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RMD Calculator

How much must you withdraw from your IRA or 401(k) each year? Enter your numbers to see your required minimum distributions from the year they begin through age 95, using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.

Your numbers

With your birth year, RMDs begin at age 75 — your first one is for 2046.

Required minimum withdrawals by age

The least you must withdraw each year: the prior December 31 balance divided by the IRS divisor for your age, with the balance growing 5% a year.

$0$25K$50K$75K$100K$125K75204676777879802051818283848520568687888990206191929394952066Age (and calendar year)Age 75: $53,929Age 76: $56,500Age 77: $58,930Age 78: $61,730Age 79: $64,655Age 80: $67,712Age 81: $70,539Age 82: $73,856Age 83: $76,881Age 84: $80,474Age 85: $83,693Age 86: $86,996Age 87: $90,380Age 88: $93,150Age 89: $96,652Age 90: $99,386Age 91: $102,065Age 92: $104,664Age 93: $107,151Age 94: $108,335Age 95: $109,248$53.9K$109K

Key numbers

First required withdrawal
$53,929age 75 · 2046
Largest required withdrawal
$109,248age 95 · 2066
Total withdrawn by 95
$1,746,925over 21 years
Balance remaining at 95
$911,674end of 2066

How required minimum distributions work

Money in a traditional IRA or 401(k) went in untaxed and has grown untaxed ever since. A required minimum distribution, or RMD, is the point at which the government stops waiting: from a set age onward you must take a minimum amount out of those accounts every year and pay ordinary income tax on it. You can always withdraw more. You simply cannot withdraw less.

When they start

SECURE 2.0 pushed the starting age out twice, so it now depends on your year of birth. If you were born between 1951 and 1959 your RMDs begin at 73. If you were born in 1960 or later they begin at 75. The first one is due by December 31 of that year, with one exception: you may delay your very first distribution as late as April 1 of the following year — though that leaves two RMDs falling in the same tax year, which often costs more than it saves.

How the amount is set

Each year's RMD is your account balance on the previous December 31 divided by a divisor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, chosen by the age you reach during the year. A 75-year-old divides by 24.6, so the required withdrawal is about 4.1% of the balance. An 85-year-old divides by 16.0, or about 6.3%.

That rising percentage is the reason the chart above keeps climbing. The divisor shrinks every year, so even a balance that is flat or falling produces a larger required withdrawal as you age — and for many people the account keeps growing faster than the RMD drains it well into their eighties.

What it means for your taxes

Every dollar distributed lands on your tax return as ordinary income. That can push you into a higher bracket, make more of your Social Security taxable, and — two years later — raise your Medicare premiums through the IRMAA surcharge. Those knock-on effects are why people often start converting to a Roth in the gap between retirement and their first RMD, when income is at its lowest: money moved into a Roth is never subject to lifetime RMDs, so it shrinks every future year's required withdrawal.

Note that the Uniform Lifetime Table used here assumes your sole beneficiary is not a spouse more than ten years younger than you. If that describes your situation, a different table applies and your required amounts will be smaller than shown.

Frequently asked questions

When do I have to start taking RMDs?

Under SECURE 2.0 the starting age depends on when you were born: 73 if you were born between 1951 and 1959, and 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. Anyone born in 1950 or earlier is already past their required beginning date under the prior rules.

How is a required minimum distribution calculated?

Take the account balance on December 31 of the previous year and divide it by the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for the age you reach during the current year. At 75 the divisor is 24.6, so the RMD is about 4.1% of the balance; at 85 the divisor is 16.0, or about 6.3%.

Why do my RMDs keep getting bigger?

The divisor shrinks every year, so the required percentage of the balance climbs steadily with age. Unless your account is shrinking faster than that percentage is rising, the dollar amount you must withdraw keeps increasing — which is the pattern the chart above is built to show.

Do Roth accounts have RMDs?

Roth IRAs have no required distributions during the original owner’s lifetime. Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts used to require them, but SECURE 2.0 removed that requirement beginning in 2024. Inherited Roth accounts are a different matter and do carry distribution requirements.

Can I delay my very first RMD?

Yes. The first one may be taken as late as April 1 of the year after you reach your starting age. The catch is that the second RMD is still due by December 31 of that same year, putting two taxable distributions in one tax year — often a worse outcome than simply taking the first one on time.

What happens if I miss an RMD?

The shortfall is subject to a 25% excise tax, reported on IRS Form 5329. That drops to 10% if you take the missed amount and file a corrected return within the two-year correction window, and the IRS may waive it entirely for a reasonable error that you promptly fix.

Withdrawals follow the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (2022 and later) with SECURE 2.0 start ages, assume a constant annual return with the withdrawal taken at year end, and are shown in future dollars. The Uniform Lifetime Table applies when your sole beneficiary is not a spouse more than 10 years younger. Taxes are ignored, and Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMDs. This is an educational estimate, not tax or financial advice.