№ 037 · Retirement cluster
RMD Calculator
The flip side of decades of tax-deferred growth: starting at 73, the IRS makes you withdraw a minimum each year and pay the tax. Enter your balance and age to see this year’s required distribution — and how the required share of your account climbs as the IRS divisor shrinks.
IRS Uniform Lifetime Table
Planning the spend-down more broadly? See how long savings last in the Retirement Withdrawal Calculator, or project the balance you’re drawing from in the 401(k) Calculator.
Your account01
$
yr
Growth02
%
Required minimum distribution · age 73
$18,867.92/yr
3.77% of $500,000.00 · IRS divisor 26.5
rises to $39,257.93 by age 95$875,685.99 withdrawn through 100
This year’s RMD$18,867.92
% of balance3.77%
Total through 100$875,685.99
Balance at 100$198,247.43
- Balance remaining
| Start | $500,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Year 3.0 | $513,375.35 |
| Year 6.0 | $519,619.77 |
| Year 9.0 | $516,574.68 |
| Year 12.0 | $501,947.55 |
| Year 15.0 | $473,570.43 |
| Year 18.0 | $430,379.00 |
| Year 21.0 | $371,905.64 |
| Year 24.0 | $301,221.18 |
| Year 27.0 | $223,771.35 |
| Year 28.0 | $198,247.43 |
The IRS makes you withdraw at least your balance ÷ a Uniform Lifetime Table divisor each year, starting at 73. The divisor shrinks with age, so the required share climbs — from 3.77% now toward double digits later. Withdraw more than the minimum if you like; take less and the shortfall is penalized. This assumes a constant return on the balance that stays invested; Roth IRAs have no RMDs for the original owner.
Age by age
| Age | Balance | Divisor | RMD | % of balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | $500,000.00 | 26.5 | $18,867.92 | 3.77% |
| 74 | $505,188.68 | 25.5 | $19,811.32 | 3.92% |
| 75 | $509,646.23 | 24.6 | $20,717.33 | 4.07% |
| 76 | $513,375.35 | 23.7 | $21,661.41 | 4.22% |
| 77 | $516,299.64 | 22.9 | $22,545.84 | 4.37% |
| 78 | $518,441.49 | 22.0 | $23,565.52 | 4.55% |
| 79 | $519,619.77 | 21.1 | $24,626.53 | 4.74% |
| 80 | $519,742.90 | 20.2 | $25,729.85 | 4.95% |
| 81 | $518,713.70 | 19.4 | $26,737.82 | 5.15% |
| 82 | $516,574.68 | 18.5 | $27,922.96 | 5.41% |
| 83 | $513,084.31 | 17.7 | $28,987.81 | 5.65% |
| 84 | $508,301.32 | 16.8 | $30,256.03 | 5.95% |
| 85 | $501,947.55 | 16.0 | $31,371.72 | 6.25% |
| 86 | $494,104.62 | 15.2 | $32,506.88 | 6.58% |
| 87 | $484,677.63 | 14.4 | $33,658.17 | 6.94% |
| 88 | $473,570.43 | 13.7 | $34,567.18 | 7.30% |
| 89 | $460,953.41 | 12.9 | $35,732.82 | 7.75% |
| 90 | $446,481.62 | 12.2 | $36,596.85 | 8.20% |
| 91 | $430,379.00 | 11.5 | $37,424.26 | 8.70% |
| 92 | $412,602.48 | 10.8 | $38,203.93 | 9.26% |
| 93 | $393,118.47 | 10.1 | $38,922.62 | 9.90% |
| 94 | $371,905.64 | 9.5 | $39,147.96 | 10.53% |
| 95 | $349,395.56 | 8.9 | $39,257.93 | 11.24% |
| 96 | $325,644.52 | 8.4 | $38,767.20 | 11.90% |
| 97 | $301,221.18 | 7.8 | $38,618.10 | 12.82% |
| 98 | $275,733.23 | 7.3 | $37,771.68 | 13.70% |
| 99 | $249,859.63 | 6.8 | $36,744.06 | 14.71% |
| 100 | $223,771.35 | 6.4 | $34,964.27 | 15.62% |
How it works · methodology
The math, in the open.
RMD for the year = prior-year-end balance ÷ distribution period (age) distribution period comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (age 73 → 26.5, 80 → 20.2, 90 → 12.2, 100 → 6.4 …) each year: balance = (balance − RMD) × (1 + return)
- balance
- Prior Dec-31 balance of the tax-deferred account
- period
- IRS Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for your age
- RMD
- Required minimum distribution = balance ÷ period
- return
- Assumed annual return on the balance left invested
Assumptions & limits
- Uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Pub. 590-B), which most account owners use; a younger-spouse-beneficiary uses a different table.
- The required beginning age is 73 (SECURE 2.0; rising to 75 in 2033). RMDs are due by December 31 each year.
- Assumes a single constant return on the remaining balance; real returns vary year to year.
- RMDs are taxed as ordinary income (not modeled here). Roth IRAs have no RMD for the original owner. A general estimate, not tax advice.
By the MintNumber Editorial Team·Reviewed
Frequently asked
Questions about RMDs
What is a required minimum distribution (RMD)?
An RMD is the minimum amount the IRS requires you to withdraw each year from tax-deferred retirement accounts — traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and similar — once you reach the required beginning age. The government let those contributions grow untaxed for decades, and RMDs are how it finally collects: each withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income. You can always take more than the minimum, but taking less triggers a penalty.
At what age do RMDs start?
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act the required beginning age is 73 for anyone who turns 72 after 2022, and it rises to 75 starting in 2033 for those born in 1960 or later. Your first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the year after you turn 73, but doing so means taking two RMDs in that year. After the first, each year’s RMD is due by December 31.
How is the RMD calculated?
Take your account balance as of December 31 of the prior year and divide it by a distribution period (a divisor) from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table for your age. At 73 the divisor is 26.5, so a $500,000 balance requires 500,000 ÷ 26.5 = $18,867.92. The divisor falls every year as you age, which is why the required percentage of your account rises over time — from under 4% in your early 70s toward double digits in your 90s.
What happens if I don’t take my RMD?
The shortfall — the amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t — is hit with an excise tax. SECURE 2.0 lowered it from 50% to 25%, and to 10% if you correct the mistake promptly within the IRS’s correction window. Even reduced, it is one of the steepest penalties in the tax code, so most people set up automatic distributions to be safe. The penalty applies only to the missed minimum, not your whole balance.
Do Roth accounts have RMDs?
Roth IRAs have no RMDs during the original owner’s lifetime — a major reason they are prized for estate planning. As of 2024, Roth 401(k)s also no longer require RMDs for the owner. Inherited accounts are a different story: most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty an inherited IRA within ten years. This calculator models the owner’s RMDs from a traditional, tax-deferred account.
How can I reduce my RMDs?
A few legitimate strategies help. Roth conversions in your 60s move money out of RMD-subject accounts before 73, shrinking the future balance the divisor applies to. Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) let you send up to a set annual amount directly from an IRA to charity — it counts toward your RMD but is excluded from taxable income. Still working past 73 can let you defer RMDs from a current employer’s 401(k). The right mix depends on your tax picture, so coordinate with a professional.