Future RMD Calculator

Begin with your personal details. Enter your current age and the age you expect RMDs to begin. Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, the starting age is 73 for those born between 1951 and 1959, and it rises to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.

Next, provide your account information. Enter the current total balance of all your pre-tax retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and SEPs. Then, enter the expected annual investment return you anticipate for these accounts. This rate will be used to project growth both before and during your RMD years.

For a more detailed projection, open the advanced settings. Here you can add your expected annual contributions to your pre-tax accounts and the age at which you plan to stop making them. This is useful for modeling the final years of accumulation before withdrawals begin.

The advanced settings also include a section for planning a Roth conversion strategy. You can enter an annual amount you plan to convert from your pre-tax accounts to a Roth IRA and the number of years you plan to make these conversions. This will show you how systematically reducing your pre-tax balance can lower your future RMDs. Once your inputs are set, click "Calculate" to see your personalized projection.

Current Age & RMD Start Age

Your current age is the starting point for the projection. The RMD start age is when you must begin taking mandatory withdrawals. The time between these two ages is your window for planning. A longer window provides more opportunity to implement strategies like Roth conversions. The default is 73, but you can adjust it to 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. For more detail, see our guide on Required Minimum Distributions explained.

Current IRA/401(k) Balance

This is the total current value of all your retirement accounts that are subject to RMDs. This includes Traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457(b)s, and TSP accounts. Do not include Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) balances, as they are not subject to RMDs for the original owner. A larger starting balance will lead to larger RMDs.

Expected Annual Return

This is the average annual rate of return you expect your investments to generate. This rate is used to grow your account balance before RMDs begin and to grow the remaining balance after RMDs are withdrawn each year. A higher return will lead to a larger account balance and, consequently, larger RMDs over time.

Annual Contributions & Stop Age

These advanced inputs allow you to model continued savings before RMDs begin. Enter the total amount you contribute annually to your pre-tax accounts. The "Stop Contributions At Age" input tells the calculator when to cease adding new money, which is typically at your retirement age. Use the 401(k) contribution calculator if you need help estimating this amount.

Annual Roth Conversion Amount & Years

These inputs model a proactive strategy to reduce future RMDs. A Roth conversion involves moving money from a pre-tax account to a Roth IRA and paying income tax on the converted amount. This reduces your pre-tax balance, thereby lowering all future RMDs. Enter the amount you plan to convert each year and for how many years. Use the Roth Conversion Calculator for a more detailed analysis.

This calculator uses a two-phase, year-by-year projection to estimate your future RMDs and account balance.

Phase 1: Accumulation (From Current Age to RMD Start Age) During this phase, the calculator projects the growth of your pre-tax retirement accounts. Each year, it performs the following steps:

1. Adds Contributions: If your current age is less than the "Stop Contributions At Age," it adds your annual contribution to the balance.
2. Subtracts Roth Conversions: If you've entered a Roth conversion plan, it subtracts the annual conversion amount from the balance.
3. Applies Growth: It applies the "Expected Annual Return" to the new balance to calculate the year-end value.

This process repeats for every year until you reach your RMD start age. The final balance at the end of this phase becomes the starting point for RMD calculations.

Phase 2: Distribution (From RMD Start Age to Age 100) Once you reach your RMD start age, the calculation switches to model withdrawals. For each year:

1. Determines Divisor: The calculator looks up the appropriate life expectancy factor (divisor) from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table based on your age for that year.
2. Calculates RMD: It divides the account balance from the end of the previous year by the divisor to determine the RMD for the current year.
3. Withdraws RMD: The calculated RMD amount is subtracted from the account balance.
4. Applies Growth: The remaining balance is grown by the "Expected Annual Return" to determine the new year-end balance.

The calculator also computes an "RMD Readiness Score." This score is based on your first RMD as a percentage of your account balance when RMDs begin. A lower percentage (e.g., under 4%) suggests your RMDs are more manageable and results in a higher score. A higher percentage suggests a larger potential tax burden and results in a lower score.

The calculator uses a year-by-year simulation. The core formulas for each phase are shown below.

Pre-RMD Balance Growth

For each year from your current age until your RMD start age, the balance is calculated sequentially.

contributions_this_year = (if age < contribution_stop_age, annual_contributions, else 0)

conversions_this_year = (if conversion_years_left > 0, annual_roth_conversion, else 0)

balance_after_changes = starting_balance + contributions_this_year - conversions_this_year

ending_balance = balance_after_changes * (1 + expected_annual_return)

RMD Calculation

For each year from your RMD start age onward, the RMD is calculated using the prior year-end balance.

divisor = IRS_Uniform_Lifetime_Table_Factor_for_Age

required_minimum_distribution = previous_year_end_balance / divisor

Post-RMD Balance Growth

After the RMD is withdrawn, the remaining balance continues to grow.

balance_after_rmd = previous_year_end_balance - required_minimum_distribution

ending_balance = balance_after_rmd * (1 + expected_annual_return)

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 changed the starting age for Required Minimum Distributions. The age you must begin taking RMDs depends on the year you were born:

• Born before July 1, 1949: Your RMDs started at age 70½.
• Born between July 1, 1949 and December 31, 1950: Your RMDs started at age 72.
• Born between 1951 and 1959: Your RMDs start at age 73.
• Born in 1960 or later: Your RMDs will start at age 75.

This calculator defaults to age 73, which applies to individuals who will be starting their RMDs in the near future. However, you should adjust the "RMD Start Age" input to match your specific birth year. For example, if you were born in 1961, you would change the start age to 75. Understanding your correct start date is the first step in effective RMD planning.

Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach your RMD start age. However, all subsequent RMDs are due by December 31 of each year. If you delay your first RMD until the following April, you will have to take two RMDs in that year, which could have significant tax consequences.

Because RMDs are calculated based on your pre-tax account balance, the most effective way to lower them is to reduce that balance before distributions become mandatory. This calculator helps you model the primary strategy for doing so: Roth conversions.

1. Roth Conversions A Roth conversion is the process of moving funds from a traditional, pre-tax retirement account to a post-tax Roth IRA. You pay ordinary income tax on the amount converted in the year of the conversion. In exchange, that money grows tax-free and is withdrawn tax-free in retirement. Most importantly, Roth IRAs have no RMDs for the original owner. By systematically converting funds in the years between retirement and your RMD start age, you can shrink your pre-tax balance and reduce the size of all future RMDs. For a deeper dive, read about the Roth conversion ladder.

2. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) If you are age 70½ or older, you can donate up to $108,000 (for 2025, indexed annually for inflation) directly from your IRA to a qualified charity. A QCD counts toward your RMD for the year and is excluded from your adjusted gross income (AGI). This is a powerful way to satisfy your RMD obligation while avoiding the associated tax liability. While this doesn't reduce future RMDs (since the distribution still happens), it eliminates the tax bill on the current year's RMD.

3. Contributing to Roth Accounts If you are still working, consider contributing to a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA instead of their traditional counterparts. While you won't get a tax deduction today, you are preventing the balance from growing in your pre-tax accounts, which helps manage the size of your future RMDs from the start.

The IRS uses a specific table to determine the RMD for most retirement account owners. This is called the Uniform Lifetime Table. The table lists a "distribution period" or "life expectancy factor" for every age from 73 onward. This factor is the divisor used in the RMD calculation.

The formula is simple: RMD = Account Balance on Dec. 31 of Prior Year / Life Expectancy Factor for Current Age

For example, at age 73, the factor is 26.5. If you have a $1,000,000 balance at the end of the previous year, your RMD for your age 73 year would be: $1,000,000 / 26.5 = $37,736

As you get older, the life expectancy factor gets smaller, meaning you must withdraw a larger percentage of your account balance each year. You can view the complete table on our RMD Table page.

RMD Readiness Score: This score gives you a quick assessment of your RMD situation. A high score (80+) indicates your first RMD is a small, manageable percentage of your starting balance. A lower score suggests your RMDs may be large enough to push you into higher tax brackets or trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges, signaling that a reduction strategy could be beneficial.

Summary Cards: These cards highlight key milestones: your first projected RMD at your start age, your estimated RMD at age 80 and 85, and the total cumulative amount you will have withdrawn in RMDs by age 90. This cumulative figure is especially useful for understanding the long-term tax impact.

Projected RMD Amounts by Age (Chart): This area chart visualizes how your RMDs grow over time. Typically, you'll see a curve that starts relatively low and increases steadily, as the shrinking IRS divisor has a greater effect than the declining account balance in the early years.

Account Balance Over Time (Chart): This bar chart shows the projected year-end balance of your pre-tax accounts after each RMD is taken. You can see how your savings are drawn down throughout your retirement years.

Insights Panel: This section provides dynamic feedback based on your inputs. It may highlight the benefit of your planned Roth conversions, warn you if RMDs are approaching soon, or point out the risk of a large first RMD.

If the calculator projects RMDs that are higher than you'd like, the best way to improve the outcome is to implement a reduction strategy.

1. Model a Roth Conversion Plan: Use the advanced settings to input an annual Roth conversion amount. Start with a modest number and see how it impacts your "First RMD" and "Cumulative by 90" results. The goal is to find a conversion amount that is manageable from a tax perspective today but creates meaningful RMD reduction later. Use our full Roth Conversion Calculator to fine-tune your strategy.

2. Start Planning Early: The more years you have before your RMD start age, the more effective a multi-year conversion plan will be. If you are in your 50s or early 60s, you have a prime window to reduce your future tax burden.

3. Optimize Your Contributions: If you are still working, shifting new contributions from pre-tax to Roth accounts (like a Roth 401(k)) will stop feeding the future RMD problem. Learn about the differences between a Roth vs. Traditional IRA.

4. Review Investment Returns: While a higher return is generally good, be realistic. An overly optimistic return assumption can lead to a surprisingly large RMD projection. Test your plan with a more conservative return to ensure it's robust.

1. Ignoring the "Tax Torpedo": Many people forget that RMDs, when combined with Social Security and other income, can cause a larger portion of their Social Security benefits to become taxable and can trigger high-income surcharges on Medicare premiums (IRMAA).

2. Waiting Until RMDs Start: The best time to manage future RMDs is before they begin. Once you reach your RMD start age, your options are more limited (primarily QCDs).

3. Forgetting Inherited Accounts: The rules for inherited IRAs are complex and have their own RMD schedules. This calculator is for your own accounts. Use the Inherited IRA Calculator for beneficiary planning.

4. Missing the Deadline: The penalty for failing to take your full RMD is steep: 25% of the amount you failed to withdraw. This can be reduced to 10% if corrected in a timely manner, but it's an expensive mistake to avoid.

5. Taking the RMD from the Wrong Account: If you have multiple traditional IRAs, you can total the RMDs for all of them and take the full amount from just one. However, this rule does not apply to 401(k)s. An RMD for a 401(k) must be taken from that specific 401(k) plan.