of U.S. returns since 1926, takes 4% in the first year and raises it with inflation, and has lasted 30 years in most historical periods. It is a starting point: lower returns, a longer retirement or a bad first few years call for less. The calculator works out the first-year withdrawal that lasts to the age you choose at your return.
Why does a bad first year matter so much?
Withdrawals in a falling market sell more of your investments at low prices, and that money is not there for the recovery. With $500,000 and $40,000 a year, a 20% loss in the first year runs the money out about four years sooner than a steady 5% from the start, even with 5% every year after. Losses early in retirement hurt more than the same losses later: sequence-of-returns risk.
How likely am I to live to 90 or 95?
From the SSA 2023 period life table, a woman of 65 has about a 35% chance of reaching 90 and 14% of reaching 95; a man of 65, about 24% and 8%. Planning to 95 covers most people but not everyone, which is why lifetime income such as Social Security matters.
How does Social Security change how long my money lasts?
It pays part of each year’s spending from when it starts, so less comes out of savings. With $500,000 and $40,000 a year, $24,000 of Social Security from 67 stretches the money from about 15 years to over 45.
Is this a retirement withdrawal calculator?
Yes: a how long will my money last calculator, retirement withdrawal calculator and how long will my savings last calculator, with the sustainable withdrawal to the age you choose. It answers how long will 500k last in retirement, and works as a retirement drawdown calculator.
How long will my funds last with systematic withdrawals?
Enter your savings, the amount you withdraw each year and your expected return: the calculator shows how long your funds last with those systematic withdrawals, and how the answer changes with the return.
Sources
Sources reviewed 3 October 2026: checked against their current editions on that date.
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary, Actuarial Life Table: the 2023 period life table for the Social Security area population, as used in the 2026 Trustees Report.
This page is an educational estimate, not personal financial or tax advice. Eligibility and individual circumstances can change the result.