RMD calculator.

Your numbers

Your date of birth and balance are worked out on this page and are not sent to us or stored. Births from 1943 on.

Example: your RMD for 2035

Born June 15, 1960, with $1,000,000 on December 31, 2034 and 5% assumed growth. Enter your own numbers above.

$40,650.41

• Age you reach in 2035: 75
• Distribution period: 24.6 (4.07% of the balance)
• Due: by December 31, 2035, or by April 1, 2036 if you wait (your first RMD)

Year by year

The schedule takes each RMD off at the start of the year and grows the rest by the assumed rate, so it is an illustration, not a forecast. Real timing and returns differ. Educational only, not tax, legal or financial advice.

The IRS table: how big is an RMD at each age?

The distribution period is the divisor; one divided by it is the share of the balance you must withdraw. For a $1,000,000 balance on December 31 of the year before:

Source: IRS Publication 590-B, Table III (Uniform Lifetime), in force since 2022; ages above 100 are in the publication. Download this table (CSV). To cite it: Runway Retirement, "RMD calculator," runwayretirement.com/tools/rmd-calculator.html, from IRS Publication 590-B Table III.

Methodology: how this is worked out

The IRS says an RMD "is calculated for each account by dividing the prior December 31 balance of that IRA or retirement plan account" by a life-expectancy factor (IRS RMD FAQs). The age used is the age you reach during the year. Your starting age comes from your birth date: 70½ if you were born before July 1, 1949, 72 for July 1, 1949 through 1950, 73 for 1951 through 1959, and 75 for 1960 and later. Your first RMD is for the year you reach that age and can wait until April 1 of the next year, but then that year's RMD is also due by December 31. For people born in 1959 the law is ambiguous between 73 and 75, the IRS has not settled it, and this uses 73.

The arithmetic is checked: the distribution periods come from two independent copies of the IRS table that must agree, and this page's code is checked against a separate version of the same rules for thousands of birth dates, balances and years before it ships. It does not know your plan, your other accounts or your tax return. Rules change; check the linked sources. For a worked example and the first-year trap, read how to calculate your RMD; for what RMDs mean for your taxes and your plan, required minimum distributions explained.

Assumptions

The schedule takes each year's RMD off at the start of the year and grows what is left by an assumed yearly growth rate, to age 100. The assumed growth defaults to 5%, accepts -20% to 20%, and means 0% when left blank. The schedule is an illustration, not a forecast. The calculation runs in your browser and does not connect to your accounts or read your balance for you.

Inputs and limits

Birth year 1943 to 2010; balance on December 31 of last year $0 to $1,000,000,000; the year asked about 2024 to 2100; one balance per run, either all traditional IRAs added together or one 401(k) or 403(b) account.

Worked example

Born June 15, 1960, with $1,000,000 on December 31, 2034, and 5% assumed growth. The age reached in 2035 is 75 and the distribution period is 24.6, so the RMD for 2035 is $1,000,000 divided by 24.6 = $40,650.41, 4.07% of the balance. It is due by December 31, 2035, or by April 1, 2036 if you wait, since it is your first RMD. Waiting means two RMDs in 2036: $40,650.41 for 2035 and about $44,303.80 for 2036, $84,954.21 together, taxed as income that year (at the assumed 5% growth; the second uses the December 31, 2035 balance, which the delayed first RMD has not reduced).

What it ignores

It uses the Uniform Lifetime Table, which applies to most owners. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS says to use a different table (Table II, Joint and Last Survivor), which generally gives a smaller RMD. Inherited accounts have their own rules. Roth IRAs and designated Roth accounts have no RMD during the owner's life. Add up your traditional IRAs and take the total from any of them; a 401(k) or 457(b) is figured and taken separately for each plan, and 403(b) contracts can be totalled. A qualified charitable distribution can count toward your RMD. Your plan's own rules and your tax situation matter, so check with a qualified professional.

Educational only, not tax, legal, or financial advice.

Last reviewed: November 1, 2026. This date moves only when the methodology is checked against the live calculator again, not when the page is rebuilt.

Frequently asked questions

How is my RMD calculated?

Divide your account balance on December 31 of the year before by the distribution period for the age you reach during the year. The IRS says the RMD "is calculated for each account by dividing the prior December 31 balance of that IRA or retirement plan account" by a life-expectancy factor (IRS RMD FAQs). For example, $40,650.41 on $1,000,000 at 75, because the period is 24.6.

At what age do required minimum distributions start?

At 73 for people born 1951 through 1959 and at 75 for people born in 1960 or later, with 72 for people born July 1, 1949 through 1950 and 70½ for those born earlier. For people born in 1959 the law is ambiguous between 73 and 75 and the IRS has not settled it, so this calculator uses 73.

When is my first RMD due, and what if I wait until April 1?

Your first RMD is for the year you reach your starting age, and you can take it as late as April 1 of the following year. Then that year's own RMD is also due by December 31, so two come due in one year, which can raise that year's taxable income. In the example above, waiting means $40,650.41 plus about $44,303.80, $84,954.21 in 2036, at an assumed 5% growth.

What is the Uniform Lifetime Table?

It is the IRS table of distribution periods most account owners use (Publication 590-B, Table III, in force since 2022). The period shrinks as you age, so the share you must withdraw grows: 26.5 at 73, 24.6 at 75, 20.2 at 80, 16.0 at 85 and 12.2 at 90, which is about 3.77%, 4.07%, 4.95%, 6.25% and 8.20% of the balance.

Do Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s have required minimum distributions?

Not while the owner is alive. The IRS says withdrawals from Roth IRAs and designated Roth accounts "are not required until after the death of the account owner." Beneficiaries of those accounts are subject to RMD rules.

Can I take all my RMDs from one account?

For traditional IRAs, yes: figure each IRA's RMD, add them up, and take the total from any one or more of them. 403(b) contracts can be totalled the same way. For 401(k) and 457(b) plans, the IRS says the RMD must be taken separately from each plan account.

What happens if I miss an RMD?

The amount you should have taken may be subject to a 25% excise tax, reduced to 10% if you correct it within two years, reported on Form 5329. The IRS may waive it for reasonable error if you file Form 5329 with a letter of explanation.

Does a qualified charitable distribution count toward my RMD?

Yes. From age 70½ you can send IRA money directly to a charity and keep it out of taxable income, and the IRS says it can count toward your required minimum distribution for the year.

What if my spouse is much younger than me?

If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, the IRS says to use Table II (Joint and Last Survivor) instead, which generally gives a smaller RMD. This calculator uses the Uniform Lifetime Table only, so check Publication 590-B or a professional in that case.

Does this calculator save my date of birth or balance?

No. It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to us or stored.