Retirement
RMD Calculator
Estimate a required minimum distribution using a simplified IRS-style life expectancy divisor. Adjust the assumptions to test different scenarios and use the result as a planning estimate, not a promise.
Retirement
RMD Calculator
Result
How to use this calculator
Enter your account balance (use the December 31 balance from the prior year, as required by IRS rules), your current age, and your beneficiary situation. The IRS publishes life expectancy tables that determine what fraction of the account must be withdrawn each year. This calculator applies those tables to estimate your required minimum distribution for the current year.
If you have multiple traditional IRAs, you calculate the RMD for each account separately but can take the total from any one account or combination of accounts. 401(k) RMDs are different — each employer plan requires its own separate distribution and cannot be combined with IRA RMDs.
What your result means
The RMD is the minimum amount you must withdraw from your traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or similar pre-tax retirement account each year once you hit the required beginning date. You can always withdraw more than the minimum. You cannot defer the remaining amount without penalty.
The penalty for missing an RMD used to be 50% of the amount not withdrawn — one of the steepest penalties in the tax code. The SECURE 2.0 Act reduced this to 25%, and to 10% if corrected within two years. Still severe enough that missing an RMD by accident is worth taking seriously.
What the math leaves out
This calculator estimates your RMD based on the standard Uniform Lifetime Table. If your sole beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger than you, a different table applies that results in smaller RMDs. The IRS updates these tables periodically, and your account custodian should send an RMD notice each year — treat that as a cross-check, not a replacement for understanding the underlying calculation.
RMDs are taxable income in the year withdrawn. That means a large RMD can push you into a higher tax bracket, increase your Medicare premiums (IRMAA surcharges), or make more of your Social Security taxable. Planning around RMD timing and amounts is a legitimate part of retirement tax strategy — if you're uncertain, a fee-only financial planner or CPA who works with retirees is worth consulting.
RMD age rules: what changed recently
The age for required minimum distributions has shifted twice in recent years. Prior to 2020, RMDs began at age 70½. The SECURE Act moved this to age 72. The SECURE 2.0 Act (2022) pushed it to age 73 for those born between 1951 and 1959, and age 75 for those born in 1960 or later. If you turned 72 before 2023 and were already taking RMDs, continue — the new ages don't reset the clock for existing RMD recipients.
Frequently asked questions
Can I reinvest my RMD?
Yes, but not back into a pre-tax retirement account. Once an RMD is distributed, it cannot be rolled over. You can deposit it into a taxable brokerage account, a Roth IRA if you qualify (subject to income and contribution limits), or simply spend or give it. Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) allow you to send up to $105,000 per year directly to charity, satisfying the RMD without adding to taxable income — a useful strategy for charitably inclined retirees.
What if I don't need the money?
The IRS requires the distribution regardless of whether you need the income. You can take the RMD and invest it in a taxable account, donate it via a qualified charitable distribution, or use it to fund a Roth conversion strategy in earlier years before RMDs kick in. Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the owner's lifetime, which is one of their key advantages for estate planning.