RMD Calculator

Calculate your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from pre-tax retirement accounts using the latest IRS life expectancy tables. This calculator projects your RMDs year by year, showing how much you must withdraw, the estimated tax impact, and how your account balance may change over your lifetime. Simply enter your age, account balance, and basic assumptions to see your RMD schedule.

This tool is designed for anyone approaching or in retirement who holds funds in a Traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other pre-tax retirement plan. Understanding your RMD is a critical part of a tax-efficient withdrawal strategy. If you need a broader view of your finances, try the main retirement calculator. For more on withdrawal rules, see the IRA withdrawal calculator or read our guide on RMDs explained.

The results provide your RMD for the current year (or your first RMD if you haven't started yet), your total lifetime RMDs, and the estimated lifetime tax bill on those distributions. You will also see charts projecting your annual RMD amount, your pre-tax account balance over time, and a detailed year-by-year data table showing how the numbers change as you age.

Begin with your personal details. Enter your current age and birth year. Your birth year is crucial as it determines your RMD start age under the SECURE 2.0 Act rules. Then, input your life expectancy, which sets the end point for the long-term projection.

Next, provide your retirement account information. In the "Total Pre-Tax Balance" field, enter the combined value of all your accounts subject to RMDs as of December 31st of the previous year. This includes your Traditional IRA, Traditional 401(k), 403(b), and other pre-tax plans. You can also break down the balance by account type for your own records. Remember, Roth IRAs are not subject to RMDs for the original owner and should not be included here.

Then, set your financial assumptions. The "Expected Annual Return" is the investment growth you anticipate on your remaining account balance. The "Federal + State Tax Rate" should be your combined marginal tax rate, as RMDs are taxed as ordinary income. The calculator uses this to estimate the tax impact of your withdrawals. You can find more detail with our dedicated RMD tax calculator.

For a more customized projection, open the advanced settings. Here you can input your spouse's age and specify if they are your sole beneficiary. This is important because if your spouse is more than 10 years younger, you can use the Joint Life Expectancy Table, which results in a smaller RMD. You can also model the effect of taking "Additional Annual Withdrawals" beyond your RMD or see how your wealth could grow if you "Reinvest After-Tax RMDs" in a taxable account.

Current Age, Birth Year, And Life Expectancy

Your birth year determines when you must begin taking RMDs. The SECURE 2.0 Act adjusted the starting age based on your birth date. Your current age sets the starting point for the projection, while life expectancy determines how many years the calculator will forecast. Planning for a longer life expectancy provides a more conservative estimate.

Total Pre-Tax Balance

This is the most critical input for calculating your RMD. It should be the total value of all your retirement accounts that are subject to RMDs as of December 31 of the prior year. This includes Traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457(b) plans. Do not include Roth IRA balances, as they are exempt from RMDs for the original owner. If you have an inherited IRA, use the inherited IRA RMD calculator for specific rules.

Expected Annual Return

This is your estimated average annual investment return on the funds remaining in your pre-tax accounts. After retirement, many investors shift to a more conservative portfolio. A return between 3% and 6% is a common assumption, but you should choose a number that reflects your specific investment strategy and risk tolerance.

Federal + State Tax Rate

Required Minimum Distributions are taxed as ordinary income. This input should be your estimated combined marginal tax rate from federal and state taxes. This rate is used to calculate the "Tax on RMD" and show you how much of your distribution will go toward taxes. For a detailed look at how retirement withdrawals are taxed, see how are 401(k) withdrawals taxed in retirement.

Spouse's Age & Beneficiary Status

These advanced inputs allow for a special rule. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS allows you to use the Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table instead of the Uniform Lifetime Table. This table uses a longer life expectancy, resulting in a larger distribution factor and a smaller RMD.

Additional Annual Withdrawal

This optional field lets you model the impact of withdrawing more than the required minimum. Taking extra distributions in years with lower income can sometimes be a strategic way to reduce your account balance and, therefore, lower your RMDs in future years when you might be in a higher tax bracket.

Reinvest After-Tax RMD

This option models a common scenario where you don't need the full RMD for living expenses. The calculator will track the after-tax portion of your RMDs growing in a separate, taxable investment account based on the "Reinvestment Return" you provide. This helps visualize your total wealth, not just your pre-tax balance.

This calculator uses a year-by-year projection to model your RMDs and account balance over time, following IRS rules and guidelines.

First, it determines your RMD start age based on the birth year you provide, according to the schedule set by the SECURE 2.0 Act. For years before your RMDs begin, the calculator simply grows your "Total Pre-Tax Balance" by your "Expected Annual Return."

Once you reach your RMD start age, the calculation begins. For each year, the calculator takes your account balance from December 31 of the previous year. It then finds the appropriate "distribution factor" for your age from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. If you've indicated that your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, it uses the Joint Life Expectancy Table instead.

The RMD is calculated by dividing the prior year-end balance by the distribution factor. The calculator then subtracts this RMD (plus any additional withdrawals) from your account balance. The remaining balance grows by your expected return rate to determine the new year-end balance, which becomes the starting point for the next year's calculation. This process repeats every year through your chosen life expectancy.

The core of the RMD calculation is a simple division, but it's applied year after year.

RMD Start Age

The calculator first determines when your RMDs begin based on your birth year, per the SECURE 2.0 Act:

• Born 1950 or earlier: RMDs start at age 72.
• Born 1951-1959: RMDs start at age 73.
• Born 1960 or later: RMDs start at age 75.

RMD Calculation Formula

For any given year once RMDs have started, the formula is:

Required Minimum Distribution = (Prior Year-End Account Balance) / (Distribution Factor)

The Distribution Factor is taken from the official IRS Uniform Lifetime Table for your age in the distribution year. You can view the full RMD table here.

Tax and Balance Projection Formulas

The calculator also projects the tax impact and your future balance:

Total Withdrawal = RMD + Additional Annual Withdrawal

Estimated Tax = Total Withdrawal * (Combined Tax Rate / 100)

End-of-Year Balance = (Start-of-Year Balance - Total Withdrawal) * (1 + Expected Annual Return / 100)

One of the most significant recent changes in retirement planning came from the SECURE 2.0 Act, which adjusted the age at which Required Minimum Distributions must begin. The old rule of 70½ and then 72 has been replaced with a sliding scale based on your birth year.

Here is the breakdown:

• If you were born in 1950 or earlier, your RMDs began at age 72. You should already be taking them.
• If you were born between 1951 and 1959, your RMDs begin at age 73.
• If you were born in 1960 or later, your RMDs will begin at age 75.

This delay gives your retirement funds more time to grow tax-deferred. It also creates a longer window for strategic planning, such as performing Roth conversions to move money from pre-tax accounts to tax-free Roth accounts, thereby reducing the balance that will be subject to future RMDs. Use the RMD age calculator to quickly find your specific start date.

While the calculator does the work for you, understanding the manual process is empowering. Here’s how to calculate your own RMD for a single year:

1. Find Your Prior Year-End Balance: Locate the statement for your pre-tax retirement account(s) (Traditional IRA, 401(k), etc.) from December 31 of last year. Sum the balances of all accounts subject to RMDs.
2. Determine Your Age: Use the age you will be at the end of the current calendar year.
3. Look Up Your Distribution Factor: Go to the IRS's Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III in Publication 590-B). Find your age in the first column and the corresponding distribution factor in the second column.
4. Divide: Divide your account balance from Step 1 by your distribution factor from Step 3. The result is your Required Minimum Distribution for the year.

For example, if you turn 74 this year and your prior year-end balance was $500,000, your factor is 25.5. Your RMD would be $500,000 / 25.5 = $19,607.84.

RMDs are fully taxable as ordinary income and can push you into a higher tax bracket, potentially increasing taxes on Social Security benefits and raising Medicare premiums. Here are some strategies to manage the tax hit, best explored in our guide to RMD strategies.

• Roth Conversions: Before your RMDs begin, consider converting some of your pre-tax savings to a Roth IRA. You'll pay taxes on the converted amount now, but that money will then grow tax-free and will not be subject to RMDs in the future. This reduces the balance from which future RMDs are calculated. Use the Roth conversion calculator to see if this makes sense for you.
• Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): If you are 70½ or older, you can donate up to $105,000 (for 2026) directly from your IRA to a qualified charity. A QCD satisfies your RMD for the year (up to the amount of the donation) but is not included in your adjusted gross income. This is one of the most powerful tax-saving tools for charitably-inclined retirees.
• Strategic Withdrawals: In some cases, it can make sense to withdraw more than the RMD in a year when your income is low. This "bracket filling" strategy helps you take advantage of a lower tax bracket and reduces your account balance, which can lead to smaller RMDs in future, potentially higher-income years. Learn about tax-efficient withdrawals here.
• Still Working? (401(k) only): If you are still working past your RMD start age and do not own 5% or more of the company, you may be able to delay RMDs from your current employer's 401(k) plan until you retire. This rule does not apply to IRAs or 401(k)s from previous employers.

The calculator provides several key metrics to help you plan:

• RMD Efficiency Score: This score gives a quick assessment of your RMD situation. A high score suggests your RMDs are manageable and your account is projected to last. A lower score may indicate a large future tax burden or a risk of depleting your account too quickly.
• This Year's RMD / First RMD: This is your required withdrawal amount for the current year or your first RMD year. This is the minimum you must take to avoid a penalty.
• Total Lifetime RMDs: This is the projected sum of all RMDs you will take over your lifetime. It shows the total amount of money that will be forced out of your tax-deferred accounts.
• Total Lifetime Tax: This is an estimate of the total income tax you'll pay on your lifetime RMDs, based on the tax rate you entered.
• Peak RMD: This shows the highest annual RMD amount projected during your lifetime and the age at which it occurs. This is important for tax planning, as this peak withdrawal could push you into a higher bracket.
• Account Balance Projection Chart: This visualizes how your pre-tax account balance is expected to change over time, factoring in both investment growth and withdrawals. Look for the point where withdrawals may begin to outpace growth.

If your projected RMDs and tax burden are higher than you'd like, consider these actions:

1. Plan Roth Conversions Early: The years between retirement and your RMD start date are a "golden window" for Roth conversions. Use our Roth IRA conversion calculator to model different scenarios.
2. Utilize QCDs for Charitable Giving: If you plan to donate to charity, doing so via a QCD is almost always the most tax-efficient method once you are eligible.
3. Review Your Withdrawal Order: Consider spending down assets in your taxable brokerage accounts first, allowing your tax-deferred accounts to continue growing for as long as possible before RMDs force withdrawals. Explore the best order to withdraw from retirement accounts.
4. Manage Your Tax Bracket: Be mindful of how a large RMD can affect your overall taxable income. Coordinate withdrawals with other income sources like Social Security, pensions, or capital gains to stay within your target tax bracket.

1. Missing the Deadline: Your RMD must be taken by December 31 each year. The only exception is for your very first RMD, for which you have until April 1 of the year after you reach your RMD start age.
2. Using the Wrong Balance: The calculation must be based on the account's value on December 31 of the previous year, not the current year's value.
3. Incorrectly Aggregating Withdrawals: You can total the RMDs for all your Traditional IRAs and take the full amount from just one of them. However, you cannot do this with 401(k)s. An RMD for one 401(k) must be taken from that specific account.
4. Forgetting an Account: It's easy to lose track of an old 401(k) or a small IRA. Make sure you account for all pre-tax retirement plans when calculating your total RMD.
5. Ignoring the Penalty: The penalty for failing to take your full RMD is steep: a 25% excise tax on the amount you failed to withdraw. This can be reduced to 10% if corrected in a timely manner.