Required Minimum Distributions: The Rules, the Deadlines and How to Lower the Tax

Money in a traditional IRA or workplace plan went in before tax and has grown without being taxed. RMDs are how the IRS eventually collects. You can always take more than the minimum, but not less. This guide covers the rules for your own accounts. Inherited accounts follow a different set of rules, covered briefly near the end.

When RMDs start

The SECURE 2.0 Act raised the starting age in two steps. Your birth year decides which one applies to you.

Which accounts have RMDs, and which don't

• RMDs apply to: traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, and workplace plans such as 401(k), 403(b), 457(b) and profit-sharing plans.
• No RMDs while you are alive: Roth IRAs, and Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) accounts. The workplace Roth accounts lost their RMD requirement starting in 2024.
• Pensions that pay a monthly annuity meet the rules through those payments, so there is nothing extra for you to work out.

People who inherit any of these accounts, including a Roth, have their own withdrawal rules.

How your RMD is worked out

Each account's RMD is its balance on December 31 of last year divided by a "distribution period" from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, using the age you reach this year. The factor gets smaller every year, so you have to take out a larger share of the account as you get older.

Example. Someone born in 1953 turns 73 in 2026. Their traditional IRA was worth $400,000 on December 31, 2025. Their 2026 RMD is $400,000 ÷ 26.5 = $15,094.34. If the account is still worth $400,000 at the end of 2026, the 2027 RMD at age 74 is $400,000 ÷ 25.5 = $15,686.27.

One exception: if your only beneficiary for the whole year is a spouse more than 10 years younger than you, you use the IRS Joint and Last Survivor Table instead. It gives a longer distribution period and a smaller RMD. Our RMD calculator does the Uniform Lifetime Table math for you.

The deadlines, and the first-year trap

Every RMD is due by December 31, with one exception. Your first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the following year. That sounds like a gift, but it often costs money.

Take the person born in 1953. Their first RMD is for 2026, and they can wait until April 1, 2027 to take it. But their second RMD, for 2027, is still due by December 31, 2027. Waiting puts two RMDs into 2027's taxable income. That can:

• Push you into a higher tax bracket for that year.
• Make more of your Social Security taxable. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxed once your income passes certain levels. Our Social Security tax calculator shows where you stand.
• Raise your Medicare premiums two years later. IRMAA, the income surcharge on Part B and Part D, looks back two years. For 2026 premiums it applies when 2024 income was above $109,000 for a single filer or $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Check your numbers with the IRMAA calculator.

Unless you expect your income to drop noticeably in the second year, it is usually simpler to take the first RMD by December 31 of the year you reach RMD age.

If you have more than one account

You work out an RMD for each account. Where you are allowed to take the money from depends on the account type:

• IRAs: add up the RMDs for all your traditional, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs and take the total from any one IRA or split it however you like.
• 403(b) accounts: the same is true among your 403(b) accounts, but not across to IRAs.
• 401(k) and 457(b) plans: each plan's RMD must come out of that plan.

Spouses work out RMDs separately. You cannot take your RMD out of your husband's or wife's IRA.

Still working at RMD age?

If you are still employed, you can usually delay RMDs from your current employer's plan until the year you retire, as long as you do not own 5% or more of the company. The exception does not cover IRAs or plans from former employers, which still need RMDs on the normal schedule.

Things an RMD can't do

• It can't be rolled over. An RMD cannot go into another IRA or plan, and it cannot be converted to a Roth. In a year you owe an RMD, take it before you do a Roth conversion.
• Extra doesn't carry forward. Taking more than the minimum this year does not reduce next year's RMD.
• Your custodian's figure isn't the final word. The account owner is responsible for taking the right amount. Check it, especially in your first year or if you have several accounts.

How RMDs are taxed

RMDs from traditional accounts are taxed as ordinary income, except for any part that was already taxed (after-tax contributions, called basis). Most IRA custodians withhold 10% for federal tax unless you choose a different amount on IRS Form W-4R. You can choose more withholding, which is often easier than making quarterly estimated payments. Federal tax withheld from a retirement distribution generally counts as if it were paid evenly through the year, even if you take it in December.

Legal ways to lower the tax on RMDs

Give to charity directly from your IRA

From age 70½, you can have your IRA custodian send money straight to a qualifying charity. This is a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). It counts toward your RMD, and it is left out of your taxable income. That can help with IRMAA and Social Security taxes, not just income tax. The limit is $111,000 per person for 2026. The check must go directly from the IRA to the charity. Gifts to donor-advised funds and private foundations do not qualify, and you cannot also claim a charitable deduction for the same money.

Shrink the account before RMDs start

The years between retiring and RMD age are often lower-income years. Withdrawing some money then, or converting part of a traditional IRA to a Roth, can leave a smaller balance for future RMDs. Roth conversions are taxed in the year you do them and can raise IRMAA two years later, so plan them in amounts. The Roth conversion IRMAA planner helps you size them. Withdrawals before 59½ usually carry a 10% penalty; see the early withdrawal penalty calculator and our guide on withdrawing retirement funds without penalties.

Use the senior deductions

People 65 and older get a larger standard deduction, and from 2025 through 2028 there is also an extra $6,000 deduction per eligible person, which phases out at higher incomes. Both reduce the tax on RMD income. See the $6,000 senior deduction vs. the extra standard deduction.

If you missed an RMD

1. Take the missed amount now. The excise tax is 25% of the shortfall, cut to 10% if you correct it in time, generally within two years.
2. File Form 5329 with your tax return for the year the RMD was missed.
3. Ask for a waiver if it was a reasonable error. Attach a short letter explaining what happened and that you have fixed it. The IRS can waive the tax entirely.

Inherited IRAs and 401(k)s

If you inherited an account from someone who died after 2019, different rules apply. Many beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years, and some must also take yearly withdrawals during those 10 years. Surviving spouses, minor children of the owner, disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries, and people not more than 10 years younger than the owner have more options. These rules are easy to get wrong, so check the IRS page on retirement topics for beneficiaries or ask a tax professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article explains federal RMD rules as of October 2026 for people who own their own retirement accounts. It is general educational information, not tax or investment advice. Your plan's rules, state taxes and personal circumstances can change the answer. See our disclaimer, and confirm your RMD with your account custodian or a tax professional.