Plan a level annual withdrawal from a Roth conversion balance and estimate how much may remain after a chosen number of years. This planner is useful for retirement cash-flow scenarios where you want to test a spending amount against an assumed investment return. It models account arithmetic only; it does not determine whether a specific withdrawal is qualified, penalty-free, or tax-free. Roth IRA ordering rules and separate five-year periods for converted amounts can matter, especially before age 59½.
1. Enter the starting balance
Use the Roth balance you want this schedule to model.
2. Set an annual withdrawal
Enter the same dollar amount you expect to take each year.
3. Choose the horizon
Use the number of years you want the schedule to cover.
4. Set an assumed return
Enter a planning return, not a guaranteed return.
5. Review the ending balance
Compare the remaining balance, cumulative withdrawals, and any depletion year.
The calculation repeats once for each year. If the scheduled withdrawal exceeds the available balance, the model withdraws only what remains and records the depletion year.
This is a cash-flow model. Actual Roth IRA tax treatment depends on distribution ordering and qualification rules; each conversion can have its own five-year period for additional-tax purposes.
The ending balance shows the modeled amount still available after the planned withdrawals.
Use current IRS guidance or a qualified tax professional when timing withdrawals from recent conversions.
Given
Calculation
Year 1: $250,000 × 1.05 − $18,000 = $244,500. The same process is repeated for 20 years.
Result
After 20 years, the modeled ending balance is about $68,137, with $360,000 of scheduled withdrawals if the account never depletes.
A positive ending balance means the selected withdrawal is sustainable under this particular return assumption, not that the return or tax treatment is guaranteed.
No. It models balances and withdrawals only. IRS rules may impose a separate five-year period on each conversion for the 10% additional tax, and qualified-distribution rules are a separate test.
The model applies annual growth first and then subtracts the annual withdrawal, so it approximates an end-of-year withdrawal.
Use this result as a level-withdrawal baseline. For uneven spending, run separate scenarios or use a year-by-year plan.
Yes, down to -99% in the input. A negative return can show how quickly the account may be depleted during poor markets.
The calculator does not subtract withdrawal taxes because qualified Roth IRA distributions can be tax-free, while nonqualified distributions may have different treatment.