Required Minimum Distributions Explained: RMD Rules 2026

Once you reach a certain age, the IRS requires you to start withdrawing money from most tax-deferred retirement accounts, whether you need the cash or not. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are mandatory annual withdrawals from accounts like traditional IRAs and 401(k)s, calculated using your account balance and an IRS life-expectancy factor, and missing one triggers a steep 25% penalty. This guide breaks down the exact age RMDs start, how to calculate yours, the deadlines that matter most in 2026, and the tax side effects most retirees don’t see coming.

What is a required minimum distribution?
Why the RMD age keeps changing
Which accounts require RMDs
RMD age by birth year
How to calculate your RMD
Uniform Lifetime Table (2026)
A real example with actual math
How your RMD grows over a decade
Deadlines: your first RMD vs. every year after
The 25% penalty for missing an RMD
How RMDs can push you into a higher tax bracket
The hidden Medicare IRMAA trap
Why Roth accounts are different
Aggregating RMDs across multiple accounts
The still-working exception for 401(k)s
Reducing your RMD tax bill with a QCD
Using Roth conversions before RMD age
Inherited IRAs have different rules
Pros and cons of RMD strategies
Common mistakes to avoid
Frequently asked questions

What is a required minimum distribution?

According to the IRS, a required minimum distribution is the minimum amount you must withdraw each year from tax-deferred retirement accounts once you reach RMD age, calculated by dividing your account balance as of December 31 of the prior year by a distribution period from the IRS’s Uniform Lifetime Table.

The government allows these accounts to grow tax-deferred for decades, but eventually requires withdrawals so it can collect income tax on money that’s never been taxed. Skipping this step isn’t optional — it triggers one of the steepest penalties in the entire tax code, and the amount you’re forced to withdraw only grows larger the longer you wait, since the IRS distribution period shrinks every year you age.

It’s also worth understanding that an RMD isn’t a suggestion you can partially satisfy — the IRS treats any shortfall between what you withdrew and what you were required to withdraw as a distinct, penalized event, separate from ordinary income tax owed on the withdrawal itself.

Why the RMD age keeps changing

According to the Congressional Research Service, the RMD age was 70½ for decades before the original SECURE Act raised it to 72 in 2020, and SECURE Act 2.0 then raised it again to 73 for anyone turning 72 after December 31, 2022. The age is scheduled to rise once more, to 75, for anyone turning 73 after December 31, 2032.

These changes reflect longer life expectancies and a policy push to let retirement savings grow tax-deferred for a few extra years before mandatory withdrawals begin. Congress has revisited this age three times in roughly fifteen years, which means anyone currently in their 50s or early 60s should track legislative updates closely, since another change before they reach RMD age isn’t out of the question given the current trajectory.

Which accounts require RMDs

According to Empower, RMDs apply to most tax-advantaged, pre-tax retirement plans, including traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and employer plans like 401(k)s and 403(b)s.

Traditional IRA: RMDs required starting at RMD age, regardless of employment status
SEP IRA and SIMPLE IRA: RMDs required starting at RMD age, even if you’re still actively contributing
401(k) and 403(b): RMDs required, with a possible delay if you’re still working (see the still-working exception below)
457(b) governmental plans: generally follow the same RMD age rules as 401(k)s
Roth IRA: no RMDs required during the original owner’s lifetime
Roth 401(k): as of 2024, no longer subject to RMDs during the original owner’s lifetime either, following a SECURE Act 2.0 change

For a deeper comparison of how these account types differ on taxes, see our guide on Roth IRA vs. traditional IRA.

RMD age by birth year

According to Vanguard, the exact RMD age depends on your birth year, following the phased increases enacted under SECURE Act 2.0.

Date of birth	RMD age
Before July 1, 1949	70½
July 1, 1949 – December 31, 1950	72
January 1, 1951 – December 31, 1959	73
On or after January 1, 1960	75

Anyone born in 1959 sits in a technically ambiguous window that Congress hasn’t fully clarified between the 73 and 75 thresholds, so it’s worth confirming your exact required age directly with your plan custodian or a tax professional as you approach that birthday.

How to calculate your RMD

According to Charles Schwab, you calculate your RMD by taking your account balance as of December 31 of the prior year for each account, then dividing it by the distribution period listed next to your current age in the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.

If your spouse is the sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, a different, more favorable joint life expectancy table applies instead, according to IRS Publication 590-B, which generally results in a smaller required withdrawal since it accounts for the younger spouse’s longer combined life expectancy.

Uniform Lifetime Table (2026)

According to Schwab’s 2026 RMD Reference Guide, the distribution period shrinks each year as you age, which increases the percentage of your account you’re required to withdraw.

Age	Distribution period
73	26.5
74	25.5
75	24.6
76	23.7
77	22.9
78	22.0
79	21.1
80	20.2
85	16.0
90	12.2

A real example with actual math

Let’s say you turn 74 in 2026 and your traditional IRA balance was 400,000 dollars on December 31, 2025.

Step	Calculation
Account balance (Dec 31, 2025)	$400,000
Distribution period (age 74)	25.5
2026 RMD	$400,000 ÷ 25.5 = $15,686.27

This exact amount, at minimum, must be withdrawn and reported as taxable income by the applicable deadline, regardless of whether you actually need the money that year. You’re always free to withdraw more than the minimum, but never less, without triggering the penalty discussed later in this guide.

How your RMD grows over a decade

Assuming a static 400,000 dollar balance for simplicity (ignoring any growth or withdrawals), the required percentage climbs steadily as the distribution period shrinks each year.

Age	Distribution period	Required withdrawal	% of balance
73	26.5	$15,094	3.77%
76	23.7	$16,878	4.22%
80	20.2	$19,802	4.95%
85	16.0	$25,000	6.25%
90	12.2	$32,787	8.20%

In practice, your actual balance rarely stays flat since markets move and you’re withdrawing money each year, but this simplified table illustrates why RMDs feel manageable in your 70s and can feel disproportionately large by your late 80s and 90s if the account hasn’t been drawn down or converted earlier.

Deadlines: your first RMD vs. every year after

According to Fidelity, you have until April 1 of the year after you turn RMD age to take your very first RMD, but every RMD after that must be taken by December 31 of that calendar year.

Delaying your first RMD until April 1 means you’ll owe two RMDs in that same calendar year — one by April 1 and a second by the following December 31 — which can push you into a higher tax bracket if you’re not careful about timing. Many financial advisors recommend taking your first RMD in the year you actually turn RMD age, rather than waiting until the following April, specifically to avoid stacking two taxable distributions into a single tax year.

The 25% penalty for missing an RMD

According to Q3 Advisors, citing IRS Publication 590-B, the penalty for a missed or insufficient RMD is a 25% excise tax on the shortfall amount, though that penalty drops to 10% if you correct the mistake within a two-year correction window.

According to SeniorSimple, this penalty must be reported on IRS Form 5329, and it represents a significant reduction from the 50% excise tax that applied before SECURE Act 2.0 took effect in 2023. Even with the reduced rate, a missed 20,000 dollar RMD still costs 2,000 to 5,000 dollars in penalties alone, on top of the ordinary income tax owed once the distribution is finally taken.

How RMDs can push you into a higher tax bracket

Because RMDs count as ordinary taxable income, a large distribution stacked on top of Social Security benefits, pension income, and any part-time earnings can push retirees into a higher marginal tax bracket than they expected during their working years. This effect compounds as the required percentage grows with age, meaning the tax bill on the same underlying account balance tends to increase over time even if the account itself doesn’t grow.

Retirees who delayed drawing down traditional accounts in their 60s, hoping to preserve balances, sometimes find themselves facing larger RMDs and higher tax brackets in their late 70s and 80s than they would have faced by spreading withdrawals out earlier and more evenly.

The hidden Medicare IRMAA trap

A large RMD can also trigger Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) surcharges on Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, since IRMAA thresholds are based on modified adjusted gross income from two years prior. This means an unusually large RMD in one year can quietly raise your Medicare premiums two years later, catching many retirees off guard since the two events feel completely disconnected in the moment.

Coordinating RMD withdrawals with an eye on IRMAA thresholds, particularly in years surrounding a large one-time distribution, is a strategy worth discussing with a tax professional well before the withdrawal actually happens.

Why Roth accounts are different

Roth IRAs are exempt from RMDs entirely during the original account owner’s lifetime, since contributions were already taxed before going into the account, giving the IRS no reason to force a withdrawal for tax-collection purposes. This is one of the clearest advantages Roth accounts hold over traditional accounts for retirees who want to control exactly when and how much they withdraw, without the pressure of a mandatory annual deadline.

For more on converting a traditional account to capture this benefit, see our guide on Roth conversion: what it is and when it makes sense.

Aggregating RMDs across multiple accounts

If you hold multiple traditional IRAs, you can calculate the RMD for each one separately, then withdraw the combined total from just one or a mix of those IRAs, rather than taking a separate withdrawal from every account. This flexibility doesn’t extend to 401(k)s, however, where each employer plan’s RMD must generally be satisfied from that specific plan rather than aggregated with other accounts.

403(b) accounts follow their own aggregation rules, similar to IRAs rather than 401(k)s, which means someone holding several old 403(b) plans from different employers may have more flexibility than someone holding several old 401(k)s.

The still-working exception for 401(k)s

According to the IRS, if you’re still working past RMD age and don’t own more than 5% of the company sponsoring your 401(k), you may be able to delay RMDs from that specific employer plan until April 1 of the year after you actually retire. This exception does not apply to traditional IRAs, which require RMDs at the standard age regardless of employment status, nor does it apply to old 401(k) plans from previous employers.

Reducing your RMD tax bill with a QCD

A qualified charitable distribution lets IRA owners age 70½ or older send up to a set annual limit directly from their IRA to a qualifying charity, and that amount counts toward satisfying the RMD without being added to taxable income. This strategy is particularly valuable for retirees who don’t need the RMD income and want to avoid both the tax hit and the potential IRMAA impact that a standard withdrawal would create.

Using Roth conversions before RMD age

Converting portions of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in the years before RMD age begins is one of the most common strategies for reducing future required distributions, since every dollar converted and taxed today permanently exits the RMD system. This works especially well during lower-income years, such as the gap between retiring and claiming Social Security, when the conversion can be taxed at a lower marginal rate than it might face later.

The tradeoff is paying tax on the conversion now rather than later, so this strategy generally makes the most sense for retirees who expect to be in the same or a higher tax bracket down the road, rather than a meaningfully lower one.

Inherited IRAs have different rules

Beneficiaries who inherit an IRA are generally subject to a different set of distribution rules than the original owner, often requiring the full account to be emptied within 10 years under current SECURE Act provisions, sometimes alongside annual RMDs during that window depending on the deceased owner’s age and RMD status. This is a distinct topic from the original-owner RMD rules covered in this guide and deserves its own careful review with a tax professional given how frequently the rules have shifted in recent years.

Pros and cons of RMD strategies

Pros	Cons
QCDs can reduce taxable income for charitably inclined retirees	Forces taxable income even if you don’t need the cash
Aggregating across IRAs offers withdrawal flexibility	Can push you into a higher tax bracket unexpectedly
Still-working exception can delay 401(k) RMDs	25% penalty for missed or insufficient withdrawals
Roth conversions can shrink future RMDs permanently	Distribution period shrinks yearly, raising required percentage
Roth accounts avoid RMDs entirely	Large RMDs can trigger Medicare IRMAA surcharges two years later

Common mistakes to avoid

Forgetting a smaller, old IRA: every traditional IRA balance counts toward your RMD total, even accounts you rarely check
Waiting until December 31: processing delays at custodians can cause you to miss the deadline entirely
Assuming 401(k) rules mirror IRA rules: aggregation across accounts works differently for each account type
Ignoring the two-year correction window: fixing a mistake quickly cuts the penalty from 25% to 10%
Taking a large one-time RMD without checking IRMAA thresholds: the Medicare premium impact often surfaces two years later
Delaying Roth conversions until RMDs already began: converting earlier gives more years to spread out the tax impact

Frequently asked questions about required minimum distributions

At what age do RMDs start in 2026?

RMD age is currently 73 for anyone born between 1951 and 1959, rising to 75 for anyone born in 1960 or later, according to SECURE Act 2.0 provisions.

What happens if I don’t take my RMD?

You’ll owe a 25% excise tax on the shortfall amount, reduced to 10% if you correct the mistake within a two-year window, according to IRS Publication 590-B.

Do Roth IRAs require RMDs?

No. Roth IRAs are exempt from RMDs during the original owner’s lifetime, since contributions were already taxed before entering the account.

Can I take my RMD from just one account if I have several IRAs?

Yes, for traditional IRAs you can calculate each account’s RMD separately, then withdraw the combined total from any one or combination of those accounts.

Can an RMD affect my Medicare premiums?

Yes. A large RMD raises your modified adjusted gross income, which can trigger IRMAA surcharges on Medicare Part B and Part D roughly two years later.

Should I convert to a Roth IRA before RMDs start?

Converting in lower-income years before RMD age can permanently reduce future required distributions, though it means paying tax on the converted amount now rather than later.

Understanding exactly when your RMDs start, how to calculate them, and the penalty for missing a deadline puts you in control of a rule that catches many retirees off guard. For next steps, see our guides on Roth IRA vs. traditional IRA, Roth conversion: what it is and when it makes sense, and when to claim Social Security.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or investment advice. RMD rules and ages change with legislation — consult a licensed tax professional or financial advisor before making withdrawal decisions.

Keep going: see the full Retirement Planning Guide: Accounts, Savings, Income for every guide on Retirement in a suggested order.

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): What Retirees Need to Know

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