Quick start
- Open the RMD Calculator.
- Enter the prior December 31 balance, not today's balance.
- Enter your age on your birthday in the distribution year.
- Calculate, then compare estimated RMD, Uniform table factor, age used, and balance after RMD.
- Check IRS rules, your custodian statement, inherited-account status, spouse age rules, aggregation, withholding, and first-year timing before acting.
Best uses
Start here if one of these sounds like your job. The examples below show which inputs matter most.
- Estimate an annual RMD from a traditional IRA or similar retirement account.
- Look up the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factor for one age.
- Check the withdrawal amount and the balance left after the estimate.
- Prepare questions before checking custodian records or IRS instructions.
What this calculator is for
The RMD Calculator estimates a simple owner-style withdrawal using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. It is a quick check, not a custodian statement or tax filing answer.
Good fit examples: Estimate an annual RMD from a traditional IRA or similar retirement account. Look up the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factor for one age.
What to enter
Finance estimates are sensitive to small input changes. Check whether a field expects a monthly amount, annual amount, dollar value, or percent before calculating.
- Enter the account balance from the previous December 31. For a 2026 estimate, that is usually the December 31, 2025 balance.
- Enter your age on your birthday in the distribution year.
- Use this only for the simple owner-style Uniform Lifetime Table case. Inherited accounts and younger-spouse cases need different checks.
Example walkthrough
Try the calculator example: Age 75: $500,000 prior Dec. 31 balance at age 75. The example result is $20,325.20 RMD estimate using factor 24.6.
- $500,000 at age 75 uses the age 75 table factor of 24.6.
- $500,000 divided by 24.6 gives about $20,325.20 as the estimated RMD.
- $750,000 at age 80 uses factor 20.2, which gives about $37,128.71.
Formula and steps
In plain language: The calculator takes the prior December 31 account balance and divides it by the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factor for the age entered. For a 2026 owner-style estimate, use the December 31, 2025 balance, choose the age you turn in 2026, then divide by that table factor.
If the estimate looks surprising, check the formula and inputs before using the answer in a budget, comparison, or planning note.
How to read the answer
Start with the estimated RMD, then check the Uniform table factor and age used. If the result looks off, the usual cause is the wrong balance date, the wrong age year, or a special rule that this simple table check does not handle.
- Estimated RMD is the minimum withdrawal estimate from the balance and age entered.
- Uniform table factor is the denominator from the IRS table.
- Balance after RMD is just the entered balance minus the estimate. It does not include market movement, tax withholding, or later deposits.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most bad RMD estimates come from using today's balance instead of the prior December 31 balance, using the wrong age year, missing inherited-account rules, ignoring a much-younger spouse case, or treating this quick check like the custodian statement.
- Do not use this for inherited IRA rules, spouse-more-than-10-years-younger rules, Roth IRA owner rules, or beneficiary cases.
- Do not use today's balance when the rule calls for the prior December 31 balance.
- Do not assume extra withdrawals this year reduce next year's RMD. Next year starts from its own prior year-end balance.
- Do not ignore first-year timing, aggregation rules, custodian records, tax withholding, or possible penalties.
What to try next
A related money tool can help check the same question from another angle before you rely on one result.
- Use IRA Calculator for contribution-style planning.
- Use Retirement Calculator for a wider retirement savings estimate.
Sources and estimate notes
This guide links to public financial, consumer, statistical, or tax references where they are useful for understanding the calculator context.
Source links improve transparency, but they do not turn a quick calculator into professional advice or a final loan, tax, payroll, or investment answer.
Worked examples for RMD Calculator
$20,325.20 RMD estimate using factor 24.6
$37,128.71 RMD estimate using factor 20.2
$24,590.16 RMD estimate using factor 12.2
FAQ in plain language
When should I use the RMD Calculator?
Use it when you want to test the exact inputs on this page: Estimate an annual RMD from a traditional IRA or similar retirement account. Look up the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factor for one age. The result is a check against your assumptions, not proof that a lender, tax app, broker, platform, or provider will use the same number.
What do the main RMD Calculator inputs mean?
Prior Dec. 31 balance means the account balance at the end of the year before the distribution year. For a 2026 RMD, that usually means the December 31, 2025 balance. Age this year means your age on your birthday in the distribution year. The table factor is picked from that age, not from your age on the day you type the estimate.
What is the RMD Calculator doing with my numbers?
In plain language: The calculator takes the prior December 31 account balance and divides it by the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factor for the age entered. For a 2026 owner-style estimate, use the December 31, 2025 balance, choose the age you turn in 2026, then divide by that table factor.
How should I read the RMD Calculator answer?
Estimated RMD is the minimum withdrawal estimate from the entered balance. Uniform table factor is the IRS denominator. Balance after RMD is only subtraction, not a year-end prediction after market changes or taxes.
What does this estimate leave out?
This is a simple owner-style Uniform Lifetime Table estimate. It does not cover inherited IRAs, a spouse more than 10 years younger who is the sole beneficiary, Roth IRA owner rules, multiple account aggregation, first-year deadlines, penalties, tax withholding, or tax advice. Check IRS Publication 590-B, IRS RMD FAQs, your custodian statement, tax withholding, aggregation rules, and first-year timing before treating the estimate as your real required withdrawal.
What should I double-check before copying the result?
Check the balance date, the age used for the distribution year, whether the account is inherited, and whether your spouse is the sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger.
Does this use the 2026 IRS RMD table?
It uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factors shown in Publication 590-B for owner-style lifetime distributions. For example, age 75 uses factor 24.6, age 80 uses 20.2, and age 90 uses 12.2.
Related tools
- IRA Calculator Project traditional or Roth IRA growth before checking IRS contribution and deduction rules.
- Retirement Calculator Project retirement savings from current balance, monthly contributions, and return.
- Social Security Calculator Estimate how claiming age can change a monthly Social Security retirement benefit.
Keep exploring
If this guide is close but not exact, these links keep you near the same kind of problem.
- Finance Browse the full category for related tools that help with the same job.
- All free tools Search the complete Access Free Tools library by task, category, or tool name.
- All calculator and utility guides Find more plain-language examples, formulas, mistakes, and result explanations.
- Free calculator resources Start here when you are not sure which calculator page fits.
Privacy and copying results
Recent answers stay visible only while you work in the current browser tab. They are not sent to a server.
Use Copy answer when you want to save the inputs and result in notes, homework, a message, or a project list. Check the units, labels, and limits before copying.