ProjectionLab Review and Coupon Code: Retirement Planning Beyond Social Security

Published: 2/15/2026

SSA.tools focuses on one thing: helping you understand your Social Security benefits. But Social Security is just one piece of your retirement income. To plan around investments, taxes, and drawdown strategies, you need a broader planning tool.

ProjectionLab is a retirement planning simulator that pairs well with SSA.tools. Here's an overview of what it does, what it costs, and where it fits in.

Disclosure: ProjectionLab is a sponsor of SSA.tools. This review reflects honest assessment. See the Drawbacks section below for areas where it falls short.

What is ProjectionLab?

ProjectionLab is a financial planning simulator that lets you model your retirement under different scenarios. Rather than giving you a single number, it runs Monte Carlo simulations across thousands of possible market outcomes to show you the probability of your plan succeeding.

Key features include:

• Monte Carlo simulations: Test your plan against thousands of possible market scenarios to see your likelihood of success.
• Tax estimation: See projected federal and state taxes, including how Social Security taxation fits into the picture.
• Roth conversion modeling: Explore whether and when Roth conversions make sense for your situation.
• What-if scenario comparison: Build multiple versions of your plan and compare them side by side (more on this below).
• No account linking: Your financial data stays under your control. ProjectionLab doesn't connect to your bank or brokerage accounts.

Scenario Comparison: Compare Mode

One of ProjectionLab's strongest features is its Compare Mode, which lets you create "what if" variations of your baseline plan and see the differences side by side. For example, you might compare:

• Retiring at 60 vs. 65 vs. working part-time until 62
• Keeping your current spending vs. downsizing
• Starting Roth conversions now vs. waiting until retirement
• Buying a second home vs. investing the down payment

For each comparison, ProjectionLab overlays the two plans and shows year-by-year differences in cash flow, savings, and net worth. You can track how each decision shifts your milestones, such as when you hit financial independence or when your portfolio is projected to run out. There are 25+ built-in charts you can plot for any metric.

If you've used the SSA.tools calculator, this approach will feel familiar. SSA.tools lets you explore how different Social Security filing ages change your monthly benefit. You can see the trade-off between claiming early at 62 for a reduced amount vs. waiting until 70 for the maximum. The filing date chart visualizes this as a range of possible outcomes depending on when you file.

ProjectionLab takes that same "explore the trade-offs" idea and applies it to your entire financial picture: not just when to claim Social Security, but when to retire, how much to spend, which accounts to draw from, and how taxes change across each scenario.

How It Works With SSA.tools

The workflow is straightforward. Use SSA.tools to calculate your Social Security benefit based on your actual earnings record. Then enter that benefit amount into ProjectionLab as an income source in your retirement plan. This gives you an accurate Social Security figure within your broader financial projection.

ProjectionLab handles the rest: modeling how your Social Security income interacts with 401(k) withdrawals, pension income, Roth conversions, and taxes over the course of your retirement.

Who Is It For?

ProjectionLab is a good fit if you want to go beyond "when should I claim Social Security?" and start planning your overall retirement income strategy. It's particularly useful if you're:

• Within 10 years of retirement and want to stress-test your plan
• Considering early retirement and need to model bridge strategies
• Evaluating Roth conversion strategies across multiple years
• Trying to coordinate Social Security with other income sources

Strengths

• The Monte Carlo approach gives a realistic range of outcomes rather than a single misleading number.
• The privacy model is similar to SSA.tools. There is no linking to financial accounts and no data harvesting.
• The free tier is genuinely useful for quick projections, not just a demo.
• Active development with regular updates and new features.

Drawbacks

• There's a learning curve. The interface has a lot of options, which can be overwhelming at first.
• Social Security benefit estimation within ProjectionLab itself is basic, so using SSA.tools for your actual benefit calculation and then entering it manually gives better results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a ProjectionLab coupon code?

Yes. SSA.tools readers can use the code SSA-TOOLS for 10% off any ProjectionLab premium plan. Just enter the code at checkout.

Is ProjectionLab free?

There is a free Basic plan that includes cash-flow projections and Monte Carlo simulations. The Premium plan ($129/year) adds tax estimation, scenario comparisons, Roth conversion modeling, and the ability to save your data. A Lifetime option costs $1,199 as a one-time payment.

How does ProjectionLab work with Social Security?

Use the SSA.tools calculator to get your projected Social Security benefit, then add it as an income source in ProjectionLab. This gives you an accurate benefit figure within your overall retirement plan.

Does ProjectionLab connect to my bank accounts?

No. ProjectionLab does not link to any financial accounts. You enter your data manually, and you can choose to store it in the cloud (via Google Firebase) or keep it in your browser only.