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Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Calculator

Find your required minimum distribution.

Result

$18,867.92
$1,572.33
26.50

How it is calculated

The tool divides one balance by one factor: RMD = account balance ÷ distribution factor. The balance is the account value in dollars, normally as of the end of the previous year. The factor is a life-expectancy divisor from the IRS table that applies to you, and you type it in yourself; the tool does not look it up from your age or birth year. The monthly figure is simply RMD ÷ 12, useful if you take the withdrawal in instalments. Results are rounded to cents. The balance must be zero or more, and the factor must be at least 1; a factor below 1 shows no result, so the withdrawal can never exceed the account. A zero balance gives $0.00. The rules, the starting age and the tables are US-specific and change over time, so confirm the current table and your account type before relying on the number.

Worked example

Suppose a Traditional IRA held $500,000 at the end of last year and the table factor for your age is 26.5. Step 1: 500,000 ÷ 26.5 = 18,867.92 (rounded to cents). That is the minimum to withdraw for the year, shown as $18,867.92. Step 2: divide by twelve for a monthly equivalent, which gives $1,572.33. If you instead used a factor of 25.5 for the same balance, the requirement would rise, because a smaller divisor means a larger withdrawal.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Using the balance on today's date instead of the prior year-end value the rule is based on.
  • Typing your age (for example 75) in the factor box. The factor is the table divisor, a number like 24.6, not your age; 75 is accepted and quietly gives a much too small $6,666.67 on a $500,000 balance.
  • Entering a factor below 1, such as 0.5. The tool shows no result, because dividing by it would produce a withdrawal larger than the account.
  • Treating one account's result as covering everything. Each account type and owner has its own balance, so run the figures separately and check how the rules let you combine them.
  • Using last year's factor. The divisor changes every year as your age advances.

About this calculator

A Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is the minimum amount that must be withdrawn each year from tax-deferred retirement accounts — such as a Traditional IRA or 401(k) — once the account owner reaches the age set by the IRS. The amount is calculated by dividing the account balance (as of the end of the prior year) by a life expectancy factor from an IRS-published table, most commonly the Uniform Lifetime Table.

RMDs exist because these accounts let contributions grow tax-deferred for decades, and the IRS requires that deferral to eventually end so the withdrawals get taxed as ordinary income. Missing an RMD carries a steep penalty, so retirees and their advisors calculate it carefully each year.

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