SWP calculator
How long a fund corpus lasts with regular withdrawals, or the most you can take.
- Monthly income
- How long it lasts
- Yearly raise
- After tax
I want . I have , it earns , and I take out a month , for .
Left after 25 years
₹81,70,088
withdrawn ₹90 lakh · lasts all 25 years
Your corpus over time
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Facts checked 18 Oct 2026Your numbers stay on your deviceIndian rules, amounts in rupees
Please note. Estimates for learning and planning, not investment, tax or legal advice. Mutual funds carry market risk and returns are not guaranteed. Elathi is not a SEBI-registered adviser.
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026Your numbers stay on your deviceIndian rules, amounts in rupees
Please note. Estimates for learning and planning, not investment, tax or legal advice. Mutual funds carry market risk and returns are not guaranteed. Elathi is not a SEBI-registered adviser.
What moves it most
1 of 3Prices rise, so a fixed ₹30,000 buys less every year. With a 5% yearly raise it lasts about 18 years 11 months.
Milestones
Moments in the life of the corpus.
- Took out corpusby year 14 · withdrawn ₹50.4 lakh
SWP or FD for income
Income a month in the first year. Turn on After tax to see the difference tax makes.
- 1Your SWPYoursMost₹30,000 a month₹30,000
- 2FD monthly payout6.5% on the same amount₹27,083−₹2,917
- 3Savings accountabout 2.5%₹10,417−₹19,583
FD at about 6.5% with monthly payout; its interest is fully taxed at your slab every year, while an SWP is taxed only on the gain part of each withdrawal. The FD keeps the corpus fixed; the SWP spends it down.
SWP calculator
How long a fund corpus lasts with regular withdrawals, or the most you can take.
Left after 25 years ₹81,70,088
Taking ₹30,000 a month from ₹50,00,000 at 8% lasts all 25 years: you withdraw ₹90,00,000 and ₹81,70,088 is still invested.
- Total withdrawn
- ₹90,00,000
- Left at the end
- ₹81,70,088
- First-year withdrawal rate
- 7.2%
Guide
What this tool is for
It works out how long a corpus lasts when you draw a regular income from it, or the most you could safely take. Withdrawals come out while the rest stays invested, so the answer depends on what you take, what the fund earns and how long you need it.
Who it's for: retired people turning a corpus into a monthly income; anyone setting up an income for parents; and people deciding how much they can take without the money running out.
What an SWP is
A systematic withdrawal plan (SWP) turns a mutual fund corpus into a regular income. You tell the fund house to pay a fixed amount to your bank account every month (or quarter), and it sells just enough units each time. The rest stays invested and keeps earning. It is the opposite of a SIP: a SIP builds the corpus, an SWP spends it slowly.
Whether the money lasts depends on three things: how much you take, what the fund earns, and how long you need it. Take a little less than the fund earns and the corpus can last for decades; take much more and it runs out.
Ramasamy's retirement in Kallakurichi
Ramasamy retired from a cooperative bank in Kallakurichi in 2026 with ₹50 lakh. He puts it in a hybrid fund he expects to earn 8% a year and takes ₹30,000 a month, raised by 5% every year to keep up with prices.
| Plan | Lasts | Total withdrawn |
|---|---|---|
| ₹30,000 a month, raised 5% a year, at 8% | about 18 years 11 months | about ₹1.09 crore |
| ₹30,000 a month, no raise, at 8% | all 25 years, about ₹82 lakh left | ₹90 lakh |
| ₹25,000 a month, raised 5% a year, at 8% | about 24 years 5 months | about ₹1.37 crore |
His first-year withdrawal is ₹3.6 lakh, or 7.2% of the corpus. That is high: a study of Indian portfolios from 2000 to 2023 (Raju and Saraogi, 2024) found that about 3% a year, rising with inflation, was the safe rate, with about 40% in equity. Ramasamy can take less, start a few years later, or accept a smaller income in later years.
How to use this tool
- Pick My withdrawal to test a plan, or Most I can take to find the highest withdrawal that lasts.
- Type your corpus and the monthly withdrawal.
- Set the expected return and the years you need it to last.
- The tool starts with a fixed monthly withdrawal. Turn on Withdraw less often for quarterly or yearly payouts, Yearly raise to keep up with inflation, Start later to let the corpus grow first, and After tax for the real income.
The chart shows the money still invested against everything withdrawn so far; the table shows every year in full.
Tax: SWP vs FD
Each SWP withdrawal is a sale of units, and only the gain part of it is taxed. In the early years most of each withdrawal is your own money coming back, so the tax is small. Equity funds pay 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh a year (after a year); debt funds bought from April 2023 are taxed at your slab.
An FD's interest, on the other hand, is fully taxed at your slab every year. That is why an SWP from a debt or hybrid fund often gives more income after tax than FD interest from the same corpus, at the cost of spending the corpus down.
The bucket idea
Many retirees split the corpus into buckets: two or three years of withdrawals in a liquid or short-term debt fund, the next few years in a hybrid fund, and the rest in equity for growth. The SWP runs from the safe bucket, which is topped up from the others after good years. That way a market fall never forces you to sell equity at a low price.
Common mistakes
- Taking too much early. A high first-year withdrawal plus a bad market year can empty the corpus years early.
- Ignoring inflation. A fixed ₹30,000 buys much less in 15 years. Use the yearly raise.
- All in equity. Money you live on needs a cushion of safer funds for the next few years.
- Forgetting the emergency fund. Keep some cash aside so you don't sell units in a falling market.
These figures are estimates checked in October 2026. This tool is a guide, not financial advice.
Sources
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026MOFBudget Speech 2024-25 (paras 142–145: capital gains) · Ministry of Finance, Government of India2024
Equity gains taxed at 12.5% above ₹1.25 lakh a year after a year and 20% within a year; debt mutual funds taxed at your slab. 23 Jul 2024
BSMake your retirement portfolio last longer, withdraw funds conservatively · Business Standard2024
Secondary: reports the Raju and Saraogi study (2024, Indian data 2000–2023) finding a safe withdrawal rate of about 3% a year, best with 40% in equity; the paper itself is on SSRN. 3 Mar 2024
MOSPIPress release: Consumer Price Index for September 2026 · Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (NSO)2026
Retail inflation of 5.54% in September 2026 (provisional), the guide for the yearly raise. 12 Oct 2026
FAQs
How does an SWP work?
You invest a lump sum in a mutual fund and the fund house sells units every month to pay you a fixed amount. The rest stays invested and keeps earning.
How long will my corpus last?
It depends on the withdrawal, the return and any yearly raise. ₹50 lakh at 8% with ₹30,000 a month raised 5% a year lasts about 19 years; without the raise it lasts all 25 years and about ₹82 lakh is left.
How much can I withdraw safely?
A study of Indian portfolios from 2000 to 2023 (Raju and Saraogi, 2024) found about 3% of the corpus a year, rising with inflation, was the safe rate. Use Most I can take to see your own figure.
How is an SWP taxed?
Only the gain part of each withdrawal is taxed. Equity funds: 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh a year after a year, 20% within a year. Debt funds bought from April 2023: your slab.
Is SWP better than FD for monthly income?
Often after tax, because only the gain part is taxed. But an FD keeps your capital fixed and its interest is guaranteed; an SWP spends the corpus and depends on markets.
Should I start the SWP right away?
If you can wait, letting the corpus grow for a few years first makes the same withdrawal last much longer. Try Start later.