{
  "slug": "rmd",
  "title": "RMD Calculator",
  "heading": "Required Minimum Distribution Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/rmd",
  "summary": "Your required withdrawal from a traditional retirement account.",
  "description": "Once you reach the RMD age the IRS requires a minimum annual withdrawal from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s, calculated from your prior year-end balance and an IRS life expectancy factor. Missing it triggers a stiff penalty.",
  "formula": "RMD = Prior year-end balance ÷ IRS Uniform Lifetime Table distribution period.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=rmd",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "balance",
      "label": "Prior year-end balance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 750000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "age",
      "label": "Your age this year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 75,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 70,
      "max": 105
    },
    {
      "id": "taxRate",
      "label": "Marginal tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 22,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 50
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rmd",
      "label": "Required distribution this year",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "factor",
      "label": "IRS distribution period",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Estimated tax owed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "net",
      "label": "Net after tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly",
      "label": "If taken monthly",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Prior year-end balance: 750000 $",
      "Your age this year: 75",
      "Marginal tax rate: 22 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Required distribution this year: $30,487.80",
      "IRS distribution period: 24.6",
      "Estimated tax owed: $6,707.32",
      "Net after tax: $23,780.49",
      "If taken monthly: $2,540.65"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter prior year-end balance ($).",
      "Enter your age this year.",
      "Enter marginal tax rate (%).",
      "Read your required distribution this year on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "balance": 450000,
        "age": 75,
        "taxRate": 13
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "balance": 750000,
        "age": 75,
        "taxRate": 22
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "balance": 1200000,
        "age": 75,
        "taxRate": 35
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the required minimum distribution calculator work?",
      "a": "Once you reach the RMD age the IRS requires a minimum annual withdrawal from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s, calculated from your prior year-end balance and an IRS life expectancy factor. Missing it triggers a stiff penalty. The underlying maths is: RMD = Prior year-end balance ÷ IRS Uniform Lifetime Table distribution period."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "3 values: prior year-end balance, your age this year, and marginal tax rate. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the required distribution this year result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/retirement",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/401k"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — RMD Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/rmd)"
}