About the RMD Calculator
A required minimum distribution calculator works out the amount you must withdraw from a tax-deferred retirement account each year once RMDs begin. The rules exist because the government deferred tax on that money and now requires it to be collected.
The formula
RMD = account balance / IRS life expectancy factorThe balance is as of 31 December of the previous year. The distribution period comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table — about 26.5 at age 73, falling as age rises.
How to use this calculator
- 1Enter your Account Balance ($). The field starts at
500000, which you can overwrite. - 2Enter your Your Age. The field starts at
75, which you can overwrite. - 3Read the result straight away — it recalculates as you type, so there is no button to press. Use Share to copy a link that reopens the page with your exact numbers filled in.
Worked example
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Account Balance ($) | 500000 |
| Your Age | 75 |
Result
Annual RMD: $20,325.20
Monthly Withdrawal: $1693.77
Life Expectancy Factor: 24.6
Those are the values the page loads with, so you can reproduce this result yourself and then change one field at a time to see what drives the outcome.
Understanding your result
Because the divisor shrinks each year, the required percentage rises steadily — roughly 3.8 percent at 73, about 5 percent at 80, and over 8 percent by 90. For a large account this can force withdrawals well beyond spending needs, pushing you into a higher tax bracket and potentially increasing Medicare premiums.
The penalty for missing an RMD is severe: 25 percent of the shortfall under current rules, reduced to 10 percent if corrected promptly. This is why many retirees set up automatic distributions rather than relying on remembering an annual deadline.
Things worth knowing
- RMDs begin at 73 under current US rules, having risen from 70½ and then 72 in recent legislation.
- Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the owner's lifetime, which is a significant planning advantage.
- A qualified charitable distribution can satisfy the RMD while excluding it from taxable income.
- RMDs for multiple IRAs can be aggregated and taken from one account; 401(k)s generally cannot.
- Roth conversions before 73 reduce the balance subject to future RMDs, at the cost of tax now.
Frequently asked questions
When do required minimum distributions start?+
At age 73 under current US rules. The first distribution can be delayed to 1 April of the following year, but doing so means taking two in one tax year.
How is the RMD calculated?+
Divide the prior year-end balance by the IRS life expectancy factor for your age. At 73 the factor is about 26.5, giving a required withdrawal of roughly 3.8 percent.
What is the penalty for missing an RMD?+
25 percent of the amount not withdrawn, reduced to 10 percent if you correct it within the allowed window and file the relevant form. It was 50 percent before recent legislation.
Do Roth accounts have RMDs?+
Roth IRAs have none during the owner's lifetime. Roth 401(k)s were subject to them historically but are exempt from 2024 under the SECURE 2.0 Act.