Skip to content
InvestmentretirementUnited States only

RMD Calculator

The required minimum distribution from a retirement account: last year's closing balance divided by a life expectancy factor. The factor comes from the IRS table, which was rewritten in 2022, so it is an input rather than a number buried in code.

Also called: required minimum distribution, ira withdrawal calculator.

$
Required minimum distribution
$18,867.92

$18,867.92 must be withdrawn this year, which is 3.77% of the 500,000 balance. Missing it draws a penalty on the shortfall, so it is the one withdrawal that is not optional.

As a share of the balance
3.77%
Spread monthly
$1,572.33
Balance after the withdrawal
$481,132.08
Factor used
26.5
How this is calculated

An estimate, not an offer or a guarantee. Projected returns assume the rate you entered holds for the whole term, which no market does.

Method and background

This is what the calculation gives for the numbers you entered. It is an estimate, not advice, and it knows nothing about your situation beyond those numbers. Rules for United States change on a published schedule; the effective date is shown on every rule-based tool.

How this is calculated

Divide the prior year-end balance by the factor for your age. The factor falls each year, so the required percentage rises steadily through retirement. The tables were revised for 2022 to reflect longer lifespans, which lowered required withdrawals slightly, and any calculator with the old factors hardcoded is now wrong. That is precisely why the factor is entered rather than assumed here.

required distribution = prior year-end balance / life expectancy factor
B
Balance on 31 December of the prior year (currency)
F
Life expectancy factor for your age (years)

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

a typical first distribution

Balance on 31 December last year
$500,000.00
Life expectancy factor from the IRS table
26.5
Your age this year
73

Required minimum distribution$18,867.92

500,000 / 26.5, worked by hand

Open this example

a smaller factor means a larger withdrawal

Balance on 31 December last year
$500,000.00
Life expectancy factor from the IRS table
14.1
Your age this year
85

Required minimum distribution$35,460.99

boundary: the factor falls with age, so the required share rises

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • A single account. Multiple accounts have aggregation rules by account type.

What it deliberately does not model

  • Which table applies depends on your circumstances: the Uniform Lifetime table for most people, the Joint table where a spouse is more than ten years younger, and the Single Life table for inherited accounts.
  • Roth accounts have no required distribution for the original owner.

Sources

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my factor?
From the IRS Uniform Lifetime table for your age, unless a spouse more than ten years younger is the sole beneficiary, in which case the Joint table applies and the factor is larger.
What happens if I miss it?
A penalty on the amount not withdrawn. It was reduced in 2023 and can be reduced further if corrected promptly, but it remains the one withdrawal that is not a choice.