A required minimum distribution is a withdrawal the IRS eventually requires each year from most tax-deferred retirement accounts. The amount is generally your account balance divided by an IRS life-expectancy factor, and the withdrawal is normally taxable income.
Tax-deferred retirement accounts let money grow without being taxed along the way. In exchange, the tax code does not let those balances sit untouched forever. Beginning at an age set by current law, you generally have to withdraw a minimum amount each year, and that withdrawal is normally taxable income.
The calculation has two moving parts:
Divide the balance by the factor and you have that year's required amount. Because the factor gets smaller as you age, the required percentage of the balance generally rises over time.
We deliberately do not quote a starting age or specific table values on this page. Those details are set by tax law and can change. The RMD calculator states the starting ages and table it applies alongside your results, so the assumptions you see are the ones actually used in the numbers.
RetirementLeverage™ provides educational retirement calculators and general retirement income information. Tax rules, tables and starting ages change, and your actual required amount depends on your own accounts and circumstances. Nothing here is tax or legal advice — please confirm your situation with a qualified tax professional.
Households often look at required withdrawals next to two other questions: whether a Roth conversion changes the timing of tax, and how much monthly income they need in the first place, which is their retirement income gap.
Enter your balance and your assumptions, and the calculator projects future required distributions and their possible tax impact — using the IRS table and starting ages it currently applies, listed alongside your results.
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It is a withdrawal the IRS eventually requires each year from most tax-deferred retirement accounts, such as traditional IRAs and many workplace plans. The amount is based on your account balance and an IRS life-expectancy factor.
The starting age is set by current tax law and has changed in recent years, so we do not state a fixed age here. The RMD calculator applies the starting ages and IRS table it currently uses and shows those assumptions with your results; confirm your own situation with a qualified tax professional.
Because they are taxable withdrawals whose size you do not fully control. They can raise your taxable income in a given year even if you did not need the money that year, which is why some households look at them well in advance.
This page is educational and general in nature. RetirementLeverage™ and Retirement Planning Store, Inc. do not provide individualized investment, securities, tax, or legal advice; please consult a qualified tax professional or attorney about your own situation. Insurance products and services may not be available in every state, and any guarantees are subject to the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.