📅 RMD Calculator

Calculate your required minimum distribution from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, see your RMD age (73 or 75) and deadlines, and project future RMDs.

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Required minimum distribution for 2026 (age 73)
$18,867.92
$500,000.00 ÷ 26.5 (Uniform Lifetime Table, age 73) = 3.77% of the balance
Your RMD age
73
First RMD year
2026
First RMD deadline
April 1, 2027
Later RMD deadlines
December 31 each year

You may delay this first RMD until April 1, 2027, but then you must also take the 2027 RMD by December 31, 2027 — two taxable distributions in one year.

Projected RMDs at 5.0% growth

YearAgePrior Dec 31 balanceDivisorRMD
202673$500,000.0026.5$18,867.92
202774$505,188.6825.5$19,811.32
202875$509,646.2324.6$20,717.33
202976$513,375.3523.7$21,661.41
203077$516,299.6422.9$22,545.84
203178$518,441.4922.0$23,565.52
203279$519,619.7721.1$24,626.53
203380$519,742.9020.2$25,729.85
203481$518,713.7019.4$26,737.82
203582$516,574.6818.5$27,922.96
203683$513,084.3117.7$28,987.81
203784$508,301.3216.8$30,256.03
203885$501,947.5516.0$31,371.72
203986$494,104.6215.2$32,506.88
204087$484,677.6314.4$33,658.17
204188$473,570.4313.7$34,567.18
204289$460,953.4112.9$35,732.82
204390$446,481.6212.2$36,596.85
204491$430,379.0011.5$37,424.26
204592$412,602.4810.8$38,203.93
204693$393,118.4710.1$38,922.62
204794$371,905.649.5$39,147.96
204895$349,395.568.9$39,257.93
204996$325,644.528.4$38,767.20
205097$301,221.187.8$38,618.10

Projection only: each year’s balance is last year’s minus the RMD, grown at your rate. Real returns vary.

What RMD Calculator Does

This RMD calculator works out your required minimum distribution for any year from 2022 on, using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. Enter your birth year and last December 31 balance and you get the amount, the divisor it came from, the percentage of your account it represents, and the deadlines that apply — including the first-year April 1 option and the two-distribution year it creates.

Your RMD age depends on when you were born. The SECURE 2.0 Act raised it to 73 for people born from 1951 through 1959 and to 75 for people born in 1960 or later. The projection table then estimates each future year’s RMD at the growth rate you choose, so you can see how required withdrawals rise as a share of the account.

How to Use RMD Calculator

  1. Enter the year you were born to find your RMD age
  2. Enter the distribution year and the balance on December 31 of the year before
  3. Read the required amount, divisor and percentage of the balance
  4. Check your first-year and ongoing deadlines
  5. Set an expected growth rate to project future RMDs

Formula Used by RMD Calculator

Required minimum distribution

RMD = account balance on December 31 of the prior year ÷ distribution period for your age this year

Worked example

Born 1953, distribution year 2026 (age 73), balance $500,000 on Dec 31, 2025.

  1. Uniform Lifetime Table divisor at 73 = 26.5
  2. $500,000 ÷ 26.5

Result: $18,867.92, about 3.77% of the balance.

IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Selected Ages)

Distribution periods in effect for distribution years beginning on or after January 1, 2022.

AgeDivisorAgeDivisor
7227.48516.0
7326.58615.2
7425.58714.4
7524.68813.7
7623.78912.9
7722.99012.2
7822.09210.8
7921.1958.9
8020.2987.3
8218.51006.4
8416.81103.5

Source: IRS Publication 590-B, Appendix B

RMD Starting Age by Birth Year

BornRMD ageFirst RMD year
1951732024
1955732028
1959732032
1960752035
1965752040

Source: Congressional Research Service — RMD rules for original owners

How to Read Your Result

The first-year trap

Delaying your first RMD to April 1 of the next year means taking two RMDs in that year. Both count as income, which can raise your tax bracket and the taxable share of Social Security, or push Medicare premiums higher. Taking the first one in its own year is often cheaper.

Missing an RMD

The shortfall is subject to a 25% excise tax, cut to 10% if you withdraw the missed amount within the correction window — generally by the end of the second year after the year it was due. It is reported on Form 5329.

Still working

If you are still employed and do not own 5% or more of the company, most employer plans let you delay RMDs from that plan until you retire. The exception does not apply to IRAs.

Limitations & Accuracy Notes

  • Uses the Uniform Lifetime Table only. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, the Joint Life and Last Survivor table applies and your RMD is smaller.
  • Inherited IRAs follow different rules (the 10-year rule and the Single Life table) and are not covered.
  • Projected RMDs assume a steady growth rate; actual balances change each year.
  • This is an estimate, not tax advice. Confirm with your account custodian, who must report the RMD amount to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is an RMD calculated?
Divide the account balance on December 31 of the previous year by the distribution period for your age in the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. At 73 the divisor is 26.5, so a $500,000 IRA requires $500,000 ÷ 26.5 = $18,867.92 for the year.
At what age do RMDs start?
Under SECURE 2.0, 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. Earlier rules applied to people born before 1951, who have already started.
When is the RMD deadline?
December 31 each year, except the first: you can delay your first RMD until April 1 of the following year. If you do, you must take two RMDs that year — the delayed one and the current one — which can push you into a higher tax bracket.
What is the penalty for missing an RMD?
An excise tax of 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn, reduced to 10% if you take the missed amount and correct it within the correction window, generally by the end of the second year after the year it was due. It is reported on Form 5329.
Do Roth IRAs have required minimum distributions?
Not for the original owner: Roth IRAs have no RMDs during your lifetime, and since 2024 neither do designated Roth accounts in 401(k) and 403(b) plans. Beneficiaries who inherit a Roth may have to take distributions.
What if my spouse is much younger?
If your spouse is the sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, you use the Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table instead, which gives a longer divisor and a smaller RMD. This calculator flags that case but uses the Uniform Lifetime Table.
Do I take an RMD from each account?
For traditional IRAs you calculate each account’s RMD but may withdraw the total from any one or more of them. 401(k) and other employer plans are different: each plan’s RMD must come from that plan.

References & Further Reading

By OnlineToolHubs Team • September 2026