RMD Calculator
IRS required minimum distribution from balance, age, and Table III.
What it does
Traditional IRAs cannot wait forever: the IRS forces yearly withdrawals once owners reach their seventies. Each year amount is last December balance over a life expectancy divisor, so falling markets shrink the bill while birthdays raise it.
The tool above takes the prior December 31 balance with age on this year birthday. It returns the required withdrawal, the Table III divisor, and the monthly pace. The default $500,000 at 73 uses 26.5 and pays $18,867.92, about $1,572.33 a month.
Rules and numbers follow IRS Publication 590-B with the RMD topics page beside it. The publication works the same arithmetic this page checks against: $100,000 at 75 over 24.6 is about $4,065, and the Justin example divides $38,400 and $34,800 by 26.5 at 73.
Timing and penalties frame the rest. First withdrawals land by April 1 after reaching 73, or 75 for those born 1960 or later, then every December 31. Missed required amounts draw a 25% excise tax, cut to 10% when fixed within 2 years, while original Roth IRA owners face no lifetime RMD at all.
How to use
- Type the account balance at last Dec 31.
- Type age on this year birthday, 72 to 120.
- Read required withdrawal first, divisor beside it.
- Divide by 12 mentally or read monthly pace for installments.
- Repeat per account, then aggregate withdrawals freely.
- Confirm spouse exceptions and inherited rules with the publication.
Formula
- balance
- Account value at close of Dec 31 last year.
- divisor
- Uniform Lifetime applicable denominator, 27.4 at 72 down to 2.0 at 120+.
- monthly
- Even installment pace; lump sums allowed too.
Table III fits unmarried owners, married owners whose spouse is not more than 10 years younger, and married owners whose spouse is not the sole beneficiary. A sole beneficiary spouse more than 10 years younger uses Table II instead.
Worked example
Example: $500,000 at 73
Defaults: balance $500,000, age 73.
- Divisor: Table III at 73 is 26.5.
- Divide: 500,000 / 26.5 = 18,867.92.
- Monthly: 18,867.92 / 12 = $1,572.33.
- Check: IRS Justin case divides $38,400 by 26.5 for $1,449.06.
- Deadline: first year April 1 after 73, then Dec 31.
- Tool shows $18,867.92, divisor 26.5, $1,572.33.
Reference table
| Age | Divisor | On $100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | 27.4 | $3,649.64 |
| 73 | 26.5 | $3,773.58 |
| 74 | 25.5 | $3,921.57 |
| 75 | 24.6 | $4,065.04 |
| 80 | 20.2 | $4,950.50 |
| 85 | 16.0 | $6,250.00 |
Limits
- Table III only; spouse and inherited cases differ.
- Federal math; state tax treatment varies.
- Balances move; Dec 31 snapshot rules.
- Law changes; confirm ages 73 and 75 yearly.
Common mistakes
- Using this year balance instead of Dec 31.
- Using the birthday age wrong by one year.
- Applying Table III to a much younger spouse case.
- Missing the April 1 first year deadline.
- Withdrawing extra early to cover next year.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
$100,000 at 75?
100,000 / 24.6 = $4,065.04.
$38,400 at 73?
38,400 / 26.5 = $1,449.06.
Age 71?
Rejected: enter 72 to 120; under 73 usually means no RMD yet.
Questions
What is the default RMD?
$18,867.92 on $500,000 at 73.
Which divisor?
Table III Uniform Lifetime: 26.5 at 73, 24.6 at 75, 20.2 at 80.
When is the first one due?
April 1 after reaching 73, or 75 if born 1960 or later; then each Dec 31.
Penalty for missing?
25% of the shortfall, 10% if corrected within 2 years, on Form 5329.
Roth IRA owners?
Original owners face no lifetime RMD; beneficiaries still do.
Much younger spouse?
Sole beneficiary spouse more than 10 years younger uses Table II.