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Halal Math

How long will my money last?

Enter what you hold and what you take out, as an amount or a share of the portfolio. The drawdown runs year by year with Zakat at 2.5% coming off what is left, until the money runs out.

Estimates for planning, not financial or religious advice. Check Zakat rulings with a scholar. Terms

Your drawdown

$3,000 a month
7.2% a year

Your money lasts

Then it is gone
14 years 9 months

Taking $3,000 a month from $500,000, rising with prices.

Taken in year one$36,000
Taken in total$656,598
Zakat given$105,161
Closing balance today$0
Withdrawal rate7.20%

Balance over time

Balance leftTaken so farToday's money

What this portfolio can sustain

Indexed

A portfolio holds its value only while growth, net of Zakat, covers what you take. At 6.0% with Zakat and 3% inflation, that line sits at:

$2,549 a year

$212 a month, rising with prices each year.

You are taking $33,451 a year more than that, which is why the balance falls.

Year-by-year drawdown

15 years modelled
YearOpeningWithdrawnGrowthZakatClosingToday's money
01$500,000−$36,000+$29,647−$12,341$481,306$467,287
02$481,306−$37,080+$28,458−$11,817$460,867$434,412
03$460,867−$38,192+$27,161−$11,246$438,590$401,372
04$438,590−$39,338+$25,749−$10,625$414,376$368,168
05$414,376−$40,518+$24,217−$9,952$388,122$334,798
06$388,122−$41,734+$22,557−$9,224$359,722$301,261
07$359,722−$42,986+$20,764−$8,437$329,062$267,558
08$329,062−$44,275+$18,830−$7,590$296,026$233,686
09$296,026−$45,604+$16,749−$6,679$260,492$199,646
10$260,492−$46,972+$14,512−$5,701$222,331$165,435
11$222,331−$48,381+$12,111−$4,652$181,410$131,054
12$181,410−$49,832+$9,539−$3,528$137,589$96,502
13$137,589−$51,327+$6,787−$2,326$90,722$61,778
14$90,722−$52,867+$3,845−$1,043$40,658$26,880
15$40,658−$41,490+$832−$0Empty$0
Withdrawn−$656,598Zakat−$105,161Closing$0
Still building the pot?Project what regular contributions grow into, after Zakat.Growth calculator

Drawing down a halal portfolio

Zakat does not stop

Zakat is due on wealth you hold above nisab for a lunar year, whether the portfolio is growing or shrinking. Taking 2.5% off the remaining balance each year is what separates this from a conventional drawdown calculator.

Fixed amount or percentage

A percentage here is read against your starting portfolio and held steady, which is how the 4% rule works. A percentage of the running balance would never reach zero, so it answers a different question.

Indexing changes everything

Raising withdrawals by inflation protects what you can buy, and it compounds. At 3% a year your withdrawal is a third larger after a decade, which usually costs the portfolio several years of life.

Where the model is simple

Returns are treated as steady rather than volatile, so a real portfolio that falls early will run out sooner than this shows. Treat the answer as a planning baseline, not a promise.

Frequently asked

How long will my money last if I withdraw from it?

It depends on four things: what you start with, what you take out, what the portfolio earns, and whether you raise your withdrawals with inflation. Enter those above and the calculator runs the drawdown year by year until the balance reaches zero, then reports the answer in years and months.

Do I still pay Zakat while I am drawing down my portfolio?

Yes. Zakat is due on wealth you hold above nisab for a lunar year, whether it is growing or shrinking. This calculator takes 2.5% off the remaining balance at each year end, which shortens how long the portfolio lasts. Switch it off only to see the comparison.

Should I withdraw a fixed amount or a percentage?

A fixed amount is easier to budget against but takes no notice of what the portfolio is doing. A percentage keeps your withdrawals tied to the size of the pot. This calculator reads a percentage against your starting portfolio and holds that figure steady, which is how the well-known 4% rule works.

What is a safe withdrawal rate for a halal portfolio?

There is no single answer, but the arithmetic is clear: a portfolio holds its value only while growth net of Zakat covers what you take out. The calculator shows the withdrawal your inputs can sustain indefinitely, so you can see how far your plan sits above or below it. Switch on indexing and that figure rises with prices each year instead of staying flat, which is a smaller starting withdrawal.

Why does raising withdrawals with inflation change the answer so much?

Because the increase compounds. A withdrawal indexed at 3% a year is roughly a third larger after ten years and doubles in about twenty-four. Holding withdrawals flat preserves the portfolio far longer, at the cost of buying less each year.