SECURE 2.0 raised the RMD starting age to 73 (born 1951–1959) or 75 (born 1960+). Calculate your RMD by dividing last year's account balance by your IRS life expectancy factor.
The SECURE Act 2.0 (signed December 2022) raised the RMD starting age to 73 for those born 1951–1959 and to 75 for those born 1960 or later. Calculate your RMD by dividing your prior December 31 account balance by your age-specific factor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (e.g., 26.5 at age 73). Most pre-tax retirement accounts — traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s — require RMDs; Roth IRAs do not. Missing an RMD triggers a 25% excise tax on the shortfall, reduced to 10% if corrected timely. Qualified Charitable Distributions let those 70½+ satisfy RMDs while excluding the amount from taxable income.
Required Minimum Distributions — RMDs — are the IRS's mechanism for ensuring that money in tax-deferred retirement accounts eventually gets taxed. Once you reach the applicable starting age, you must withdraw a minimum amount from most pre-tax retirement accounts each year, whether you need the income or not. Withdrawing less than the required minimum triggers a steep excise tax.
The rules changed significantly with the SECURE Act 2.0 (signed December 2022), which raised the RMD starting age and eliminated RMD requirements for designated Roth accounts in employer plans. Here is what you need to know for 2026.
An RMD is a minimum annual withdrawal the IRS requires from most tax-deferred retirement accounts. When you contribute to a traditional IRA or 401(k), your contributions and growth are not taxed until withdrawal. RMDs are the IRS's way of enforcing that the tax deferral eventually ends — you must pull a minimum amount out (and pay ordinary income tax on it) each year.
There is no limit on how much you can withdraw above the RMD amount. But withdrawing less than the required minimum triggers a penalty on the shortfall.
Under SECURE Act 2.0, the RMD starting age now depends on your birth year:
The two-RMD trap: For your first RMD only, you may delay the distribution until April 1 of the following calendar year. But if you take that option, you will have two RMDs due in the same year — one by April 1 (for the prior year) and one by December 31 (for the current year). Two RMDs in one year doubles the taxable income in that year, which can push you into a higher bracket or affect Medicare premium calculations. Many retirees find it simpler to take the first RMD in the year they turn the applicable age.
Accounts subject to RMDs: - Traditional IRA - SEP-IRA (see retirement plan options for the self-employed) - SIMPLE IRA - 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) governmental plans - Most other defined contribution plans
Accounts exempt from RMDs while you are alive: - Roth IRA — Since contributions are made with after-tax money, the IRS does not require forced withdrawals during your lifetime. Growth and qualified withdrawals remain tax-free. - Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b), Roth 457(b) — Starting in 2024, SECURE Act 2.0 eliminated the RMD requirement for these designated Roth accounts in employer plans while the original owner is alive. Previously, Roth 401(k)s did require RMDs.
For an overview of how Roth and traditional accounts differ beyond the RMD question, see Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA: How to Choose in 2026.
Per IRS Publication 590-B, the annual RMD formula is:
RMD = Prior-year December 31 account balance ÷ IRS life expectancy factor
The life expectancy factor comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (updated in 2022 to reflect longer average lifespans). Selected values:
| Age | Uniform Lifetime Table Factor | |-----|-------------------------------| | 73 | 26.5 | | 74 | 25.5 | | 75 | 24.6 | | 76 | 23.7 | | 80 | 20.2 | | 85 | 16.0 |
Example: You turn 73 in 2026 and your traditional IRA balance was $500,000 on December 31, 2025. Your 2026 RMD = $500,000 ÷ 26.5 = approximately $18,868.
Aggregation rules: If you have multiple traditional IRAs, calculate each account's RMD separately, then withdraw the total from any combination of those IRA accounts. 401(k) RMDs cannot be aggregated with IRAs — each 401(k) plan must satisfy its own RMD from within that plan.
Missing an RMD triggers a 25% excise tax on the amount not withdrawn. SECURE Act 2.0 reduced this from the prior 50% penalty. The rate drops to 10% if you correct the shortfall within the IRS correction window — typically two years for IRA accounts.
To correct a missed RMD and claim the reduced penalty: take the missed distribution, then file IRS Form 5329 for the year the RMD was missed, requesting penalty abatement. Per IRS FAQ on RMDs, the IRS has historically waived penalties for first-time errors when the taxpayer corrects promptly — but this is discretionary and not guaranteed.
If you are age 70½ or older, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) lets you transfer money directly from your IRA to a qualified 501(c)(3) charity. The transferred amount:
1. Counts toward your RMD for the year 2. Is excluded from your gross income — you pay no ordinary income tax on it
The QCD limit for 2024 is $105,000 per person, indexed for inflation — verify the current year's limit at irs.gov before making a contribution.
A QCD eliminates the taxable income that a cash RMD would create, which can also reduce income-based Medicare premium surcharges (IRMAA). To qualify, the transfer must go directly from your IRA custodian to the charity — a distribution paid to you first, then donated, does not count as a QCD.
The rules for inherited retirement accounts changed significantly with the original SECURE Act (2019). Non-spouse beneficiaries who inherited an IRA or 401(k) from someone who died on or after January 1, 2020 generally must deplete the account within 10 years. The "stretch IRA" strategy — spreading withdrawals over a beneficiary's full lifetime — is no longer available for most non-spouse heirs.
Per IRS guidance on RMDs for IRA beneficiaries, exceptions apply to "eligible designated beneficiaries": surviving spouses, minor children of the deceased (until they reach adulthood), disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries, and individuals within 10 years of the original owner's age. These groups retain the ability to stretch distributions over their own life expectancy.
The specific annual withdrawal requirements within the 10-year window depend on whether the original account owner died before or after their Required Beginning Date. Inherited IRA rules are complex and have seen evolving IRS guidance — beneficiaries should verify current requirements with a tax advisor.
If you are still employed and participating in your current employer's 401(k) or 403(b), you may be able to delay RMDs from that specific plan until April 1 of the year after you retire — even if you've passed the normal RMD starting age. Exceptions:
Rolling an old 401(k) into an IRA after you've reached your RMD age immediately subjects the rollover amount to IRA RMD rules. For the mechanics of 401(k) rollovers, see How to Roll Over a 401(k) to an IRA When You Leave a Job.
Self-employed business owners using a Solo 401(k) or SEP-IRA do not qualify for the still-working exception — they own their own business and the 5%-ownership disqualifier applies.
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*This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax or financial planning advice. RMD rules are subject to change. Verify current requirements with your tax advisor and at irs.gov before making any distributions.*
It depends on your birth year. Under the SECURE Act 2.0, those born between 1951 and 1959 must begin RMDs at age 73. Those born in 1960 or later must begin at age 75 — a provision that does not take effect for the youngest of this cohort until 2035. If you were already taking RMDs under the prior age-72 or age-70½ rules, nothing changed for you. Per IRS retirement topics on RMDs, your Required Beginning Date is April 1 of the year after you reach your applicable age — your first RMD must be taken by that date.
Yes. The RMD is a minimum, not a maximum. You can withdraw any amount above your RMD at any time from a pre-tax retirement account — additional withdrawals are simply added to your taxable income for that year. Many retirees deliberately take more than the minimum to manage long-term tax exposure, fund spending, or reduce the balance that will produce even larger RMDs in future years. There is no IRS penalty for over-withdrawing; the only restriction is that the excess cannot be 'put back' to apply toward a future year's RMD.
No. Roth IRAs do not require distributions during the account owner's lifetime — this is one of the structural differences between Roth and traditional accounts. Starting in 2024, the SECURE Act 2.0 also eliminated RMD requirements for designated Roth accounts in employer plans (Roth 401(k), Roth 403(b), Roth 457(b)) during the owner's lifetime. If you have Roth 401(k) assets you want to keep exempt from RMDs long-term, rolling them into a Roth IRA before reaching your RMD age accomplishes that. Per IRS Publication 590-B, inherited Roth IRAs are a different matter — beneficiaries have their own distribution requirements.
Missing an RMD triggers a 25% excise tax on the shortfall — the amount you were required to withdraw but didn't. The SECURE Act 2.0 reduced this from the prior 50% penalty. The penalty drops further to 10% if you take the missed distribution and correct the error within the IRS's correction window (two years for IRAs). To claim the reduced penalty, file IRS Form 5329. Per IRS FAQ on RMDs, the IRS has historically granted first-time penalty waivers when the taxpayer promptly corrects — but this is discretionary, not automatic.
A QCD is a direct transfer from your IRA to a qualified 501(c)(3) charity. You must be age 70½ or older. The amount transferred (up to $105,000 for 2024, indexed for inflation) counts toward your RMD for the year and is excluded from your gross income — you pay no federal income tax on it. This is especially useful for retirees who don't need RMD income but want to give charitably: instead of taking the RMD (paying ordinary income tax), then donating, the QCD skips the taxable income entirely. The transfer must go directly from your IRA custodian to the charity — distributions paid to you and then donated do not qualify as QCDs.