Written by 
Edited by 
Edited by 
If you’ve been planning to withdraw from your retirement accounts only as needed, you may be in for a surprise. The IRS requires you to begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from certain retirement accounts starting at age 73 in 2026. These mandatory withdrawals are designed to ensure that retirement savings are eventually taxed.
You can also consider working with a financial advisor to ensure your long-term retirement plan accounts for these important rules.
RMDs: When Are They Required?
The following kinds of retirement accounts all come with required minimum distributions:
- SEP-IRAs
- SIMPLE IRAs
- Traditional IRAs
- 401(k)s
- 403(b)s
- 457(b)s
- Profit-sharing plans
- Other defined contribution plans
For IRAs, SEP-IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs, required minimum distributions must begin by April 1 of the year following the year you turn 73. For 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, 403(b)s and other employer-sponsored retirement accounts, the required beginning date is generally April 1 of the year after you either reach age 73 or retire, whichever occurs later.
The rules for RMDs were amended for 2023 and beyond. The RMD age was increased from 72 to 73 for anyone who turned 72 during the year 2023. In 2033, the RMD age will increase to 75, meaning anyone born in 1960 or later will have to start RMDs at age 75.
How Required Minimum Distributions Are Calculated
To calculate your RMD for the year, take the account balance as of December 31 of the previous year and divide it by the applicable distribution period from the IRS’s Uniform Lifetime Table. The “distribution period” essentially represents your remaining life expectancy in years.
For example, if you reach age 73 in 2026, you would be required to take your first RMD by April 1, 2027. If you had $725,000 in your IRA on Dec. 31, 2025, you would simply divide the balance by 26.5 (your age-based divisor) and arrive at an RMD of $27,358.
To quickly estimate how much you’ll be required to withdraw, use our RMD calculator below:
Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Calculator
Estimate your next RMD using your age, balance and expected returns.
RMD Amount for IRA(s)
RMD Amount for 401(k) #1
RMD Amount for 401(k) #2
About This Calculator
This calculator estimates RMDs by dividing the user's prior year's Dec. 31 account balance by the IRS Distribution Period based on their age. Users can enter their birth year, prior-year balances and an expected annual return to estimate the timing and amount of future RMDs.
For IRAs (excluding Roth IRAs), users may combine balances and take the total RMD from one or more accounts. For 401(k)s and similar workplace plans*, RMDs must be calculated and taken separately from each account, so balances should be entered individually.
*The IRS allows those with multiple 403(b) accounts to aggregate their balances and split their RMDs across these accounts.
Assumptions
This calculator assumes users have an RMD age of either 73 or 75. Users born between 1951 and 1959 are required to take their first RMD by April 1 of the year following their 73rd birthday. Users born in 1960 and later must take their first RMD by April 1 of the year following their 75th birthday.
This calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table to estimate RMDs. This table generally applies to account owners age 73 or older whose spouse is either less than 10 years younger or not their sole primary beneficiary.
However, if a user's spouse is more than 10 years younger and is their sole primary beneficiary, the IRS Joint and Last Survivor Expectancy Table must be used instead. Likewise, if the user is the beneficiary of an inherited IRA or retirement account, RMDs must be calculated using the IRS Single Life Expectancy Table. In these cases, users will need to calculate their RMD manually or consult a finance professional.
For users already required to take an RMD for the current year, the calculator uses their account balance as of December 31 of the previous year to compute the RMD. For users who haven't yet reached RMD age, the calculator applies their expected annual rate of return to that same prior-year-end balance to project future balances, which are then used to estimate RMDs.
This RMD calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, but certain users may need to use a different IRS table depending on their beneficiary designation or marital status. It's the user's responsibility to confirm which table applies to their situation, and tables may be subject to change.
Actual results may vary based on individual circumstances, future account performance and changes in tax laws or IRS regulations. Estimates provided by this calculator do not guarantee future distribution amounts or account balances. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
SmartAsset.com does not provide legal, tax, accounting or financial advice (except for referring users to third-party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries ("Adviser(s)") with a regulatory body in the United States). Articles, opinions and tools are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Users should consult their accountant, tax advisor or legal professional to address their particular situation.
As with most IRS rules, there are a few exceptions that add complexity. For example, if the account holder’s sole beneficiary is a spouse who is more than 10 years younger, the RMD is calculated using a different table, the Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table.
Other non-spouse beneficiaries use the Single Life Expectancy Table to determine their RMDs.
Why the IRS Requires RMDs
The IRS doesn’t allow you to wait indefinitely before taking distributions because the retirement accounts in question offer tax-deferred benefits. With these accounts, you can make tax-deductible contributions and allow your investments to grow without paying taxes in the meantime.
From the moment you open a traditional IRA, for example, until you reach age 73 (or 75), the IRS receives no tax revenue from those funds. Naturally, the government doesn’t intend for this tax deferral to last forever. That’s why RMDs exist.
Without RMDs, individuals could use tax-deferred accounts to grow their wealth indefinitely while avoiding taxes. In exchange for allowing you to deduct contributions and postpone taxes, the IRS ensures it eventually receives its share, especially during your retirement years.
Why Roth IRAs Don’t Have RMDs
Because Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s are funded with after-tax dollars, the IRS has already gotten a cut. Roth accounts are great because you don’t pay taxes on the money you take out of them in retirement, and you’re not required to dip into them if you don’t need to. Some retirees choose to diversify their tax burden in retirement by having a mix of Roth and non-Roth accounts.
Do Inherited Accounts Have RMDs?
If you inherit one of the retirement accounts listed above (or even a Roth IRA), you will have to take RMDs. The rules on these distributions depend on whether you’re the spouse of the deceased or another, non-spouse beneficiary.
If you’re the spouse and sole beneficiary of the retirement account, you have several options available. You may treat the inherited account as your own by rolling it into your existing IRA or by designating it as your own, which allows you to delay RMDs until you reach the applicable RMD age. Alternatively, you can remain a beneficiary and take distributions based on your own life expectancy or delay distributions until the year your spouse would have reached their required beginning date.
The rules for beneficiaries who aren’t spouses are different. Most non-spouse beneficiaries are now subject to the 10-year rule. They must fully distribute the inherited account by the end of the 10th year following the account owner’s death.
However, according to IRS guidance, many beneficiaries must take annual RMDs during the 10-year period if the original account owner died after reaching their required beginning date (RBD).
Unlike non-spouse beneficiaries, surviving spouses are not subject to the 10-year distribution rule and have greater flexibility in how and when they take withdrawals.
Bottom Line
Do required minimum distributions sound too complicated? Are you considering taking your chances, skipping the RMDs and hoping the IRS doesn’t notice? Not a good idea. If you skip taking distributions, or if you take distributions that are too small, you’ll pay for it. To be specific, you will owe the IRS a tax penalty of 25% on whatever amount of your RMD you didn’t take. This can be lowered to 10% if you rectify the mistake within two years. This applies to beneficiaries as well, so add “start taking RMDs” to the list of things you have to do when you inherit.
Retirement Planning Tips
- A financial advisor can help you build a retirement income plan. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- Don’t forget to account for Social Security when you measure your retirement income. Use SmartAsset’s Social Security calculator to begin planning.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/Charday Penn, ©iStock.com/PeopleImages, ©iStock.com/coldsnowstorm