RMD Calculator

About the RMD Calculator

An RMD calculator helps you determine your Required Minimum Distribution — the amount the IRS mandates you withdraw annually from traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other pre-tax retirement accounts starting at age 73. The IRS requires these distributions because you received tax-deferred treatment on contributions and growth for decades; RMDs ensure the government eventually collects the income tax on those funds. Failing to take your full RMD triggers one of the harshest penalties in the tax code: a 25% excise tax on the amount you should have withdrawn but did not (reduced to 10% if corrected within two years per the SECURE 2.0 Act). Our free RMD calculator uses the official IRS Uniform Lifetime Table — the same table used by financial institutions — to calculate your required distribution based on your age and December 31 account balance. It also projects your RMD for the next 8-10 years, showing how the required withdrawal amount changes as your life expectancy factor decreases annually. Understanding your RMD trajectory helps with tax planning, Social Security coordination, and legacy planning.

How It Works

The RMD formula is straightforward: RMD = Prior Year December 31 Account Balance divided by the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table life expectancy factor for your age. The life expectancy factor decreases each year as you age, meaning RMDs as a percentage of your account balance increase over time. Example: at age 73, the IRS factor is 26.5. A $600,000 account balance requires a $600,000 / 26.5 = $22,642 RMD. At age 80, the factor drops to 20.2, so the same balance would require $29,703. At age 85, factor 16.0 means $37,500. The RMD amount grows both because the divisor shrinks and because the account (if still invested) may have grown. This calculator applies the complete Uniform Lifetime Table for ages 72-95 and models your account balance forward at your expected return rate, projecting how distributions and growth interact year by year. Note: if your spouse is more than 10 years younger and is the sole beneficiary, a different (Joint Life) table applies with lower factors, resulting in smaller RMDs.

Tips & Best Practices

• ✓December 31 is the RMD deadline for most account holders. Your first RMD (at age 73) can be delayed to April 1 of the following year, but doing so means taking two distributions in one year — potentially pushing you into a higher tax bracket.
• ✓If you have multiple IRAs, your total RMD is calculated across all of them but can be taken entirely from any one account. For 401(k)s, each plan requires a separate RMD — you cannot aggregate 401(k) RMDs the way you can IRA RMDs.
• ✓Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): if you are 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $105,000 directly from your IRA to a qualified charity. This satisfies your RMD without the distribution counting as taxable income — ideal if you do not need the money and want to reduce your tax bill.
• ✓RMD income can trigger IRMAA Medicare surcharges if it pushes your Modified Adjusted Gross Income above $103,000 (single) or $206,000 (married). Proactive Roth conversions in your 60s reduce future RMDs and can prevent this expensive Medicare penalty.
• ✓Inherited IRAs have different RMD rules: most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty an inherited IRA within 10 years under the SECURE Act (2020). Spousal inheritors can treat the IRA as their own and use their own age for RMD purposes.
• ✓Rolling a 401(k) into a traditional IRA consolidates accounts and may simplify RMD management — all IRA RMDs can be aggregated and taken from any single IRA, whereas 401(k) plans each require separate calculations.
• ✓Still-working exception: if you are still employed and do not own 5%+ of the company, you may be able to delay RMDs from your current employer 401(k) until you retire — but this exception does not apply to IRAs or to 401(k)s from prior employers.

Who Uses This Calculator

Retirees age 73+ calculating their annual IRS-required withdrawal. Pre-retirees in their 60s projecting future RMD income to model tax liability. Financial advisors planning Roth conversions before age 73 to reduce clients future RMD burden. Taxpayers checking whether RMDs might trigger IRMAA Medicare surcharges. Estate planners modeling inherited IRA distribution schedules for beneficiaries.