RMD Calculator — Required Minimum Distribution 2024
Calculate your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (2022 update). Includes SECURE 2.0 rules, 10-year projection, and penalty for missed RMDs.
Distribution factor: 26.5
For 10-year projection only
What Is the RMD Calculator — Required Minimum Distribution 2024?
The IRS requires minimum annual withdrawals from traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and most other pre-tax retirement accounts starting at age 73 (per SECURE 2.0 Act). These Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) ensure the government eventually collects tax on deferred contributions.
- ›How the factor works — The Uniform Lifetime Table assigns a distribution period (factor) to each age. Dividing your Dec 31 prior-year balance by this factor gives your RMD. A higher balance or lower factor produces a larger required distribution.
- ›SECURE 2.0 changes — The SECURE 2.0 Act (2022) raised the RMD starting age from 72 to 73 (for those born 1951–1959) and to 75 for those born 1960 or later. It also reduced the missed RMD penalty from 50% to 25%, with a further reduction to 10% if self-corrected within 2 years.
- ›Aggregation rules — For multiple IRAs, you calculate the RMD separately for each account but can take the total from one or any combination of traditional IRAs. 401(k) RMDs must be taken from each plan separately.
- ›Roth accounts — Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the account owner's lifetime. Roth 401(k)s were subject to RMDs before SECURE 2.0; starting in 2024, Roth 401(k)s are also exempt from RMDs.
Formula
RMD Calculation
RMD = Account Balance (Dec 31 prior year) / Distribution Factor
Distribution Factor
From IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (2022 update, IRS Pub. 590-B)
Age 73: factor 26.5 | Age 80: factor 20.2 | Age 90: factor 12.2
Penalty for Missing RMD (SECURE 2.0)
Excise Tax = Shortfall × 25%
Reduced to 10% if corrected within 2 years (correction window)
RMD Start Deadline
Must begin by April 1 of the year after you turn 73
| Age | Distribution Factor | RMD % of Account | Monthly (on $500k) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 26.5 | 3.77% | $1,572 |
| 75 | 24.6 | 4.07% | $1,693 |
| 80 | 20.2 | 4.95% | $2,062 |
| 85 | 16.0 | 6.25% | $2,604 |
| 90 | 12.2 | 8.20% | $3,415 |
| 95 | 8.9 | 11.24% | $4,682 |
How to Use
- 1Enter account balance: Use the December 31 prior-year balance — not the current balance. This is the value on your year-end statement.
- 2Enter your age: Your age as of December 31 of the distribution year (not your current age if it's before year-end). RMDs begin at 73.
- 3Select account type: For display purposes. RMD math is the same for traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b), and SEP-IRA using the Uniform Lifetime Table.
- 4Set expected return rate: Used only for the 10-year projection — how much the account grows between distributions. Affects projected future balances and RMD sizes.
- 5Calculate and review: See your RMD, distribution factor, penalty if missed, and a year-by-year 10-year projection of future RMDs.
- 6Plan withdrawal timing: You can take your RMD as a lump sum or in periodic installments throughout the year. Many prefer monthly distributions for cash flow planning.
Example Calculation
$500,000 IRA balance, age 73, 6% projected return
Age 73 distribution factor: 26.5
RMD: $500,000 / 26.5 = $18,868
% of account: 3.77%
Monthly equivalent: $1,572/mo
Penalty if missed (25%): $4,717
Year 5 projection (age 77):
Account balance: ~$544,000 (grows faster than RMDs)
RMD: ~$22,800 (factor 23.8)
Year 10 projection (age 82):
Account balance: ~$544,000
RMD: ~$29,700 (factor 17.1)
10-yr total RMDs: ~$245,000 distributed
RMDs increase as a percentage of the account
At 73, you withdraw about 3.8% of the account. By age 90, the factor requires 8.2%. Even with good investment returns, RMDs will eventually represent an increasing share of the account — and of your taxable income. Early Roth conversions (before 73) can reduce the taxable balance and future RMD burden significantly.
Understanding RMD — Required Minimum Distribution 2024
Roth Conversion as an RMD Strategy
Converting pre-tax IRA or 401(k) funds to a Roth IRA before age 73 reduces the balance subject to RMDs and shifts future growth to a tax-free environment. The optimal window for Roth conversions is typically the period between retirement (when ordinary income drops) and age 73 (when RMDs begin) — or at least until you begin claiming Social Security. Each dollar converted reduces future RMDs dollar for dollar, potentially lowering Medicare IRMAA surcharges and the taxation of Social Security benefits.
QCDs: Reducing Taxable RMDs
A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows individuals age 70½ or older to transfer up to $105,000 (2024 limit, indexed to inflation) directly from an IRA to a qualifying charity. QCDs count toward your RMD but are excluded from taxable income — more tax-efficient than taking the RMD as income and then donating. QCDs work best for people who would otherwise take the standard deduction and receive no incremental tax benefit from charitable giving.
Inherited IRA RMD Rules (Post-SECURE Act)
- ›Non-spouse beneficiaries inheriting an IRA in 2020 or later must empty the account within 10 years (the 10-year rule).
- ›Eligible Designated Beneficiaries (surviving spouses, minor children, disabled/chronically ill, and those within 10 years of age) may use their own life expectancy.
- ›Surviving spouses can roll the inherited IRA into their own IRA, delaying RMDs to their own age 73.
- ›Roth IRA beneficiaries must follow the 10-year rule but distributions remain income-tax-free.
Aggregating Multiple IRAs
If you own multiple traditional IRAs, you calculate the RMD for each separately — based on each account's December 31 prior-year balance and your uniform lifetime table factor. However, you can satisfy the total RMD by withdrawing from any combination of your traditional IRAs. 401(k) plans do not aggregate with IRAs — each 401(k) requires its own RMD taken from that specific plan.
Legal Disclaimer
RMD rules are governed by IRC § 401(a)(9) and IRS Publication 590-B. SECURE 2.0 (enacted December 2022) changed key parameters effective 2023. Inherited IRA rules changed significantly under the SECURE Act (2019) and SECURE 2.0 (2022). This calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (2022 update). Different tables apply to IRAs with a spouse more than 10 years younger. Consult a tax advisor. See IRS Publication 590-B and IRS RMD FAQs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I miss my RMD deadline?
Failing to take the full RMD by December 31 (or April 1 for the first-year RMD) triggers an IRS excise tax on the shortfall.
- ›Penalty rate: 25% of the amount not taken (SECURE 2.0 reduced this from the prior 50%).
- ›Self-correction window: reduced to 10% if you take the missed RMD and file Form 5329 within 2 years.
- ›First-year deadline: April 1 of the year after you turn 73 — but taking it then means two RMDs in one year.
- ›Most dangerous scenario: forgetting a small 401(k) at a former employer — multiple accounts require separate tracking.
Set a calendar reminder in November each year to verify your RMD has been fully satisfied before the December 31 deadline.
When must I take my first RMD?
Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year following the year you turn 73 — but delaying it creates a two-distribution year.
- ›Born in 1951: first RMD due by April 1, 2025 (turned 73 in 2024).
- ›Two-RMD problem: if you delay to April 1, you still must take the 2025 RMD by December 31, 2025 — doubling your taxable distribution in 2025.
- ›Recommendation: most advisors suggest taking the first RMD in the year you turn 73 to avoid the double-distribution tax spike.
- ›SECURE 2.0: born 1951–1959 → RMD age is 73; born 1960 or later → RMD age is 75 (not yet effective as of 2024).
The April 1 deadline is a one-time grace period for the very first RMD — every subsequent year the deadline is December 31.
Do Roth IRAs require RMDs?
No — Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the original owner's lifetime. This changed for Roth 401(k)s under SECURE 2.0.
- ›Roth IRA: no RMDs ever during the original owner's lifetime — the account can compound indefinitely.
- ›Roth 401(k) (starting 2024): also exempt from RMDs per SECURE 2.0 — a major planning improvement.
- ›Designated Roth accounts in 403(b) and 457(b) plans: same exemption applies.
- ›Inherited Roth IRAs: still require distributions under the 10-year rule, but distributions remain income-tax-free.
Roth accounts are the most efficient vehicle for wealth transfer precisely because they require no distributions — leaving the account to heirs who receive tax-free distributions over 10 years.
Can I take more than my RMD?
Yes — the RMD is a minimum floor, not a cap. Taking more than the minimum is often a deliberate tax strategy.
- ›Roth conversions: take additional distributions and convert to Roth IRA — fill the 12% or 22% bracket before RMDs grow larger.
- ›Tax bracket management: pull forward income in lower-income years to reduce future forced distributions.
- ›Charitable giving: qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) count toward the RMD and are excluded from taxable income.
- ›Excess does NOT carry forward: taking extra in 2024 does not reduce the 2025 RMD — each year is calculated independently.
Proactive Roth conversions in the years before RMDs begin (ages 60–72) are one of the most powerful tax optimization tools available to retirees.
How are RMDs taxed?
RMDs from traditional pre-tax accounts are taxed as ordinary income — with several downstream effects beyond just the income tax.
- ›Federal tax: ordinary income at your marginal bracket rate in the year received.
- ›Social Security taxation: RMD income increases your provisional income, potentially raising the taxable SS benefit from 50% to 85%.
- ›Medicare IRMAA: if MAGI exceeds $103,000 (single) / $206,000 (MFJ) in 2024, Medicare Part B and D premiums increase significantly.
- ›ACA subsidies: for early retirees on marketplace insurance, RMD income increases MAGI and reduces premium tax credits.
These cascading effects make RMD tax planning more complex than simply knowing the bracket rate — the IRMAA and Social Security taxation impacts can significantly increase the true marginal cost of each RMD dollar.