Straight answers about what this calculator does, what it doesn't, and how the site works.
No. This is a directional planning tool meant to help you think through tradeoffs — it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed financial advisor, CPA, or attorney who knows your full situation.
Everyone's tax bracket, filing status, state taxes, healthcare costs, and account rules are different. This tool models the order in which accounts are drawn down, which can reflect the kind of guidance a financial advisor gives about tax-efficient withdrawals — but it doesn't calculate actual taxes owed. That's only one piece of a much bigger picture.
It's saved locally in your own browser's storage — not a cookie, and never sent to a server — so you can come back later and keep editing your numbers. We never see it or keep a copy ourselves. You can clear it anytime with the "Clear my data" button on the calculator, or by clearing this site's data in your browser settings.
It applies a flat, simplified tax rate you can set (default 15% on IRA/401(k) withdrawals, 15% on investment withdrawals) so the runway and "where the money comes from" chart give a more realistic picture. This is not real tax-bracket math — it doesn't reflect your actual marginal tax rate, filing status, or state taxes. It also doesn't model Medicare or health insurance premiums, required minimum distributions (RMDs), or market volatility. It uses simplified, steady-return assumptions expressed in today's dollars, not future inflated dollars. Confirm real tax numbers with a tax professional or financial advisor.
Use it to explore scenarios and generate questions to bring to a professional — not as a final answer. Small changes in assumptions like your expected return, life expectancy, or monthly expenses can meaningfully change the results.
You enter your own SSA-quoted amounts for ages 62, full retirement age (67), and 70, so the calculator works from your real numbers instead of a generic formula. For any claiming age in between, it estimates your benefit by interpolating between the two nearest figures you provided. Find all three figures on your SSA statement.
No Paycheck Plan is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration or any bank or financial institution. Some links on this site may be affiliate links, meaning we could earn a commission if you sign up for a product through them, at no extra cost to you. We don't sell or share the numbers you enter into the calculator, because we never receive them in the first place.
It applies a flat percentage you set (default 15% on IRA/401(k) withdrawals, 15% on investment withdrawals) to approximate the fact that a withdrawal buys you less than its face value once tax is owed. This is a simplified estimate, not real tax-bracket math, and does not account for your marginal rate, filing status, state taxes, or changes in tax law. Set either rate to 0 to ignore taxes entirely. Always confirm actual tax impact with a tax professional before making decisions.
The verdict box, runway bar, chart, and projected leftover balance are all driven by the same real simulation of your actual budget, so they always agree with each other. The "Sustainable draw" stat card and the small reference note beneath it are separate: they compare your budget to a reference rate (a conservative 4% rule by default, or the true maximum your accounts could support) purely for context, and that reference can occasionally disagree with the verdict since the 4% rule is deliberately conservative. The verdict box is always the accurate answer to whether your money will last.
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