How to build a steady, tax-smart income after retirement

If you’ve invested in mutual funds, a Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you draw a fixed amount each month instead of redeeming everything at once.

A good retirement plan isn’t just about saving — it’s about turning those savings into a reliable income stream. After you stop earning, you need a mix of stability, liquidity, and tax efficiency to make your corpus last. That’s where tools like Systematic Withdrawal Plans (SWPs), annuities, Post Office Monthly Income Schemes (POMIS), and laddered fixed deposits come in. Used together, they can help you earn regular income while keeping taxes manageable.

If you’ve invested in mutual funds, a Systematic Withdrawal Plan lets you draw a fixed amount each month instead of redeeming everything at once. You can choose how much and how often to withdraw. The advantage is flexibility — and in equity or balanced funds, you may pay lower tax on long-term capital gains compared to interest income. SWPs work best when your corpus is large and you want to keep it growing while taking small withdrawals.

Annuities, typically from insurance companies, convert your lump sum into a guaranteed monthly pension for life. The return is lower than equity or hybrid funds, but you get peace of mind knowing the income won’t stop even if markets fluctuate. The downside is taxation — annuity income is fully taxable at your slab rate — so it’s better suited for those who value stability over high returns.

The Post Office Monthly Income Scheme is ideal for conservative retirees. It offers government-backed safety with a fixed monthly payout for five years. The current interest rate is around 7.4 percent per annum (as of October 2025). The interest is taxable, but you can combine it with the Rs 50,000 deduction under Section 80TTB for senior citizens to soften the impact.

Instead of locking all your savings in one long-term deposit, you can “ladder” them — split your money into FDs maturing in one, two, three, and five years. Each time one matures, reinvest it at the latest rate. This approach gives you liquidity every year and helps you benefit when interest rates rise. It’s also simpler to manage for regular withdrawals.

No single option fits all. A typical retiree might use SWP for growth-linked income, annuity for guaranteed cash, POMIS for stability, and laddered FDs for short-term needs. Together, they can provide predictable monthly income with different risk levels and tax treatments.

Retirement income planning is about steady cash flow with peace of mind. Mix products that complement each other — one for safety, one for flexibility, one for growth. Review your plan once a year, track tax rules, and keep your withdrawals realistic. The goal isn’t just to make your money last longer, but to let you enjoy it while it does.