π§Ύ RMD Calculator
Your required minimum distribution from the official IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.
Required Minimum Distribution
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice. Missing an RMD can trigger a 25% IRS excise tax on the shortfall.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the age you turn this year and your total tax-deferred balance on December 31 of last year. The calculator looks up your IRS divisor, computes the RMD, and optionally checks your birth year against the SECURE 2.0 start ages.
Enter Your Age This Year: the age you reach on your birthday in the distribution year, from 72 to 120.
Enter your Account Balance on Dec 31 Last Year. Use the fair market value of each tax-deferred account; calculate each account separately, then add them up.
Optionally enter your Birth Year. Born 1951 to 1959 means RMDs start at 73; born 1960 or later means 75.
Read your RMD, the divisor used, the monthly equivalent, and what percent of the balance the IRS requires this year.
The RMD Formula
The divisor is a joint life expectancy factor, not your personal life expectancy, which is why it starts near 26.5 and shrinks each year. As the divisor falls, the required percentage rises: about 3.77 percent at 73, about 4.95 percent at 80, about 8.20 percent at 90. The table used here is the current IRS Uniform Lifetime Table from Publication 590-B, updated for 2022 onward.
Worked Example
You turn 73 this year with $500,000 across your Traditional IRA and 401(k) on last December 31. The Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for age 73 is 26.5. Your RMD is 500000 / 26.5 = $18,867.92 for the year, about $1,572.33 a month, or 3.77 percent of the balance. At 80 the divisor is 20.2, so the same $500,000 would require $24,752.48. The percentage climbs every year, which is exactly why Roth conversions before RMD age are such a popular planning move.
Deadlines and Penalties
Each year RMD is due by December 31, except the very first one, which you may delay until April 1 of the following year. Delaying sounds nice until you realize it stacks two RMDs into one tax year, often pushing you into a higher bracket. The 25 percent excise tax on missed amounts is one of the steepest penalties in the tax code, so set a calendar reminder for early December and confirm every account.
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a required minimum distribution?
An RMD is the minimum amount the IRS forces you to withdraw each year from tax-deferred retirement accounts like Traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and SEP IRAs. The government gave you a tax break going in; RMDs make sure it eventually collects tax coming out. Roth IRAs have no RMDs for the original owner during their lifetime.
At what age do RMDs start?
Under SECURE 2.0, RMDs begin at age 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and at age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach that age, though taking it in the starting year avoids doubling up two RMDs in one tax year.
How is the RMD calculated?
Divide your account balance on December 31 of the prior year by the distribution period from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table for your age this year. A $500,000 balance at age 73, divisor 26.5, gives an RMD of $18,867.92. Each account is calculated separately, though IRA RMDs can be aggregated and withdrawn from one IRA.
What happens if I miss an RMD?
The IRS charges an excise tax of 25 percent on the amount you should have taken but did not, down from 50 percent before SECURE 2.0. If you correct the shortfall promptly, the penalty can drop to 10 percent. Missing a $18,868 RMD could therefore cost $4,717, so calendar discipline matters.
Which table should I use?
Most account owners use the Uniform Lifetime Table, which assumes a beneficiary 10 years younger and gives the smallest RMDs. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, use the Joint and Last Survivor Table for even smaller RMDs. Beneficiaries of inherited accounts use the Single Life Table instead.
Can I reduce future RMDs?
Yes, with planning before they start. Roth conversions in your 60s move money out of the RMD system entirely, since Roth IRAs have no owner RMDs. Qualified charitable distributions let those 70 and a half or older donate up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to charity, satisfying the RMD with no taxable income. Delaying Social Security is a separate decision, but the same low-income years favor conversions.