Salary & tax › Two-Pot Withdrawal Tax Calculator

Two-Pot Withdrawal Tax Calculator

Estimate the tax on a withdrawal from your retirement fund's savings pot, and how much reaches your bank account after tax and fees.

Withdrawal details

Taxable income this tax year (without the withdrawal)

Amount to withdraw from your savings pot

Your age

Fund admin fee (if any)

YOU RECEIVE

—

After tax and the fee

TAX ON THE WITHDRAWAL

—

Withheld by your fund

AVERAGE TAX RATE

—

Tax ÷ withdrawal

Your top tax rate with the withdrawal: —

Worked example

These are the calculator's starting values, so the results above match this example until you change an input.

Taking R 30 000 from your savings pot in a year you earn R 360 000 adds the withdrawal to your taxable income. The tax on it is R 8 145, so you receive R 21 855 before your fund's fee.

Most of the withdrawal is taxed at 26%, but the top part pushes you into the 31% bracket, so the average rate on the withdrawal is 27.15%.

How two-pot withdrawals are taxed

Since 1 September 2024, new contributions to pension, provident and retirement annuity funds are split between a savings component (one third) and a retirement component (two thirds). You can withdraw from the savings component once per tax year, as long as you take at least R 2 000. The withdrawal is added to your taxable income for that year and taxed at your normal income tax rates, not the lower retirement lump-sum table.

How the tax is collected

Your fund asks SARS for a tax directive before it pays you, and SARS tells the fund how much tax to withhold. Any tax you already owe SARS can also be taken from the withdrawal. When you file your return, the withdrawal is included with your other income, so you may get some tax back or owe a little more.

Costs to think about

Tax at your marginal rate, between 18% and 45%.
An admin fee that some funds charge for each withdrawal.
Lost growth: money taken out now stops compounding. R 30 000 left to grow at 8% a year for 25 years would be worth about R 205 000.

How this calculator works

It works out your income tax for the year with and without the withdrawal, using the 2026/27 SARS brackets and age rebates, and shows the difference. It leaves out medical tax credits and other deductions, and assumes you owe SARS nothing, so the amount on your directive may differ slightly.

Income tax brackets for 2026/27

Taxable income	Marginal rate
R 1 – R 245 100	18%
R 245 101 – R 383 100	26%
R 383 101 – R 530 200	31%
R 530 201 – R 695 800	36%
R 695 801 – R 887 000	39%
R 887 001 – R 1 878 600	41%
R 1 878 601 and above	45%

Sources and review note

Two-pot rules in force from 1 September 2024; see SARS: two-pot retirement system. Tax rates for 2026/27 from SARS. Checked 13 October 2026. This page is general educational information, not tax or financial advice.

Related calculators

RELATED CALCULATOR

Take-Home Pay Calculator

PAYE, UIF and net pay from your gross salary.

Open calculator →RELATED CALCULATOR

Retirement Annuity Tax Saving Calculator

How much tax an RA contribution saves.

Open calculator →RELATED CALCULATOR

Retirement Calculator

What your savings could grow to by retirement.

Open calculator →

Frequently asked questions

How much tax will I pay on a two-pot withdrawal?

Your marginal rate on most of it, between 18% and 45%. With R 360 000 of other income, a R 30 000 withdrawal costs R 8 145 in tax.

What is the minimum two-pot withdrawal?

R 2 000, and only one withdrawal is allowed per tax year (1 March to the end of February).

Can I withdraw from the retirement pot?

No, not before retirement. Only the savings component can be reached early. Money saved before September 2024 (the vested component) follows the old rules.

Does a withdrawal affect my tax refund?

It can. The fund withholds tax according to the directive, but your final tax is worked out on assessment with all your income for the year, so you may get a refund or owe extra.

Related guides

GUIDE