Rex says
The RMD isn't a suggestion. Miss it and the excise tax lands on the shortfall — so it's worth checking the number in January, not December.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Pension, part-time work, taxable Social Security, interest.
Used to project next year's RMD.
Result
Required minimum distribution
$26,423
IRS life-expectancy factor
24.6
Share of your balance
4.07%
Estimated federal tax on it
$3,054
After-tax amount you keep
$23,369
If taken monthly
$2,202
Your marginal bracket with the RMD
12%
Projected RMD next year
$27,627
You must take at least $26,423 this year — about 4.07% of the account. If you don't need the cash, a qualified charitable distribution or an in-kind transfer to a taxable account both satisfy the requirement without forcing you to sell into a down market.
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter your age this year.
- 2Enter account balance on december 31 last year ($).
- 3Enter your other taxable income this year ($) — Pension, part-time work, taxable Social Security, interest..
- 4Enter filing status.
- 5Enter assumed annual return (%) — Used to project next year's RMD..
- 6Read your required minimum distribution on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Once you reach the RMD age, the IRS requires you to withdraw a minimum amount from traditional IRAs and most workplace retirement plans each year. The formula is simple — last December 31's balance divided by a life-expectancy factor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table — but the penalty for missing it is real. This calculator gives you the exact required amount, the factor used, and an estimate of the federal tax on the distribution.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Your age this year: 75
- Account balance on December 31 last year: 650000 $
- Your other taxable income this year: 48000 $
- Filing status: Married filing jointly
- Assumed annual return: 5 %
Results
- Required minimum distribution: $26,422.76
- IRS life-expectancy factor: 24.6
- Share of your balance: 4.07%
- Estimated federal tax on it: $3,053.73
- After-tax amount you keep: $23,369.03
- If taken monthly: $2,201.90
- Your marginal bracket with the RMD: 12%
- Projected RMD next year: $27,626.84
What each field means
Inputs
- Your age this year
- The your age this year used in the calculation. Starts at 75 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 70–115.
- Account balance on December 31 last year ($)
- The account balance on december 31 last year used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 650000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Your other taxable income this year ($)
- Pension, part-time work, taxable Social Security, interest.
- Filing status
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: Single, Married filing jointly.
- Assumed annual return (%)
- Used to project next year's RMD.
Results
- Required minimum distribution
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- IRS life-expectancy factor
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Share of your balance
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated federal tax on it
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- After-tax amount you keep
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- If taken monthly
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Your marginal bracket with the RMD
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected RMD next year
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
At what age do RMDs start?
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act the required beginning age is 73 for people who turn 72 after 2022, rising to 75 for those born in 1960 or later. Your first RMD can be delayed to April 1 of the year after you reach the required age — but doing that forces two distributions into one tax year.
How is an RMD calculated?
Take the account's fair market value on December 31 of the prior year and divide it by the life-expectancy factor for your age from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. At 75 the factor is 24.6, so the RMD is about 4.07% of the balance; by 85 the factor is 16.0, or roughly 6.25%.
What is the penalty for missing an RMD?
SECURE 2.0 cut the excise tax on a missed RMD from 50% to 25% of the shortfall, and to 10% if you correct it promptly within the correction window and file Form 5329. You can also request a waiver for reasonable cause.
Which accounts require RMDs?
Traditional IRAs, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, and most 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans. Roth IRAs never require distributions during the owner's lifetime, and as of 2024 designated Roth accounts inside workplace plans no longer do either.
Can I avoid tax on my RMD?
You can't skip the distribution, but a qualified charitable distribution sends up to the annual QCD limit directly from your IRA to a charity and satisfies the RMD without adding to taxable income — the cleanest option if you already give.
Do I have to take an RMD from every account?
You calculate it per account, but IRAs can be aggregated: total your IRA RMDs and withdraw the sum from any one of them. Workplace plans like 401(k)s cannot be aggregated — each plan needs its own distribution.
Accuracy and 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.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). RMD Calculator — Required Minimum Distribution (2026). Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/rmd-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/rmd-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RMD Calculator — Required Minimum Distribution (2026) — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [RMD Calculator — Required Minimum Distribution (2026) — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/rmd-calculator) (2026).