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RMD calculator

Find out when your required minimum distributions start, what this year’s RMD is under the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, and when the first one is due.

Your RMD starting age depends on the year you were born.

Traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or similar pre-tax account. Leave out Roth IRAs. Your year-end statement shows this figure.

The IRS uses a different table in that case, which this calculator doesn’t include.

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The math runs entirely in your browser — the numbers you enter are never sent to our servers. They’re saved only on this device so they’re still here when you come back.

How this RMD calculator works

The formula

Required minimum distribution

RMD = balance on December 31 last year ÷ distribution period

The IRS says the required minimum distribution for any year is the account balance at the end of the previous year divided by a distribution period from its Uniform Lifetime Table, using your age on your birthday that year. At 73 the period is 26.5, so $100,000 needs about $3,774 withdrawn. (IRS (opens in a new tab), Pub. 590-B (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

The divisors come from Table III in Appendix B of IRS Publication 590-B. The same table sits inside the Beyond Payday retirement planner, and this calculator reads it from there.

When do RMDs start?

  • Born 1951 through 1958: age 73.
  • Born 1959: the law as written gives both 73 and 75. Treasury’s 2024 final regulations leave it open; its proposed regulations would make it 73, which this calculator uses.
  • Born 1960 or later: age 75.
  • Born before 1951: RMDs started under older rules — 70½ for people born before July 1, 1949, and 72 for people born from July 1, 1949 through 1950.

(final regulations (opens in a new tab), proposed regulations (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

Deadlines, and two RMDs in one year

For an IRA, the first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after the year you reach your starting age. Every later RMD is due by December 31. If you wait until April 1 for the first one, the second is due by December 31 of that same year, so both count as income in one tax year. (IRS (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

For a 401(k), 403(b) or similar workplace plan, the first RMD can generally wait until April 1 after the year you retire, if the plan allows it and you aren’t a 5% owner of the business sponsoring the plan. (IRS (opens in a new tab), IRS RMD FAQs (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

Which accounts have RMDs

  • Traditional, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, and workplace plans such as 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans.
  • Not Roth IRAs, and not designated Roth accounts in a 401(k) or 403(b), while the owner is alive. Beneficiaries who inherit them do have RMDs.
  • With more than one traditional IRA, you figure each IRA’s RMD but can take the total from any one or more of them. A workplace plan’s RMD is separate from your IRA RMD.

(IRS (opens in a new tab), IRS RMD FAQs (opens in a new tab), Pub. 590-B (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

If an RMD is missed

The IRS says the amount not withdrawn may be subject to a 25% excise tax, or 10% if the RMD is corrected within two years, reported on Form 5329. (IRS (opens in a new tab), verified Sep 25, 2026)

Assumptions and limits

  • Uniform Lifetime Table only. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, the IRS uses Table II and your RMD is lower.
  • Account owners only. Inherited IRAs follow different rules and tables and are not covered.
  • Your age is the age you reach on your birthday this year, as the IRS uses it. Birth month is not asked for.
  • One combined balance. Figure each IRA and each workplace plan separately if they are held in different places.
  • No taxes are figured. RMDs are generally taxable income, except any part that was already taxed.
  • The divisor table does not project your balance. Future RMDs depend on each year’s actual December 31 balance.

Frequently asked questions

When do RMDs start?

It depends on your birth date. Under Treasury’s 2024 final regulations, the starting age is 73 for people born 1951 through 1958 and 75 for people born in 1960 or later. The regulations leave 1959 open; proposed regulations issued the same day would make it 73, which is what this calculator uses. People born before 1951 started under older rules, at 70½ or 72.

How is a required minimum distribution calculated?

The IRS says the RMD for a year is the account balance at the end of the previous year divided by a distribution period from its Uniform Lifetime Table. At 73 that period is 26.5, so an IRA worth $100,000 on December 31 would need about $3,774 withdrawn the next year.

When is the first RMD due?

For an IRA, the IRS says the first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after the year you reach your starting age, and every later RMD by December 31. If you wait until April 1 for the first one, you take two RMDs that year. For a 401(k) or similar plan, the first RMD can generally wait until April 1 after you retire, if the plan allows it and you are not a 5% owner of the business sponsoring the plan.

Do Roth IRAs have required minimum distributions?

Not for the original owner. The IRS says withdrawals from Roth IRAs, and from designated Roth accounts in a 401(k) or 403(b), are not required while the account owner is alive. Beneficiaries who inherit them are subject to RMD rules.

What happens if I miss an RMD?

The IRS says the amount not withdrawn may be subject to a 25% excise tax, or 10% if the RMD is corrected within two years. It is reported on Form 5329.

I have more than one IRA. Do I take an RMD from each?

The IRS says you figure the RMD separately for each traditional IRA, but you can total them and take the total from any one or more of your IRAs. An RMD from a 401(k) or other workplace plan is separate and does not count toward your IRA RMD.

My spouse is more than 10 years younger. Does this calculator work for me?

Not fully. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, the IRS uses its Joint and Last Survivor table (Table II in Publication 590-B), which gives a longer distribution period and a smaller RMD. In the IRS’s own example, an owner turning 75 whose spouse turns 64 divides by 25.3 instead of the Uniform Lifetime Table’s 24.6. This calculator uses only the Uniform Lifetime Table, so its figure would be higher than your actual RMD.

Sources

Estimates for education, not tax or financial advice.

See RMDs inside your whole retirement plan

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Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the values you enter and are not tax advice. Check your RMD with your account provider or a qualified tax professional before acting on it.