Withdrawal order:
Which accounts to draw from first in retirement

Withdrawal order is the sequence in which a retirement plan draws from taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free accounts.

In the PortfolioPilot planner, choose Tax-efficient withdrawal (Recommended), Proportional withdrawal or Guardrails withdrawal under Withdrawal order, and see the projection and chance of success change. A simulation setting, not a withdrawal instruction. Free.

Feature basics

Which plan you need
All three withdrawal orders. Included in the Free plan
Options
Tax-efficient, proportional, guardrails
Tax-efficient
Taxable first, then tax-deferred, then tax-free

How does the order change the plan?

An illustrative comparison for a hypothetical plan.

portfoliopilot.com/plan?tab=retirement

PortfolioPilot withdrawal order demo. An illustrative comparison for a hypothetical plan.

The portfolio is hypothetical, and all figures are for demonstrative purposes only. Nothing shown is a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

How it works

How withdrawal order works in PortfolioPilot

Three steps from your accounts to the answer.

Step 1

Set up your plan

Open Plan, then Retirement planning. Enter your ages, monthly budget and Social Security, or keep the defaults.

Step 2

Pick an order

In Taxes & withdrawals, choose a Withdrawal order.

Step 3

Compare

Read the projection and chance of success, or save it as a what-if scenario.

The options

What does each withdrawal order do?

Three settings in Taxes & withdrawals.

Tax-efficient

The recommended default: taxable, then tax-deferred, then tax-free.

Proportional

Draws from each account type in proportion to its size.

Guardrails

Cuts or raises spending 10% when markets move a lot.

RMDs still apply

Required minimum distributions come out of tax-deferred accounts on schedule.

Related retirement planning features

See which order holds up best

Add your accounts and see it for your own situation.

Bank-level security. Learn more
Questions

Questions about withdrawal order

Short answers here, with a link to the full help center article where one exists.

What is the best withdrawal order?

For most people, tax-efficient. Read more in the Help Center →

Is this a withdrawal instruction?

No. It is a setting in the simulation. Talk to a tax advisor before you withdraw.

Does PortfolioPilot use the 4% rule?

No. Read more in the Help Center →

Is it free?

Yes. All three orders are in the Free plan.