RMD Calculator

How to calculate RMD (Required Minimum Distribution)

This RMD calculator and IRS RMD calculator estimates the required minimum distribution mandated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax-deferred retirement accounts—including traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and employer-sponsored 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans—using the life expectancy tables in IRS Publication 590-B. (For workplace plans like a 401(k) or 403(b), if you are still employed by the plan sponsor, are not a 5% or greater owner, and the plan allows it, RMDs from that plan can be delayed until you retire.)

If you are wondering “how much is my RMD?” for a given distribution calendar year, divide your retirement account balance as of December 31 of the prior calendar year by the applicable distribution period (life expectancy factor) for your age on your birthday in the distribution year:

Annual RMD = Prior December 31 Account Balance ÷ IRS Distribution Period

• IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III): Used by unmarried account owners, married owners whose spouse is not the sole primary beneficiary, and married owners whose spouse is the sole primary beneficiary and is not more than 10 years younger.
• IRS Joint and Last Survivor Life Expectancy Table (Table II): Used when your spouse is the sole primary beneficiary for the entire calendar year and is more than 10 years younger than you (meaning the difference between your birth year and your spouse's birth year is at least 11 years). This produces a longer distribution period and a smaller annual RMD.

IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (RMD table calculator reference)

Below is the IRS Table III (Uniform Lifetime Table) from IRS Publication 590-B Appendix B, applicable to distribution calendar years 2022 and later:

What the result includes

• Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for the selected distribution year, plus the exact IRS distribution period and table used (Table III vs. Table II).
• RMD age calculator & first RMD deadline based on your birth year under IRS rules (age 70½ if born before July 1, 1949; age 72 if born July 1, 1949 through December 31, 1950; age 73 for 1951–1959; and age 75 for 1960 and later).
• Multi-year projection chart and schedule through age 120 assuming you withdraw only the annual RMD at the end of each year and your remaining balance compounds at your estimated annual rate of return.

Important caveats

This calculator applies lifetime RMD rules for original retirement account owners under IRS Publication 590-B. The displayed RMD starting age and first RMD deadline apply directly to traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs; for workplace defined contribution plans such as 401(k) or 403(b) accounts, if you are still working for the employer sponsoring the plan, own less than 5% of the business, and the plan document permits, you may delay RMDs from that workplace plan until April 1 of the calendar year following retirement. This tool does not constitute tax, legal, or investment advice. RMDs from pre-tax retirement accounts are generally taxed as ordinary federal and state income, and missing a required distribution can trigger a 25% IRS excise tax on the shortfall (reduced to 10% if corrected within the two-year correction window).

Frequently asked questions

When do I have to take RMD for the first time (RMD age calculator rules)?

Your RMD starting age depends on your date of birth: if you were born before July 1, 1949, RMDs began at age 70½; if you were born between July 1, 1949 and December 31, 1950, RMDs began at age 72 under the SECURE Act of 2019. Under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, if you were born between 1951 and 1959, your required minimum distributions start in the calendar year you turn 73, and if you were born in 1960 or later, your RMD starting age is 75. You may delay your very first RMD until April 1 of the following year (your required beginning date), but doing so means you must take two RMDs in that second calendar year—one by April 1 for the prior year and another by December 31 for the current year.

How do IRA RMD calculator rules differ from a 401k RMD calculator (401(k))?

Both traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored plans (such as traditional 401(k) and 403(b) accounts) use the same IRS Uniform Lifetime and Joint Life Expectancy tables once distributions are required. However, there are two key differences: first, under the still-working exception, if you are still employed by the company sponsoring your 401(k) or 403(b), are not a 5% or greater owner, and your plan allows it, you can delay taking RMDs from that workplace plan until April 1 of the year after you retire (this exception never applies to IRAs). Second, if you hold multiple traditional IRAs, you must calculate the RMD for each IRA separately but may withdraw the combined total from any one or more of your traditional IRAs, whereas for 401(k) plans you must calculate and withdraw the RMD separately from each individual 401(k) plan. Starting in 2024, designated Roth 401(k) accounts—like Roth IRAs—are exempt from lifetime RMDs for the original owner.

How does an inherited IRA RMD calculator work for beneficiaries?

Inherited retirement accounts follow separate rules from lifetime owner RMDs. Under the SECURE Act, most non-spouse beneficiaries who inherited an account in 2020 or later are subject to the 10-year rule, requiring the entire inherited balance to be distributed by December 31 of the tenth year following the original owner's death. Eligible designated beneficiaries—such as a surviving spouse, a minor child of the decedent, a disabled or chronically ill individual, or a beneficiary not more than 10 years younger than the decedent—may use IRS Table I (Single Life Expectancy) or spousal rollover options instead.