Finance

RMD Calculator

Free RMD calculator for 2026: calculate your required minimum distribution from an IRA or 401(k), apply the IRS Uniform Lifetime and Joint Life tables, project the account forward, and see the tax and the 25% excise cost of a missed withdrawal.

Did this calculator help you?

What is RMD Calculator?

Required minimum distributions are the point where decades of tax-deferred saving turn into taxable income, and the rules tightened again under SECURE 2.0. If you were born between 1951 and 1959 your first RMD year is the year you turn 73; born in 1960 or later and it is the year you turn 75. From that year the IRS wants a slice of the account every single year, whether you need the money or not, and the slice grows as the divisor shrinks. This calculator turns the three questions people actually ask into three modes. Calculate works out this year's distribution from the prior December 31 balance and your age factor, then stacks the withdrawal on your other income to estimate the federal tax it triggers. Projection runs the balance forward with growth and repeated distributions so you can see where the account is heading. Penalty prices a year you fell short, applying the 25% excise tax - or the reduced 10% rate when the shortfall is corrected within two years. Start with the Standard preset: a $500,000 balance at age 75 divides by 24.6 for a $20,325.20 distribution.

When to Use This Calculator

  • In the year you turn 73 or 75 - the first RMD year sets the deadline pattern for every year that follows.
  • Every autumn, once the plan has reported the prior December 31 balance on Form 5498.
  • Before December 31 when you have taken only part of the required amount - the shortfall is still correctable at the reduced rate.
  • When a large capital gain or a Roth conversion is planned - the RMD stacks on top and can lift part of the income into a higher bracket.
  • After a change in marital status or beneficiary - the Joint Life table only applies under the narrow sole-beneficiary test.
  • When charity is part of the plan - the qualified charitable distribution window opens at 70 and a half and only works if the money goes directly.

Steps:

  1. Confirm your start age from the birth year: born 1951 to 1959 the first RMD year is the year you turn 73, born 1960 or later it is the year you turn 75 under SECURE 2.0.
  2. Enter the prior December 31 balance exactly as the plan reports it on Form 5498, plus your age as of December 31 of the distribution year.
  3. Divide the balance by the age factor: $500,000 / 24.6 = $20,325.20 at age 75, or $1,000,000 / 26.5 = $37,735.85 at age 73.
  4. Add other annual income so the tool can stack the RMD on top and estimate the federal tax at your marginal rate before you withdraw.
  5. Take the money by December 31 - or defer only the first RMD to April 1 - and use Penalty mode to price a $10,000 shortfall at $2,500 or $1,000.

Formula

Required minimum distribution RMD = B / F, where B is the account balance on December 31 of the prior year and F is the distribution-period factor for your age. F comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, or from the Joint Life and Last Survivor Table when the spouse is the sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger. The share of the account is S = RMD / B x 100, which equals 100 / F. Estimated federal tax T is the RMD stacked on other income and taxed at the marginal rate: T = RMD x m. Excise tax on a shortfall X: E = X x 0.25, or E = X x 0.10 when corrected within two years.

Use Cases

  • Checking this year's mandatory withdrawal before December 31, when both the prior balance and your age are already known.
  • Planning the first RMD year - born 1951 to 1959 and turning 73, or born 1960 onward and turning 75 - including the April 1 decision.
  • Comparing a taxable withdrawal with a qualified charitable distribution of up to $108,000 sent straight from the IRA to charity.
  • Sizing a Roth conversion in a low-income year so the balance feeding future RMDs starts smaller.
  • Modelling a younger spouse: turn on the Joint Life table when she is the sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger.
  • Auditing a missed year - enter the required and the withdrawn amounts to see the 25% excise tax, or the 10% rate if you correct it.

Key Benefits

  • Three modes, one set of inputs: calculate this year, project the account, or price a missed year without re-entering anything.
  • Table-aware by default: the Uniform Lifetime table is used automatically and the Joint Life table switches in the moment the spouse rule is met.
  • Tax shown beside the withdrawal: the estimated federal tax is stacked on your other income at your marginal rate, so the net cost is visible before you move the money.
  • First-year rules stated plainly: the April 1 deferral is offered as an advisory, with the December 31 deadline for the second distribution spelled out next to it.
  • SECURE 2.0 built in: the start age follows your birth year - 73 for 1951 to 1959 and 75 for 1960 onward - so no outdated assumption creeps into the schedule.
  • Missed-year arithmetic is transparent: required minus withdrawn gives the shortfall, and the 25% or 10% rate is applied on screen.

Pro Tips

  • Take the RMD in January if you do not need the cash - it starts the clock immediately and keeps the April 1 double-distribution trap from forming.
  • Bundle a Roth conversion into the RMD year: the conversion income and the distribution stack together, so one low-income year can do both jobs at once.
  • Route the withdrawal as a qualified charitable distribution of up to $108,000 if you are charitably inclined - it satisfies the RMD without entering your income.
  • Re-check the factor every birthday - the distribution period shortens each year, so the same balance produces a larger withdrawal at 80 than it did at 73.
  • Open Penalty mode before December 31 if you fell short - correcting inside two years cuts the excise tax from 25% to 10%.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using the current year's balance instead of the prior December 31 balance - the IRS divides the prior-year figure by the factor, not the one you see today.
  • Deferring the first RMD to April 1 and forgetting the second is still due by December 31 - two distributions stack into the same tax year.
  • Assuming age 72 still applies - SECURE 2.0 moved the start to 73 for those born 1951 to 1959 and to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.
  • Treating a Roth 401(k) like a Roth IRA - the exemption from RMDs only arrived for plan balances in 2024, and an unupdated plan may still ask for a withdrawal.
  • Missing the still-working exception because the summary plan description is vague - it covers only the employer plan you participate in while employed, and never a former employer.

Key Terms Explained

Required minimum distribution:
the smallest amount the IRS permits you to withdraw each year from a tax-deferred account once the start age is reached.
Distribution-period factor:
the age divisor from the IRS tables - the prior December 31 balance divided by this number is the year's RMD.
Uniform Lifetime Table:
the default table for single owners and for anyone whose spouse is not more than 10 years younger.
Joint Life and Last Survivor Table:
the alternative table used when the spouse is the sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger.
Qualified charitable distribution:
a direct IRA-to-charity transfer of up to $108,000 in 2026 that satisfies the RMD without raising adjusted gross income.
Excise tax on a missed RMD:
the 25% charge on a shortfall under SECURE 2.0, reduced to 10% when the shortfall is corrected within two years.

Related Concepts

  • 401(k) Calculator: the accumulation side of the same account - contributions, employer match and growth before distributions begin.
  • Retirement Calculator: widens the view from one withdrawal to every source of retirement income and spending.
  • Social Security Calculator: estimates the benefit layer that stacks on top of the RMD as ordinary income.
  • Roth IRA Calculator: the account with no RMDs at all - the destination for conversions that shrink future required distributions.

Example

Take the Standard preset: a $500,000 prior December 31 balance at age 75. The Uniform Lifetime factor at 75 is 24.6, so $500,000 / 24.6 = $20,325.20 for the year - about 4.07% of the account. That $20,325.20 lands on top of your other income and is taxed at your marginal rate, so the real cost of the withdrawal is the tax, not the money itself. The factor falls every year you live, which pushes the required percentage up: at 73 a $1,000,000 balance divides by 26.5 to $37,735.85, at 80 a $2,000,000 balance divides by 20.2 to $99,009.90, and at 90 an $800,000 balance divides by 12.2 to $65,573.77. Now switch to Penalty mode and enter a $10,000 shortfall: uncorrected that costs $2,500 at the 25% excise rate, while a shortfall corrected inside the two-year window costs $1,000 at 10%.

Interpreting Your Results

Read the hero line first - it carries the mode's headline number: this year's required distribution, the projected ending balance, or the excise tax on a shortfall. The four stat cards underneath qualify it. In Calculate they show the distribution-period factor, which IRS table is in force, the estimated federal tax at your marginal rate, and the share of the account the withdrawal represents - the share is always 100 divided by the factor, so it climbs as you age. In Projection they report the ending balance, the total of every distribution taken, the total tax estimated on those distributions, and the age you reach at the end of the horizon. In Penalty they compare the required amount against what was actually withdrawn, the resulting shortfall, and the rate applied. Advisories fire before you trust the numbers: the April 1 first-year trap, the joint-table spouse test, aggressive growth assumptions and the still-working exception. The reference table lists the factors around your current age - age 72 never appears, because the Uniform Lifetime table starts at 73 under SECURE 2.0 - while the schedule traces the projection year by year and the sensitivity grid re-runs it across ages and balances so you can see how quickly the required percentage rises.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an RMD?
A required minimum distribution is the smallest amount the IRS forces you to withdraw from a tax-deferred retirement account each year once you reach the start age. It is calculated by dividing the account balance on the prior December 31 by a life-expectancy factor published in IRS tables, and it is treated as ordinary income in the year you take it. The rule exists because deferred tax cannot be postponed forever: after the start age the government wants its share annually, whether or not you need the cash.
When must I start taking RMDs under SECURE 2.0?
SECURE 2.0 set two start ages. If you were born between 1951 and 1959, your first RMD year is the year you turn 73. If you were born in 1960 or later, it is the year you turn 75. The old threshold of 70 and a half no longer applies to anyone retiring today. The calculator reads your birth year and picks the right age for you, then shows the first RMD year and the deadline you are working toward.
How is the RMD calculated?
Take the account balance reported on December 31 of the prior year and divide it by the distribution-period factor for your age. At 75 the Uniform Lifetime factor is 24.6, so a $500,000 balance produces $500,000 / 24.6 = $20,325.20. At 73 a $1,000,000 balance divides by 26.5 to $37,735.85, at 80 a $2,000,000 balance divides by 20.2 to $99,009.90, and at 90 an $800,000 balance divides by 12.2 to $65,573.77. The factor falls every year, so the required percentage of the account rises as you age.
What is the difference between the Uniform Lifetime table and the Joint Life table?
The Uniform Lifetime table is the default: a single factor for your age, used for almost every account owner. The Joint Life and Last Survivor table applies only when your spouse is the sole beneficiary of the account and is more than 10 years younger than you, because that beneficiary may reasonably draw on the money for far longer. It carries a different, usually larger factor, which produces a longer distribution period and therefore a smaller required withdrawal in the early years.
Can I delay my first RMD to April 1?
Yes, but only once. The very first distribution may be postponed to April 1 of the year after you reach the start age. Every later RMD is due by December 31 of its own year, so deferring pushes two distributions into a single tax year and can lift part of the income into a higher bracket. The calculator flags this as a first-year advisory and still shows the December 31 deadline for the second year, so the trade-off is visible before you choose.
What happens if I miss an RMD?
An excise tax applies to the amount you should have taken but did not. SECURE 2.0 set that charge at 25% of the shortfall, reduced to 10% if you correct the shortfall within two years of the missed year - a sharp drop from the old 50% penalty. A $10,000 shortfall therefore costs $2,500 uncorrected or $1,000 once corrected. Enter the required and the withdrawn amounts in Penalty mode to see your own figure, then file the correction before the window closes.
Are Roth 401(k) balances subject to RMDs?
Not any more. Starting in 2024, Roth balances inside 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans are exempt from required minimum distributions, matching the treatment Roth IRAs have always enjoyed. Pre-tax balances in the same plan still require distributions every year, and if your plan has not been updated for the rule, confirm with the administrator before skipping a withdrawal - an unnecessary distribution that is later unwound is far messier than checking first.
Can I satisfy an RMD with a qualified charitable distribution?
If you are at least 70 and a half years old, you can transfer up to $108,000 directly from an IRA to a qualified charity each year, count it toward your RMD, and keep it out of adjusted gross income entirely. Only IRAs qualify - a 401(k) cannot send a QCD - and the money must travel from the custodian to the charity rather than through your bank account first. For charitably minded retirees this is usually the most tax-efficient way to satisfy the requirement.
How do RMDs affect my taxes?
The distribution is ordinary income, stacked on top of wages, Social Security, pensions and every other source. That stacking can push part of the withdrawal into a higher bracket, raise the taxable portion of your Social Security benefits, and trigger IRMAA surcharges on Medicare premiums two years later. The calculator estimates the federal tax at your marginal rate so you can see the cost before the money moves, and so a Roth conversion can be timed into a year when the RMD is small.
Is there an exception if I am still working?
Yes. If you reach the start age while still employed by the employer whose plan you are participating in, you may defer RMDs from that plan until you actually retire - provided you do not own more than 5% of the company. The exception never covers IRAs, and it does not extend to a former employer's plan once you have left that job. If you have changed employers late in your career, check which plans still qualify before assuming a delay is allowed.
How does the joint-life table work for a younger spouse?
When your spouse is the sole beneficiary of the account and is more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS permits the Joint Life and Last Survivor table. It combines your life expectancy with your spouse's, producing a longer distribution period and therefore a smaller required withdrawal in the early years. Turn on the joint toggle in the calculator, enter the spouse's age, and the factor switches automatically so you can compare the two tables against the same balance.

Discover More Tools

Fresh picks from across our tool library.

Frequency-Wavelength Converter

Lorem Ipsum Generator

EMI Calculator

Quadratic Formula Calculator

Spin the Wheel

Buoyancy Calculator