2026 · SECURE 2.0 RULES

How Much Will You Be Required
to Withdraw Each Year?

See your Required Minimum Distribution for this year and the next decade. Understand how RMDs grow and what they'll cost in taxes before you're surprised.

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Your Information

Enter your details to calculate your RMD. Leave optional fields blank if they don't apply.

Personal Details

Account Balance

$
%
%

Spouse (optional — for Joint Life Table)

The Joint Life Table only applies if your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger.

SECURE 2.0 Act: RMD start age is 73 if you were born 1951–1959, and 75 if born 1960 or later. If you haven't reached your RMD age yet, we'll show when your first RMD is due and project forward from there.

What you're looking at, in plain English

The number above is your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) — the chunk of your IRA or 401(k) the IRS forces you to withdraw this year, taxed as ordinary income.

Why this exists

After age 73 (or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later), the government doesn't let your retirement account grow tax-deferred forever — it forces you to start withdrawing whether you need the money or not. Every dollar you pull out gets added to your income and taxed at your regular bracket.

How it's calculated

Last December 31's account balance divided by an IRS life-expectancy factor that shrinks every year you age — meaning you have to take out a bigger and bigger percentage as you get older:

  • At age 75, the factor is ~24.6 → roughly 4% of the balance.
  • At age 85, ~16 → roughly 6%.
  • At age 95, ~8.9 → over 11%.

The 10-year projection table

Shows what your RMDs will likely look like as you age and your balance changes. Notice they grow over time — that's the IRS slowly accelerating the drain. The cumulative tax column shows the total federal tax bill across all 10 years.

The main strategy to shrink RMDs

Do Roth conversions in your 60s, before the RMD faucet turns on. Every dollar you move from IRA to Roth in your 60s is one less dollar the IRS can force out of you in your 70s and 80s. Our Roth Conversion Optimizer runs the math.

Don't miss an RMD — the penalty is 25% of the missed amount (10% if you fix it within two years). Set a calendar reminder.

Your RMD Results

Updates live as you type. Uses IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Pub 590-B).

2026 Required Minimum Distribution
$0
0.00% of balance
Your age in 202673
RMD start age (SECURE 2.0)73
First RMD year2026
Life expectancy factor26.5
Account balance used$500,000
Monthly equivalent$0
Estimated tax on RMD$0
After-tax RMD amount$0

10-Year RMD Projection

YearAgeBalanceRMD%Tax Est.Cumul. Tax
Enter your date of birth and account balance to see your RMD calculation.

Get Help Understanding Your RMD Math

Enter your info below and we'll email you a personalized copy of your 2026 RMD report — this year's distribution, 10-year projection, and estimated tax impact. Hans will also include 1-2 educational notes on how the publicly available IRS rules apply to your numbers. Free. No pitch.

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What Happens Next

Hans will personally review your RMD situation and email you within 24 hours with 1-2 educational notes on the math behind the tax impact of your withdrawals. This is free educational math help from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — not a financial advisor relationship, not a recommendation, not a sales call.

Understanding Required Minimum Distributions

What is a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)?
An RMD is the minimum amount you must withdraw from your tax-deferred retirement accounts (Traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b), TSP) each year once you reach your RMD start age. The IRS requires these withdrawals so they can collect taxes that were deferred when you contributed. The amount is calculated by dividing your account balance by a life expectancy factor from IRS tables.
When do RMDs start under SECURE 2.0?
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act: if you were born 1951-1959, RMDs begin at age 73. If born 1960 or later, RMDs begin at age 75. Your first RMD must be taken by April 1 of the year after you turn your RMD age, but waiting means taking two RMDs in one year (which could push you into a higher tax bracket).
What happens if I don't take my RMD?
The penalty for missing an RMD was reduced by SECURE 2.0 from 50% to 25% of the amount not withdrawn (or 10% if corrected promptly). It's still a steep penalty, which is why tracking your RMDs is important.
Can I reduce the tax impact of RMDs?
Several strategies exist: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) let you send up to $105,000 directly to charity from your IRA, satisfying your RMD without adding to taxable income. Roth conversions before RMD age can reduce future RMDs. Strategic withdrawal timing in lower-income years can also help.
What about the Joint Life Table?
If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger, you can use the Joint Life and Last Survivor Expectancy Table instead of the Uniform Lifetime Table. This gives a larger divisor, resulting in a smaller RMD. This calculator flags when you may qualify.