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CapitalVerdict

SWP calculator: how long will my money last if I withdraw every month?

An educational estimate, not financial advice. The result depends on the assumptions below, so check them against your own figures.

Inputs

For equity mutual funds and shares, resident individuals, tax year 2026-27.

Your numbersOnly you know these. Change them to get your own answer.

Invested once, at the start.

₹

₹50 lakh

Taken out at the end of every month.

₹

How long you stay invested.

years
Check theseNobody knows future returns. Try a lower one too.

An assumption, not a forecast. Use the return after the fund's expense ratio.

%
Filled in for youWithdrawal rises 6% a year, inflation 6%
More assumptions

Raise it with inflation to keep the same spending power.

%

For the today's-rupees figure.

%

Verdict

₹30,000 a month runs out after 20 years 5 months

You take out ₹1.38 crore in all and pay about ₹8.33 lakh in tax on the gains in it.

Example figures: ₹50 lakh, ₹30,000 a month rising 6% a year, for 25 years. Use your own.

Over 25 years
  • You put in₹50.00 lakh
  • You take out₹1.38 crore

    Includes about ₹8.33 lakh tax on the gains

  • Left at the end₹0

Equity returns are not guaranteed. A fund can fall in value, and can stay below what you put in for years. The return used here is an assumption, not a forecast; try lower ones to see how the answer changes.

This assumes the same return every year. If markets fall in the first years of withdrawals, the money runs out sooner than an average return suggests.

How equity gains are taxed
  • Held 12 months or less: short-term, taxed at 20% of the gain.
  • Held longer: long-term, taxed at 12.5% of the gains above ₹1,25,000 in a year.
  • Plus 4% cess on the tax. PPF interest is tax-free; FD and RD interest is taxed every year at your slab rate.
  • The amounts above already have this tax taken off.

Returns compound yearly: 12% a year is 12% a year, about 0.95% a month. Calculators that use 1% a month show slightly more.

Saved scenarios

What would flip the answer

Each line changes one input and holds the rest.

None of the inputs we test flips the answer within a realistic range.

Not modelled: weigh these yourself

Show the workingEvery step of the sum, with the numbers above.
Show the chart and year-by-year tableHow the fund falls as you withdraw, and the tax each year.
Fund value, month by month
Show year by year
YearTaken outTaxValue at year end
1₹3.60 lakh₹3,741₹51.24 lakh
2₹3.82 lakh₹0₹52.37 lakh
3₹4.04 lakh₹0₹53.38 lakh
4₹4.29 lakh₹0₹54.24 lakh
5₹4.54 lakh₹4,495₹54.92 lakh
6₹4.82 lakh₹9,434₹55.37 lakh
7₹5.11 lakh₹14,535₹55.57 lakh
8₹5.41 lakh₹19,813₹55.47 lakh
9₹5.74 lakh₹25,283₹55.03 lakh
10₹6.08 lakh₹30,960₹54.17 lakh
11₹6.45 lakh₹36,863₹52.85 lakh
12₹6.83 lakh₹43,008₹50.99 lakh
13₹7.24 lakh₹49,414₹48.52 lakh
14₹7.68 lakh₹56,101₹45.35 lakh
15₹8.14 lakh₹63,089₹41.38 lakh
16₹8.63 lakh₹70,400₹36.50 lakh
17₹9.15 lakh₹78,057₹30.60 lakh
18₹9.69 lakh₹86,085₹23.53 lakh
19₹10.28 lakh₹94,507₹15.14 lakh
20₹10.89 lakh₹1.03 lakh₹5.27 lakh
21₹5.41 lakh₹43,915₹0
22₹0₹0₹0
23₹0₹0₹0
24₹0₹0₹0
25₹0₹0₹0

Tax on each year's withdrawals, on the gains only, after the ₹1.25 lakh yearly exemption on long-term gains.

At other returns

How long the same withdrawals last if the fund did worse or better.

    Show every monthThe full month-by-month table, with a CSV download.

    How this works

    Your money stays invested and grows at the return you enter, while a fixed amount is withdrawn at the end of every month. Each withdrawal sells your oldest units first, and only the gain in it is taxed. The answer is how long the withdrawals last and what is left at the end.

    Assumptions and sources

    AssumptionValueSourceAs of
    Capital-gains tax on equity, short / long term20% / 12.5%PIB, 'Union Budget 2024-25: Key Tax Reforms and Relief Measures' (July 2024): long-term gains on all financial and non-financial assets 12.5% without indexation; exemption on equity gains raised to ₹1.25 lakh a year from FY 2024-25; short-term gains on specified financial assets 20%. ₹1,25,000 exemption also in CBDT ITR-1 validation rules AY 2026-27, rule 217. Unchanged for tax year 2026-27 (PIB New India Samachar, February 2026, p. 25). Holding periods (listed securities one year, all other assets two years): CBDT FAQs on the new capital-gains regime, PIB release PRID 2036604 (July 2024); units held 12 months or less are treated as short-term.2026-10-21
    Yearly exemption on equity gains₹1,25,000PIB, 'Union Budget 2024-25: Key Tax Reforms and Relief Measures' (July 2024): long-term gains on all financial and non-financial assets 12.5% without indexation; exemption on equity gains raised to ₹1.25 lakh a year from FY 2024-25; short-term gains on specified financial assets 20%. ₹1,25,000 exemption also in CBDT ITR-1 validation rules AY 2026-27, rule 217. Unchanged for tax year 2026-27 (PIB New India Samachar, February 2026, p. 25). Holding periods (listed securities one year, all other assets two years): CBDT FAQs on the new capital-gains regime, PIB release PRID 2036604 (July 2024); units held 12 months or less are treated as short-term.2026-10-21
    Fund return before tax (scenarios)7% / 10% / 12%CapitalVerdict default assumption from project spec; user-editable, not a forecast2026-10-19
    Inflation a year7% / 6% / 5%CapitalVerdict default assumption from project spec; user-editable, not a forecast2026-10-19

    Questions

    Is an SWP taxed like interest?

    No. Each withdrawal sells units, and only the gain in those units is taxed, as a capital gain. Early withdrawals are mostly your own money coming back, so the tax is usually low.

    How much can I withdraw safely?

    The answer card shows the most you can take for the years you choose, at the return you enter. A lower return or a few bad years early on shrink it, so many people take less than the maximum.

    Should the withdrawal rise each year?

    If the withdrawals pay your living costs, yes: prices rise, so a fixed amount buys less each year. Set the yearly rise to your expected inflation.

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