RMD Calculator
Enter your prior-year account balance and birth year to get your 2026 required minimum distribution, the IRS factor used and a 10-year projection.
Combine all your traditional IRAs; 401(k)s are calculated per plan.
Age 75 at the end of 2026; RMDs begin at 73.
Only used to project future RMDs.
- Distribution period used
- 24.6 years
- Age at end of year
- 75
- Monthly equivalent
- $1,693.77
- Percent of balance
- 4.07%
- Deadline
- December 31, 2026
- Penalty if missed
- 25% of the shortfall (10% if fixed in 2 years)
| Year | Age | Prior Dec 31 balance | Period | RMD | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 75 | $500,000 | 24.6 | $20,325 | $1,694 |
| 2027 | 76 | $504,675 | 23.7 | $21,294 | $1,775 |
| 2028 | 77 | $508,614 | 22.9 | $22,210 | $1,851 |
| 2029 | 78 | $511,835 | 22 | $23,265 | $1,939 |
| 2030 | 79 | $514,161 | 21.1 | $24,368 | $2,031 |
| 2031 | 80 | $515,501 | 20.2 | $25,520 | $2,127 |
| 2032 | 81 | $515,757 | 19.4 | $26,585 | $2,215 |
| 2033 | 82 | $514,959 | 18.5 | $27,836 | $2,320 |
| 2034 | 83 | $512,871 | 17.7 | $28,976 | $2,415 |
| 2035 | 84 | $509,539 | 16.8 | $30,330 | $2,527 |
How this was calculated
- Age at the end of 2026: 2026 − 1951 = 75. RMDs start at age 73 for people born in 1951–1959.
- Look up age 75 in the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table: distribution period = 24.6 years.
- RMD = prior-year balance ÷ distribution period = $500,000.00 ÷ 24.6 = $20,325.20.
- That is 4.07% of the balance, or $1,693.77 a month if you spread it out.
- Future years: the balance grows at the expected return, the year's RMD is withdrawn, and the next RMD uses the next (smaller) factor, so the required percentage rises every year.
Uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Publication 590-B, Table III, in effect since 2022). If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS Joint Life and Last Survivor table gives a longer period and a smaller RMD; this calculator does not support that table. Inherited IRAs follow different rules. Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMDs.
Estimates based on the 2026 rules. Confirm with your plan administrator or a tax professional. Not tax advice.
How the RMD calculator works
A required minimum distribution is the smallest amount the IRS makes you withdraw from a traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or similar pre-tax account each year once you reach the starting age. The formula is short: take the account balance on December 31 of the previous year and divide it by the distribution period for your age from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. This RMD calculator does that lookup for 2026, then projects the next ten years so you can see how the required amount changes as the table factor shrinks.
Your age for the table is the age you reach by December 31 of the distribution year, even if your birthday is in December. The table runs from 72 (factor 27.4) down to 120 (factor 2.0), so the percentage you must take rises every year: about 3.7% at 72, 4.1% at 75, 5% at 80, 8.2% at 90.
Worked example
Say you turn 75 in 2026 and your IRA was worth $500,000 on December 31, 2025. The table factor for age 75 is 24.6, so the RMD is 500,000 ÷ 24.6 = $20,325.20, or about $1,694 a month. If the account earns 5% during the year and you take the RMD at the end of it, the December 31, 2026 balance is roughly $504,675; at age 76 the factor is 23.7, so the 2027 RMD is about $21,294. Even with growth, the required withdrawal climbs a little each year because the divisor falls faster than the balance grows.
When do RMDs start? The SECURE 2.0 ages
The starting age depends on when you were born. The SECURE Act moved it from 70½ to 72 for people who turned 70½ after 2019, and SECURE 2.0 raised it again: if you were born from 1951 through 1959, RMDs start the year you turn 73; if you were born in 1960 or later, they start the year you turn 75. Enter your birth year and the calculator tells you whether an RMD is due this year, and if not, which year the first one lands in and roughly how big it will be given your expected return.
You can delay the very first RMD until April 1 of the following year, but the second one is still due that December 31, so delaying means two taxable withdrawals in one year. Every later RMD is due by December 31.
Common mistakes
- Using this year's balance. The divisor applies to the balance on December 31 of the prior year, not today's value.
- Wrong table. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, you use the Joint Life and Last Survivor table, which gives a longer period and a smaller RMD. This tool only covers the Uniform Lifetime Table.
- Taking one RMD for all accounts. IRAs can be aggregated (calculate each, withdraw the total from any of them), but each 401(k) must be satisfied from that plan.
- Forgetting Roth rules. Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMDs, and since 2024 neither do Roth 401(k)s. Inherited accounts follow separate 10-year or life-expectancy rules.
What happens if you miss one
The penalty is a 25% excise tax on the amount you should have withdrawn but did not, reduced to 10% if you correct it within two years; the IRS can waive it for reasonable cause (Form 5329). The RMD itself is ordinary taxable income, so many retirees have tax withheld from it or send part of it straight to charity as a qualified charitable distribution, which satisfies the RMD without adding to taxable income.
Frequently asked questions
›How is the RMD calculated?
Divide the account balance on December 31 of the prior year by the distribution period for your age in the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. At age 75 the period is 24.6, so a $500,000 balance gives an RMD of $20,325.20.
›At what age do RMDs start in 2026?
Age 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later, under the SECURE 2.0 Act. People born in 1950 or earlier are already taking RMDs.
›When is the RMD deadline?
December 31 each year. Your very first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the following year, but then two RMDs are due in that year.
›What is the penalty for missing an RMD?
A 25% excise tax on the amount not withdrawn, reduced to 10% if you correct the shortfall within two years. The IRS may waive it for reasonable cause.
›Do Roth accounts have RMDs?
Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the owner's lifetime, and starting in 2024 Roth 401(k)s do not either. Inherited Roth accounts follow separate rules.
›What if my spouse is more than 10 years younger?
If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, you use the Joint Life and Last Survivor table, which gives a smaller RMD. This calculator only uses the Uniform Lifetime Table.