Free RMD Calculator 2026 - Required Minimum Distribution
Calculate your required minimum distribution (RMD) from IRA and 401(k) using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. RMDs start at age 72 (73 if you reach 72 after Dec 31, 2022).
RMD = balance ÷ distribution period from IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.
What Is a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)?
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are minimum amounts you must withdraw from traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other tax-deferred retirement accounts each year once you reach the required age. The rules changed under the SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0: if you reach age 72 after December 31, 2022, your RMDs start at age 73. Otherwise they start at age 72. The IRS publishes a Uniform Lifetime Table that gives a distribution period (life expectancy factor) for each age; your RMD for the year equals your account balance as of the prior December 31 divided by that factor.
Why do RMDs exist?
Tax-deferred accounts let you delay paying income tax until you withdraw. The IRS requires minimum withdrawals so that the government eventually collects tax on that money. If you do not need the cash, you can invest the RMD in a taxable account, use it for gifts or grandkids’ education, or pair it with a Roth conversion strategy in lower-income years.
RMD penalties and deadlines
Failing to take the full RMD by the deadline can result in a 25% penalty on the shortfall (reduced from 50% under SECURE 2.0). Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you turn 72 or 73 (depending on your birth date); every RMD after that is due by December 31 of that same year. If you have multiple IRAs, you can take the total RMD from any one or more of them; for 401(k)s, you generally must take the RMD from each plan separately.
Planning with RMDs
Use our IRA calculator to compare traditional vs Roth and see how Roth accounts are not subject to RMDs during your lifetime. Our retirement income calculator helps you plan withdrawal rates and the 4% rule alongside Social Security and pensions. For a full picture with Monte Carlo simulations and country-specific rules, use our retirement calculator.
RMD Calculator FAQ
RMDs start at age 72, or 73 if you reach age 72 after December 31, 2022. Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach that age; later RMDs are due by December 31 each year. If you delay the first one to April 1, you will have two RMDs in that year.
RMD = your account balance as of the prior December 31 ÷ the distribution period from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table for your age. The table assumes a beneficiary 10 years younger; if your spouse is sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, you may use the Joint and Last Survivor Table for a smaller RMD. Our calculator uses the Uniform Lifetime Table.
Roth IRAs do not require RMDs during the owner’s lifetime. Roth 401(k)s did until 2024; under SECURE 2.0, Roth 401(k)s are now exempt from RMDs as well. That makes Roth accounts useful for leaving money growing tax-free and for estate planning.
The IRS can impose a 25% penalty on the amount you should have withdrawn. You still must take the RMD and report it as income. In some cases the penalty can be waived if you correct the shortfall and file Form 5329 with a reasonable cause explanation; the IRS has been more lenient when taxpayers fix the error promptly.
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