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Should I withdraw from my savings pot?

Estimate what a savings-pot withdrawal would pay you after tax and fees, and what it could cost your retirement.

Your retirement fund is what you will live on when you stop working, so it helps to know the full cost of taking money out early. A savings-pot withdrawal is added to your income for the year and taxed at your marginal rate. This tool estimates how much you would receive, and what the same money might grow to if you left it invested.

In rand

Your fund’s app or statement shows this.

In rand

At least R2,000, before tax and fees.

In rand

We use this to estimate your tax rate for the year.

In years

What you’d actually get

Illustrative

You’d receive about

R7,122

Withdrawal
R10,000
Estimated taxAt your marginal rate. About 26% of the withdrawal.
−R2,600
Fund feeA typical fee. Check your fund’s.
−R278
You receive
R7,122
Left in your savings pot
R20,000

What it could cost your retirement

Left invested for 30 years, until age 65, the R10,000 could be worth between R18,114 and R43,219 in today’s money. Investments can do better or worse than this.

  • • SARS takes any tax you owe from the payout first.
  • • You can only make one withdrawal from each fund per tax year.
  • • The estimate uses your salary only. Other income, and medical scheme tax credits, are not included.

Before you withdraw, is there another way?

  • Use an emergency savings account first, if you have one.
  • Ask your creditors about a payment arrangement before borrowing more.
  • Check whether a smaller amount would cover what you need.

What next?

This is a rough guide, not advice. A planner can check it against your real numbers.

Have a planner check this

How this works

This tool is for education. It isn’t advice and it can’t promise any outcome. Results are illustrative and depend on the assumptions below. Tax figures are for the 2026/27 tax year, checked on 28 September 2026. Announced in Budget 2026 and applied by SARS from 1 March 2026. The Bill that makes them law is still before Parliament.

Fund fee per withdrawalThe average flat fee in the FSCA’s 2025 survey of fund administrators. Most charge a flat R50 to R500, some charge nothing and a few charge more. Check your fund’s fee.
R278
Growth above inflation, lower caseUsed only to show what the money could have grown to if you left it invested. Not a prediction.
2%
Growth above inflation, higher case
5%
Retirement age used
65 years

Assumptions version 2026-27-draft1.

Sources

  1. National Treasury, Budget 2026 Tax Guide
  2. National Treasury, Budget Review 2026, chapter 4
  3. SARS, Budget 2026 frequently asked questions
  4. SARS, tax-free investments
  5. SARS, two-pot retirement system
  6. FSCA, report on two-component related costs and fees (2025)
  7. SARB Exchange Control Circular 6/2026
  8. SARS, estate duty
  9. Administration of Estates Act regulations, regulation 8 (executor’s fees)
  10. SARS, cease to be a tax resident

Speak to a planner

Check the result against your own figures

In a free 20-minute call, a planner can go through your actual funds, tax and plans with you. Send us a WhatsApp message, call or email the office: