US Brokerage Withdrawal Calculator

What the model funded

A partially funded month is a shortfall even if some money can still be withdrawn. A final withdrawal that is fully funded with exactly zero left counts as funded.

Tax, gross withdrawals, net receipts and basis are nominal. The “today” portfolio column discounts each year-end balance by inflation.

US brokerage assumptions

The model sells a proportion of the portfolio and assigns the same proportion of its remaining cost basis to that sale. Only the positive gain is taxed at your chosen combined rate. Actual tax-lot selection may produce a different result.

For example, an account worth 100,000 with a basis of 60,000 has a 40% embedded gain. At a 15% gain tax rate, a 1,000 gross sale nets 940. To receive 1,000 net under those assumptions, the gross sale must be about 1,063.83.

This is a flat-rate sensitivity tool. It does not determine your tax bracket or eligibility. Ordinary income, qualified dividends, distributions, NIIT, short-term gains, state-specific rules, loss deductions and tax-lot choices are excluded. Return is treated as unrealized price growth until sale.

Source: IRS Publication 550 — investment income, gains and basis. Review the rules for your tax year and enter your own effective rate.

Why inflation must not erase taxable gains

If an account grows by 10% while prices rise by 10%, its purchasing power is unchanged before tax. Its nominal gain can still be taxable. This calculator grows the actual currency balance, raises the required spending with inflation and leaves cost basis in nominal money.

The separate real-value display shows purchasing power. It does not change the amount treated as a gain.

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