RMD Calculator 2026
Calculate your 2026 Required Minimum Distribution from Traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and Inherited IRAs. Uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (or Joint Life Table if your spouse is more than 10 years younger), applies SECURE 2.0 starting ages (73 or 75 depending on birth year), and projects your RMDs over the next 15 years. Runs entirely in your browser — your financial data never leaves your device.
Your Details
How Required Minimum Distributions Work
A Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is the smallest amount the IRS requires you to withdraw each year from tax-deferred retirement accounts once you reach a specific age. Because traditional IRAs and 401(k)s grow tax-deferred for decades, the government eventually wants its share — RMDs force that taxable income out of the account on a schedule set by your life expectancy. The calculation is simple: take your prior-year December 31 balance and divide it by a divisor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. Last updated: April 2026.
SECURE 2.0 Act — New RMD Ages (73 and 75)
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 raised the RMD starting age in two phases. If you were born between 1951 and 1959, your first RMD is due for the year you turn 73. If you were born in 1960 or later, your first RMD is delayed until age 75. This is a major shift from the old rules (70.5 before 2020, then 72 from 2020-2022). The first RMD may be delayed to April 1 of the following year, but every subsequent RMD must be taken by December 31. Missing the deadline triggers an IRS excise tax — reduced by SECURE 2.0 from 50% to 25%, and to just 10% if corrected within two years.
Uniform Lifetime Table vs Joint Life Table
Most retirees use the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, where the divisor at age 73 is 26.5, age 80 is 20.2, age 90 is 12.2, and age 100 is 6.4. The divisor shrinks every year, so your RMD grows as a percentage of the balance even if the market is flat. If your sole beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS lets you use the Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table instead — which produces a larger divisor and a smaller RMD, leaving more money growing tax-deferred. Inherited IRAs follow the Single Life Table and, for non-spouse beneficiaries after 2019, the 10-year rule.
Strategies to Reduce RMD Tax Impact
RMDs are taxed as ordinary income, which can bump retirees into higher brackets, trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges, or make more Social Security taxable. Three popular strategies: (1) Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) let those 70.5+ send up to $108,000 in 2026 directly from an IRA to charity, satisfying the RMD with zero taxable income; (2) Roth conversions before RMD age shrink the traditional balance and permanently eliminate future RMDs on the converted amount; (3) Delaying Social Security to 70 while drawing down IRAs in your 60s reduces both future RMDs and the share of Social Security subject to tax. Planning before age 73 has far more leverage than reacting after RMDs start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age do RMDs start under SECURE 2.0?
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) age depends on your birth year. If you were born between 1951 and 1959, RMDs start at age 73. If you were born in 1960 or later, RMDs start at age 75. Before 2023 the RMD age was 72, and before 2020 it was 70.5 — but those rules no longer apply to workers still accumulating balances today.
How is the RMD amount calculated?
Your RMD is your prior-year December 31 account balance divided by a life expectancy factor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. At age 73 the divisor is 26.5, so a $500,000 IRA requires an RMD of $500,000 / 26.5 = $18,868. The divisor shrinks each year, so your RMD grows even if your balance stays the same. If your sole beneficiary spouse is more than 10 years younger, you may use the more favorable Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table instead.
When is the RMD deadline?
Each year RMD must be withdrawn by December 31 of that year. The only exception is your first RMD, which you may delay until April 1 of the following year — but doing so means taking two RMDs in that second year, which can push you into a higher tax bracket. Most retirees take the first RMD by December 31 of the year they turn 73 (or 75) to avoid bunching.
What happens if I miss an RMD?
Missing an RMD triggers an IRS excise tax on the shortfall. SECURE 2.0 reduced the penalty from 50% to 25%, and it drops to 10% if the missed RMD is corrected within two years and a Form 5329 is filed with reasonable cause. Always withdraw the missed amount as soon as you discover it and file the correction — the IRS routinely waives the penalty for good-faith mistakes.
Which accounts require RMDs?
RMDs apply to Traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457(b)s, and Inherited IRAs. Roth IRAs have no RMD during the owner lifetime. Starting in 2024, Roth 401(k)s no longer require RMDs either (SECURE 2.0). If you are still working past age 73 and do not own more than 5% of the company, you may delay RMDs from your current employer 401(k) until retirement — but not from IRAs or former-employer plans.
Can I reinvest my RMD?
You cannot roll an RMD back into another retirement account, but you can reinvest the after-tax proceeds in a regular taxable brokerage account. Another popular strategy is the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), which lets people 70.5+ send up to $108,000 (2026 limit) directly from their IRA to a qualified charity — this satisfies the RMD without adding to taxable income.