CalcArcade.

RMD Calculator

Enter your birth year, the year you are checking and your account balance on December 31 of the year before. The calculator divides the balance by the IRS divisor for your age and shows the amount you must withdraw, the penalty for missing it and a projection for the next twelve years.

Your numbers

Result

Estimate for information only, not professional advice. Last reviewed .

How we calculate it

A required minimum distribution (RMD) is the least you must take out of a traditional IRA or workplace plan each year once you reach the required beginning age. It equals the balance on December 31 of the previous year divided by the IRS distribution period for the age you reach this year.

The divisor comes from the Uniform Lifetime Table in IRS Publication 590-B. It is 26.5 at age 73, 20.2 at age 80, 12.2 at age 90 and falls to 2 at age 120 and over. At age 73 an RMD is about 3.8% of the balance.

The required beginning age is 73 for people born from 1951 to 1959 and 75 for people born in 1960 or later. The first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the next year, but then two are due in that year. After that each is due by December 31.

Assumptions and limits

  • Uses the Uniform Lifetime Table: unmarried owners, and married owners whose spouse is not more than 10 years younger. Other tables (spouse more than 10 years younger, inherited accounts) are not included.
  • If you have several IRAs, work out each RMD and you may take the total from any of them. 401(k) plans are calculated plan by plan. Roth IRAs have no RMD for the owner.
  • Missing an RMD costs a 25% excise tax on the amount not taken, 10% if corrected within two years. Not tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

At what age do I have to start taking RMDs?

Age 73 if you were born from 1951 to 1959 and age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later, under the SECURE 2.0 Act.

How is my RMD calculated?

Divide your account balance on the previous December 31 by the IRS distribution period for your age. At 75 the divisor is 24.6, so a $500,000 balance gives an RMD of about $20,325.

What is the penalty for missing an RMD?

A 25% excise tax on the amount you should have taken, reduced to 10% if you fix it within two years.

Do Roth IRAs have RMDs?

Not for the original owner. Roth 401(k) accounts also have no RMDs for the owner starting in 2024. Beneficiaries have their own rules.

Can I take more than the RMD?

Yes. The RMD is a minimum. Withdrawals above it are taxed as income in the same way, and an extra withdrawal this year does not reduce next year’s RMD.

Related calculators

Worked example (a fixed example using the starting numbers, it does not change as you type)

Inputs: Year you were born = 1952; Year to calculate (2023 to 2100) = 2026; Account balance on December 31 of the year before ($) = 500000; Yearly growth for the projection (%) = 5.

  • Required minimum distribution for 2026 $19,607.84
  • Age you reach in 2026 74
  • Required beginning age 73
  • Divisor (IRS Table III) 25.5
  • Share of the balance 3.92%
  • First RMD year 2025
  • Penalty if missed (25%) $4,901.96
  • Penalty if fixed within two years (10%) $1,960.78

Embed this calculator

Add this calculator to your own page. Paste the code where you want it. The small link keeps credit to the source.

More financial calculators

Last reviewed: . Formulas and assumptions are described on our methodology page. For information only; not professional advice.