Required minimum distributions (RMDs) in plain English

A required minimum distribution (RMD) is the smallest amount the IRS requires you to take out of a traditional IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or similar account each year, starting the year you reach 73, or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. You figure it by dividing the account's balance at the end of last year by a number from an IRS table, and it's taxed as ordinary income.

That's the short version. The tax break on traditional accounts is a deferral, not a gift, and RMDs are how the IRS eventually collects. The rest of this guide covers which accounts count, how the math works, what happens if you miss one, and why people who retire early often think about RMDs years before they arrive.

This is general education, not financial or tax advice. RMD rules have changed several times since 2019, and your situation (beneficiaries, plan rules, a still-working job) can change the answer. Check big decisions with your plan, your IRA custodian or a licensed tax professional.

Rules checked October 21, 2026 against IRS.gov: the RMD page (reviewed April 8, 2026), the RMD FAQs (reviewed January 29, 2026), Publication 590-B (2025), the final and proposed RMD regulations in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-33, and Notice 2025-67 for the 2026 QCD limit.

Which accounts have RMDs

RMDs apply to accounts where the money went in before tax, or grew without tax, and hasn't been taxed yet (IRS):

• Traditional IRAs, including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs
• Workplace plans: 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), profit-sharing and other defined contribution plans

And these don't, while you're alive:

• Roth IRAs
• Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts. These used to have RMDs. The SECURE 2.0 Act removed them for tax years starting in 2024 (IRS, IRB 2024-33), so there's no longer a reason to roll a Roth 401(k) to a Roth IRA just to avoid RMDs.

Taxable brokerage accounts and HSAs have no RMDs either. If you inherit an IRA or a Roth, different rules apply to you as the beneficiary; the IRS RMD page links to them.

When your first RMD is due

Your first RMD is for the year you reach your starting age, but you get until April 1 of the following year to take it. Every RMD after that is due by December 31 (IRS).

That grace period has a catch. If you wait until April 1, you'll take two RMDs in the same calendar year, last year's and this year's, and both count as income that year. Taking the first one by December 31 of the year you reach the age spreads the tax over two years instead.

Still working at that age? If you're still employed and your workplace plan allows it, you can usually delay RMDs from that employer's plan until you retire. This doesn't apply to IRAs, and it doesn't apply if you own more than 5% of the business (IRS RMD FAQs).

How the amount is figured

For each account, take the balance on December 31 of last year and divide it by the factor for the age you'll reach on your birthday this year. Most people use the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III in Publication 590-B). If your spouse is your only beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger, you use a different table, which gives a smaller RMD.

A few rows of the Uniform Lifetime Table:

| Age this year | Factor | Roughly what share comes out | |---|---|---| | 73 | 26.5 | 3.8% | | 74 | 25.5 | 3.9% | | 75 | 24.6 | 4.1% | | 76 | 23.7 | 4.2% | | 77 | 22.9 | 4.4% | | 78 | 22.0 | 4.5% |

The factor shrinks every year, so the share you must take grows slowly with age. Your IRA custodian or plan will usually calculate the number for you, but it's worth checking.

More than one account? You figure an RMD for each one. For IRAs, you can add those amounts up and take the total from any one or more of your IRAs. 403(b) accounts can be combined the same way among themselves. 401(k) and 457(b) RMDs must come from each plan separately (IRS RMD FAQs).

Taking more is fine. You can always withdraw more than the minimum. But an extra amount this year doesn't count toward next year's RMD (same source).

An example: Dana's first RMD

Dana is made up. She was born in 1962, so her starting age is 75, in 2037. On December 31, 2036, her traditional IRA holds $500,000.

• Her 2037 RMD: $500,000 ÷ 24.6 = about $20,325. She can take it any time in 2037, or wait until April 1, 2038.
• Her 2038 RMD: if the IRA is worth $490,000 at the end of 2037, it's $490,000 ÷ 23.7 = about $20,675, due by December 31, 2038.

If Dana waited until April 1, 2038 for the first one, she'd have about $41,000 of RMDs counted as income in 2038. Taking the first in 2037 keeps each year closer to $20,000.

Dana also has a Roth IRA. It has no RMD at all, and she can leave it growing for as long as she likes.

If you miss an RMD

It happens, especially in the first year or with an old account you forgot about. The IRS charges an excise tax of 25% on the amount you should have taken but didn't. If you take the missed amount within two years, it drops to 10%. You report it on Form 5329 (IRS).

Say Dana's RMD was $20,325 and she took only $15,000. The shortfall is $5,325. The tax would be about $1,331 at 25%, or about $533 at 10% if she fixes it in time.

If the miss was a reasonable error and you're putting it right, you can ask the IRS to waive the tax by attaching an explanation to Form 5329 (IRS Pub 590-B). Whatever happened, the first step is the same: take the missed amount as soon as you notice.

Two more rules worth knowing (IRS RMD FAQs):

• You can't roll an RMD over into another tax-deferred account.
• You can't convert an RMD to a Roth. A Roth conversion counts as a rollover for this purpose, so in a year you owe an RMD, take the RMD first and convert after that (IRS Pub 590-B).

Giving to charity with a QCD

A qualified charitable distribution sends money from your IRA straight to an eligible charity. If you're at least 70½ on the day it's made, it isn't counted as taxable income, and it counts toward your RMD (IRS; Pub 590-B).

• The limit is $111,000 per person for 2026, up from $108,000 in 2025 (IRS Notice 2025-67). On a joint return, each spouse has their own limit.
• The money must go directly from the IRA trustee to the charity. If the check comes to you first, it's an ordinary withdrawal.
• It works from IRAs, not 401(k)s, and not from an ongoing SEP or SIMPLE IRA.
• You need the same written acknowledgment from the charity you'd need for a deduction.

If you already give to charity, a QCD can be a tidy way to meet some or all of an RMD without the income showing up on your return.

Why early retirees plan for RMDs decades ahead

RMDs feel far away at 30, and even at 50. But they shape a choice you make now: how much to save in traditional accounts versus Roth.

The problem RMDs create. If you save mostly in traditional accounts, those balances can grow large by your 70s. Then RMDs, Social Security and any pension can all land on your tax return at once, often at a higher rate than you paid in your working years or your early retirement. Higher income can also raise Medicare premiums.

The opportunity early retirement creates. Many people who stop work early have a stretch of very low-income years before Social Security and RMDs begin. Converting some traditional money to Roth in those years means paying tax on it at a low rate now, and every dollar converted is a dollar that won't be in your December 31 balance when RMDs start.

Back to Dana: if Roth conversions in her 60s had left her traditional IRA at $350,000 instead of $500,000 at the end of 2036, her first RMD would be $350,000 ÷ 24.6 = about $14,228 instead of $20,325, and each year after that would be smaller too. The tax on the conversions was paid earlier, in years she chose.

Conversions have trade-offs: they raise income in the year you do them, which can affect health insurance subsidies before 65 and Medicare premiums from 63 on. Roth conversions and IRMAA in your early 60s covers that timing, and which account do you spend first? covers the withdrawal order around it.

If you're early in your career, the takeaway is simpler: having money in both traditional and Roth accounts gives your future self choices. Which account do you save in first? walks through the trade-off.

A short plan, whatever your age

1. Find your starting age: 73 if born 1951 to 1959, 75 if born in 1960 or later. Write the year down.
2. List every traditional account you have, including old 401(k)s from past jobs. Forgotten accounts are a common source of missed RMDs.
3. If you're within a few years of your start, ask each custodian whether it will calculate your RMD and whether it can withdraw it automatically.
4. If you're retiring early, sketch how big your traditional balances may be by your 70s, and whether a few low-income years could be used for conversions.
5. If you give to charity and are 70½ or older, ask your IRA custodian how it handles QCDs.

Common questions

What age do required minimum distributions start?

73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. The first RMD is for the year you reach that age, and you can delay it until April 1 of the next year. After that, each RMD is due by December 31.

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

Not while the owner is alive. Roth IRAs never had them, and Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts stopped having them in 2024 under the SECURE 2.0 Act. People who inherit a Roth account do have to follow the RMD rules for beneficiaries.

How do I calculate my RMD?

Divide the account's balance on December 31 of last year by the factor for your age this year from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. At 73 the factor is 26.5, so a $300,000 IRA means an RMD of about $11,321. If your spouse is your only beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger, use the IRS joint life table instead.

What is the penalty for missing an RMD?

An excise tax of 25% of the amount you didn't take. It drops to 10% if you take the missed amount within two years, and you can ask the IRS to waive it for a reasonable error. You report it on Form 5329.

Do I have to take an RMD if I'm still working?

From your current employer's 401(k) or similar plan, often not: many plans let you wait until you retire, unless you own more than 5% of the company. RMDs from IRAs and from old employers' plans still apply.

Can I put my RMD into a Roth IRA?

No. An RMD can't be rolled over or converted. You can convert other money in the same year, but only after you've taken that year's RMD. You can also spend, save or invest the RMD in a regular taxable account.

Can I give my RMD to charity?

Yes, through a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA if you're 70½ or older. The money goes straight from your IRA to the charity, counts toward your RMD and isn't taxed as income, up to $111,000 per person in 2026.

Next step

See how withdrawals, RMDs included, fit the order you spend your accounts in.

Which account do you spend first? →