RMD Calculator

RMDs are not automatic, you must calculate them correctly. While IRA custodians often provide RMD notifications, you are ultimately responsible for calculating and taking the correct amount. Errors, taking too little, using the wrong table, or using last year's balance, can trigger the excise tax. Running the calculation yourself with a clear tool is a useful sanity check.

RMDs compound in complexity across multiple accounts. If you have three Traditional IRAs at different custodians, you must calculate the RMD for each separately (using each account's prior December 31 balance), then decide how to take the total. The calculator makes the per-account calculation simple, and you can run it once per account.

Tax bracket planning requires knowing your RMD. RMDs count as ordinary income. Knowing your exact RMD amount before year-end lets you plan other income, like Roth conversions, capital gains realizations, or part-time work, to stay within a target tax bracket. Many retirees find their RMDs, combined with Social Security, land them in a higher bracket than expected.

Medicare Part B premium surcharges (IRMAA) depend on income. Medicare IRMAA surcharges kick in at $106,000 for single filers and $212,000 for married filing jointly (2025 thresholds). If your RMD would push you above these thresholds, knowing the exact amount lets you consider strategies, like making Qualified Charitable Distributions instead of taking taxable distributions, before year-end.

Retirees aged 73 or older with Traditional IRAs or 401(k)s. This is the primary audience. If you have reached your RMD age and have tax-deferred accounts, this tool computes exactly what you must withdraw each year.

Pre-retirees in their late 60s and early 70s modeling future income. RMDs are not a problem to manage at 73, they are a consequence of decisions made decades earlier. Running the calculator with your expected account balance at 73 or 75 helps you forecast how large your forced distributions will be and whether proactive Roth conversions now would reduce that future tax burden.

Beneficiaries who inherited a Traditional IRA. Non-spouse beneficiaries who inherited an IRA after December 31, 2019 are subject to the 10-year rule (full distribution within 10 years). Spouse beneficiaries who treated the IRA as their own are subject to regular RMD rules based on their own age. This calculator applies the Uniform Lifetime Table for original account owners, inherited IRA calculations use a different table and should be confirmed with your custodian.

Financial planners and CPAs serving retiree clients. The tool provides a fast, shareable link with pre-filled inputs (via URL state), making it easy to calculate client RMDs and share the result. Combine with the Social Security Benefits Estimator to build a complete picture of a client's annual retirement income.

Required Minimum Distribution is the primary output, the exact dollar amount you must withdraw from your account this year. This is your minimum; you can always take more. The number updates instantly when you change the account balance or age, so you can model what your RMD would look like with different starting balances.

IRS Distribution Period is the divisor from the Uniform Lifetime Table for your current age. Seeing this number directly helps you understand why RMDs are the size they are, and how the period shortens each year, forcing increasingly large percentage withdrawals. A distribution period of 26.5 at age 73 means you are expected to spread your distributions over roughly 26.5 more years; at age 85 the period is 16.0.

Percentage of Account Balance expresses the RMD as a share of your total account value. This is the most useful number for long-term modeling: if your account earns 6% but your RMD is 5% of the balance, the account is still growing slightly. Once the RMD percentage exceeds your expected return rate, the account begins a mandatory decline. Most accounts cross this crossover in the mid-to-late 80s.

Reading these three outputs together tells you: (1) exactly how much you must take this year, (2) what the IRS actuarial assumption is about your life expectancy, and (3) at what rate your account is being drawn down, which informs whether a Roth conversion strategy still makes sense for your remaining years.

1. Enter your Prior Year-End Account Balance, this is the fair market value of your Traditional IRA (or 401k) on December 31 of the prior year. For example, for your 2025 RMD, use your December 31, 2024 balance. Do not use your current account balance, the IRS explicitly requires the prior year-end figure.

2. Enter your Age This Year, enter the age you will reach (or have reached) during the current calendar year. RMD amounts increase each year as you age, so entering the correct age is critical. Use 73 as the minimum age, the calculator does not apply to accounts where you have not yet reached your RMD starting age.

3. Read the Required Minimum Distribution, this is the minimum amount you must withdraw from this account this year. If you have multiple IRAs, run the calculator for each account separately, then sum the totals. You may take the combined total from any one or more of your IRAs.

4. Note the Distribution Period and Percentage, these help you understand the trajectory of your RMDs in future years. If you want to model future years, increase the age by one and adjust the balance to reflect your anticipated year-end value.

5. Plan around the amount, if your RMD is larger than your spending needs, consider a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) for the excess, which satisfies the RMD without adding to your taxable income. If it would push you into a higher bracket, consider taking it earlier in the year and investing the after-tax proceeds.