RMDs & IRAs
RMD calculator for 2026 and 2027
Your required minimum distribution is last December 31’s balance divided by the IRS factor for your age. Enter your birth date and balance below to get the exact amount, the deadline, and what it means for your taxes and Medicare.
Your details
RMD for which year?
It’s on your year-end statement. Don’t subtract anything you’ve withdrawn this year.
Projection assumptions
Only affects future years in the chart, not this year’s RMD.
Results update as you type. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Your 2026 required minimum distribution
$18,867.92
That’s 3.77% of your December 31, 2025 balance. Withdraw it by April 1, 2027.
Your age in the table
73
Age you reach in 2026
IRS distribution period
26.5
Uniform Lifetime table
Monthly if spread out
$1,572
You can take it any way you like
First-year trap: waiting until April doubles up
You may delay this first RMD until April 1, 2027, but your 2027 RMD is still due by December 31, 2027. Taking both in one year can push you into a higher tax bracket — and raise Medicare premiums two years later through IRMAA.Show the math
- Balance on December 31, 2025: $500,000.00
- Age you reach in 2026: 2026 − 1953 = 73
- Uniform Lifetime table factor: 26.5
- $500,000.00 ÷ 26.5 = $18,867.92
If you own several IRAs, add up each one’s RMD — you can withdraw the total from any of them. 401(k) RMDs must come out of each 401(k) separately.
Your RMDs over time
Assuming 5% yearly growth and only the RMD withdrawn. The percentage you must take rises every year.
See the year-by-year table
| Year | Age | Balance Jan 1 | Factor | RMD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 73 | $500,000 | 26.5 | $18,868 |
| 2027 | 74 | $505,189 | 25.5 | $19,811 |
| 2028 | 75 | $509,646 | 24.6 | $20,717 |
| 2029 | 76 | $513,375 | 23.7 | $21,661 |
| 2030 | 77 | $516,300 | 22.9 | $22,546 |
| 2031 | 78 | $518,441 | 22 | $23,566 |
| 2032 | 79 | $519,620 | 21.1 | $24,627 |
| 2033 | 80 | $519,743 | 20.2 | $25,730 |
| 2034 | 81 | $518,714 | 19.4 | $26,738 |
| 2035 | 82 | $516,575 | 18.5 | $27,923 |
| 2036 | 83 | $513,084 | 17.7 | $28,988 |
| 2037 | 84 | $508,301 | 16.8 | $30,256 |
| 2038 | 85 | $501,948 | 16 | $31,372 |
| 2039 | 86 | $494,105 | 15.2 | $32,507 |
| 2040 | 87 | $484,678 | 14.4 | $33,658 |
| 2041 | 88 | $473,570 | 13.7 | $34,567 |
| 2042 | 89 | $460,953 | 12.9 | $35,733 |
| 2043 | 90 | $446,482 | 12.2 | $36,597 |
| 2044 | 91 | $430,379 | 11.5 | $37,424 |
| 2045 | 92 | $412,602 | 10.8 | $38,204 |
| 2046 | 93 | $393,118 | 10.1 | $38,923 |
| 2047 | 94 | $371,906 | 9.5 | $39,148 |
| 2048 | 95 | $349,396 | 8.9 | $39,258 |
| 2049 | 96 | $325,645 | 8.4 | $38,767 |
| 2050 | 97 | $301,221 | 7.8 | $38,618 |
| 2051 | 98 | $275,733 | 7.3 | $37,772 |
| 2052 | 99 | $249,860 | 6.8 | $36,744 |
| 2053 | 100 | $223,771 | 6.4 | $34,964 |
Uses the IRS tables in effect for 2026 (Treas. Reg. §1.401(a)(9)-9). Last verified October 23, 2026.
How is a required minimum distribution calculated?
Take your account balance on December 31 of the prior year and divide it by the distribution period for the age you reach this year. Most people use the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table; married owners whose only beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger use the Joint and Last Survivor Table.
The factor shrinks every year, so the share you must withdraw grows — about 3.8% at 73, 5% at 80, 8.2% at 90 and 15.6% at 100. That is by design: the government gave you a tax break when you contributed, and RMDs are how it collects.
| Age | Distribution period | % of balance | RMD per $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 26.5 | 3.77% | $3,774 |
| 74 | 25.5 | 3.92% | $3,922 |
| 75 | 24.6 | 4.07% | $4,065 |
| 76 | 23.7 | 4.22% | $4,219 |
| 77 | 22.9 | 4.37% | $4,367 |
| 78 | 22 | 4.55% | $4,545 |
| 80 | 20.2 | 4.95% | $4,950 |
| 85 | 16 | 6.25% | $6,250 |
| 90 | 12.2 | 8.20% | $8,197 |
| 95 | 8.9 | 11.24% | $11,236 |
| 100 | 6.4 | 15.63% | $15,625 |
See the full Uniform Lifetime Table for every age from 72 to 120.
When is my RMD due?
Every RMD is due by December 31 — except your very first one, which you may delay until April 1 of the following year.
Delaying sounds generous, but it usually backfires: you then owe two RMDs in the same tax year. For someone with a $600,000 IRA that’s roughly $46,000 of extra income in one year, enough to cross a tax bracket and an IRMAA threshold. Unless your income will drop sharply next year, take the first RMD in the year you turn 73.
What is my RMD age?
It depends only on your birth date: 73 if you were born 1951–1959, 75 if you were born in 1960 or later.
- Born before July 1, 1949: 70½ (old rule)
- Born July 1, 1949 – December 31, 1950: 72
- Born 1951 – 1959: 73
- Born 1960 or later: 75
One wrinkle: the law’s wording is ambiguous for people born in 1959. Proposed IRS regulations say 73, and we use 73 — it doesn’t matter in practice until 2032.
What if I’m still working?
If you still work for the company that sponsors your 401(k) or 403(b) and own 5% or less of it, that plan’s RMDs can wait until you retire.
The exception never applies to IRAs — including rollover IRAs from old jobs — or to plans from former employers.
How to keep RMDs from raising your taxes
- Give it away tax-free. From 70½, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) sent straight from your IRA to a charity counts toward your RMD but never shows up in your income — which also helps with IRMAA and the tax on your Social Security.
- Have taxes withheld from the RMD itself. Withholding is treated as paid evenly through the year, so a December RMD can cover a whole year of estimated tax.
- Convert before RMDs start. Roth conversions in your 60s shrink the balance that future RMDs are based on.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my RMD?
Divide your account balance on December 31 of last year by the IRS distribution period for the age you reach this year. At 73 the factor is 26.5, so a $500,000 IRA requires $18,868. Use the Joint and Last Survivor table instead if your only beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger.
What age do RMDs start in 2026?
Your RMD age is 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. People born in 1953 reach 73 in 2026, so their first RMD is for 2026 and is due by April 1, 2027.
What happens if I miss an RMD?
The IRS charges an excise tax of 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn, cut to 10% if you correct it within the correction window. File Form 5329; the IRS also waives the tax for reasonable errors you fix promptly, which you request by attaching an explanation.
Can I take my RMD from just one IRA?
Yes. Calculate the RMD for each traditional IRA separately, add them up, and withdraw the total from any one or more of your IRAs. 403(b) accounts can be combined the same way, but each 401(k) or 457(b) plan must pay its own RMD.
Do Roth IRAs have required minimum distributions?
No. Roth IRA owners never have lifetime RMDs, and starting in 2024 Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts don’t either. Beneficiaries who inherit a Roth account generally must empty it within 10 years.
Can my RMD go straight to charity?
Yes, once you are 70½ a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) sent directly from your IRA to a charity counts toward your RMD and is left out of your taxable income — up to $111,000 in 2026. It must leave the IRA by December 31.
Sources
Primary sources only. We re-check them whenever an agency publishes new figures.
- eCFR
- eCFR
- IRS
- IRS
- Federal RegisterFederal Register — Required Minimum Distributions final regulations (T.D. 10001)· published July 19, 2024
- Congress
- IRS
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