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RMD Calculator

Find your required minimum distribution using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, see your exact distribution period, and project the next 10 years.

📋 IRS Uniform Lifetime Table 📅 2026 rules 📈 10-year projection
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Your account
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RMDs start at age 73 (born 1951-1959) or 75 (born 1960+) under SECURE 2.0. If you're aggregating multiple traditional IRAs, sum all balances together.
⚠️ This calculator is for your own retirement account only. If you inherited this IRA or 401(k) from someone else, entirely different rules apply — most non-spouse beneficiaries must follow a 10-year depletion rule, not the Uniform Lifetime Table below. See our inherited IRA RMD guide instead.
💍 Spouse is sole beneficiary, 10+ years younger
A different IRS table applies and produces a smaller RMD
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Projection assumptions
Used only to project future years — a more conservative rate (3-5%) is reasonable since this money is actively being withdrawn.
Your RMD this year
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Required distribution
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Distribution period
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% of balance
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10-year RMD projection
AgeBalance (start)DivisorRMD% of balance
Projection assumes the balance grows at your chosen rate after each year's RMD is withdrawn. Actual future balances will vary with market performance.
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Reduce your taxable RMD
A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) sent directly from your IRA to a charity counts toward your RMD (up to $111,000 in 2026) without counting as taxable income. See our full RMD rules guide for the 2026 age thresholds, penalty rules, and first-year deadline traps.

Disclaimer: Estimates only. This calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, which applies to most account owners but not all situations (see the spousal note above). Actual RMD rules, tables, and penalty amounts are set by the IRS and may change. For informational purposes only — not tax or financial advice. Consult a tax professional for your exact figure.

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How to use the RMD Calculator
1
Enter your age for this distribution year
Use the age you turn (or have turned) during the calendar year the RMD applies to.
2
Enter your prior year-end balance
Sum all traditional IRAs together; calculate 401(k) and other employer plans separately per plan.
3
Flag the spousal exception if it applies
If your sole beneficiary is a spouse 10+ years younger, your actual RMD will be smaller than what this calculator shows.
4
Check the 10-year projection
See how your required withdrawal percentage climbs each year as the distribution period shortens.
💡 Pro tip: If this is your first-ever RMD, you can delay it to April 1 of next year — but that stacks two RMDs into one tax year. See our RMD rules guide for why most people are better off not delaying.
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RMD calculator FAQs
This calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III), which applies to most retirement account owners. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, the IRS Joint and Last Survivor Table produces a longer distribution period (and a smaller RMD) — this calculator flags that situation but does not compute the joint table.
Enter your account balance as of December 31 of the prior year. For IRAs, sum all traditional IRA balances (including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs) together — 401(k) and other employer plan balances are calculated separately per plan.
The IRS charges a 25% excise tax on the shortfall, reduced to 10% if you correct the mistake within the IRS's correction window (generally two years). File Form 5329 to report and request any penalty reduction.
Yes. A qualified charitable distribution sent directly from your IRA to a qualified charity counts toward your RMD (up to $111,000 in 2026) without being included in your taxable income.
No. This calculator uses the Uniform Lifetime Table, which applies to your own retirement account. Inherited IRAs follow a different framework — most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years of the original owner's death, sometimes with annual RMDs required along the way based on the beneficiary's own life expectancy. See our inherited IRA RMD guide for the rules that actually apply.
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Charitably inclined? See our QCD explainer to satisfy your RMD tax-free.

Related guides:

How This RMD Calculator Works

This calculator divides your prior year-end account balance by the distribution period from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table for your age, which is the standard method used by most retirement account owners under Treasury Regulation §1.401(a)(9)-9. The table has not changed since 2022, though the RMD starting age rose to 73 (or 75 for those born in 1960 or later) under the SECURE 2.0 Act.

Why the Required Percentage Rises Every Year

The distribution period shortens by roughly one year for each year you age, while your account balance doesn't necessarily shrink at the same pace — especially if it's still earning a positive return. This means the required withdrawal percentage climbs steadily: about 3.8% of your balance at age 73, rising past 6% by your mid-80s and into double digits by your mid-90s.

When This Table Doesn't Apply

If your sole beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS Joint and Last Survivor Table applies instead and produces a longer distribution period — meaning a smaller required withdrawal. This calculator flags that situation but uses the standard Uniform Lifetime Table figure as a conservative estimate; consult IRS Publication 590-B or a tax professional for your exact joint-table figure.