If you have money sitting in a traditional IRA, a 401(k), or a similar tax-deferred retirement account, the IRS eventually wants you to start taking it out — and paying tax on it. These required withdrawals are called Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs, and the rules around them have shifted in recent years thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act. Here’s what you need to know for 2026: the age you must start, the deadlines, how the amount is calculated, and what happens if you miss one.

What Is a Required Minimum Distribution?

A Required Minimum Distribution is the minimum amount the IRS requires you to withdraw each year from most tax-deferred retirement accounts once you reach a certain age. The rule exists because these accounts let your money grow tax-deferred for decades — eventually, the IRS wants its share of the taxes owed on that growth.

RMDs apply to:

• Traditional IRAs
• SIMPLE IRAs
• SEP IRAs
• Most employer-sponsored retirement plans, including 401(k)s and 403(b)s

One important exception: Roth IRAs are not subject to RMDs during the original owner’s lifetime, and thanks to SECURE 2.0, designated Roth accounts inside employer plans (like a Roth 401(k)) are also now exempt from RMDs while the original owner is alive. This is one reason some retirees choose to convert traditional balances to Roth accounts over time.

The 2026 RMD Starting Age — Know Your Birth Year

Under current law, RMDs generally must begin at age 73. This is the rule for 2026.

SECURE 2.0 set up a phased timeline that raised the RMD age in stages:

• Age 73 applies now, for people who reach that age under the current phase-in
• The requirement moves to age 75 starting in 2033, for those born in 1960 or later

Because the rule depends on your birth year, it’s worth confirming your exact required starting age before you make any decisions about early withdrawals, Roth conversions, or retirement income planning. Getting the age wrong — in either direction — can lead to a costly mistake, whether that’s an unnecessary early withdrawal or, worse, missing your actual deadline.

Key RMD Deadlines

Once you know your starting age, the next thing to nail down is timing. There are two deadlines to keep in mind:

• Your first RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you reach your required age.
• Every RMD after that is due by December 31 of each year.

Here’s where people often trip up: if you delay your very first RMD until the April 1 deadline, you’ll still need to take your second RMD by December 31 of that same year. That means two distributions land in one calendar year — which can push your taxable income higher than expected and potentially bump you into a higher tax bracket. Many financial advisors recommend taking your first RMD in the year you actually reach the required age, rather than waiting, precisely to avoid this “double RMD” trap.

How Your RMD Amount Is Calculated

The basic formula is straightforward:

RMD amount = prior year-end account balance ÷ IRS life expectancy factor

The life expectancy factor comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, and it’s based on your age each year (a slightly different table applies if your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger). As you get older, the factor decreases, which means the percentage of your account balance you’re required to withdraw increases each year.

A few practical points on how this plays out across multiple accounts:

• If you have more than one IRA, you calculate the RMD for each IRA separately, but you’re generally allowed to add them together and withdraw the total from just one IRA (or any combination of your IRAs)
• If you have multiple 401(k)s or other employer plan accounts, the rules are stricter — you generally must calculate and withdraw the RMD separately from each plan

This distinction matters for anyone juggling several retirement accounts from different jobs over the years. It’s worth double-checking with your account custodian or a tax professional exactly how your specific mix of accounts needs to be handled.

Penalties for Missing an RMD

Skipping or shorting an RMD triggers an excise tax — and it’s steep. If you don’t withdraw the full required amount by the deadline, the IRS can assess a penalty of 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t.

There is some relief built in: if you correct the shortfall within two years, the penalty can be reduced to 10%.

The excise tax is reported on IRS Form 5329. If you missed an RMD due to a reasonable-cause error — for example, a medical emergency, a custodian’s mistake, or simple confusion about a newly changed rule — you can request a penalty waiver by explaining the situation on that form. The IRS does grant waivers in many cases, especially when the shortfall is corrected promptly once discovered.

If you think you may have missed an RMD in a prior year, don’t wait — talk to a tax professional about correcting it and filing the waiver request as soon as possible.

Special Situations

Still Working Past the RMD Age

If you’re still working past your RMD age, you may qualify for the “still-working exception” for your current employer’s retirement plan — but only if the plan allows it and you don’t own more than 5% of the company. Under this exception, you can delay RMDs from that specific employer’s plan until you actually retire. This exception does not apply to IRAs, and it doesn’t apply to retirement accounts from previous employers.

Inherited IRAs and Beneficiary RMDs

The rules change significantly once an account passes to a beneficiary. Non-spouse beneficiaries are generally subject to the 10-year rule, which requires the entire inherited account to be emptied by the end of the 10th year following the original owner’s death. Depending on whether the original owner had already started taking RMDs, annual withdrawals may also be required during that 10-year window. Spousal beneficiaries typically have more flexible options. Because inherited account rules are complex and have changed multiple times in recent years, it’s worth getting personalized guidance if you’ve inherited a retirement account.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)

If you’re charitably inclined, a Qualified Charitable Distribution can be a useful tool. A QCD lets you transfer funds directly from your IRA to a qualifying charity, and that amount can count toward satisfying your RMD for the year — while being excluded from your taxable income.

For 2026, the QCD limit is $111,000 per individual. There’s also a special one-time option allowing a portion of a QCD to fund a charitable remainder trust or charitable gift annuity, capped at $55,000. Because QCDs must be transferred directly from the IRA custodian to the charity (you can’t withdraw the funds yourself first), it’s important to set this up correctly with your account custodian before your RMD deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do RMD rules apply to Roth 401(k)s in 2026?
No. Starting with SECURE 2.0, designated Roth accounts within employer plans, such as Roth 401(k)s, are exempt from RMDs during the original account owner’s lifetime, similar to Roth IRAs.

Can I take my RMD as a lump sum, or does it need to be spread throughout the year?
You have flexibility here. You can withdraw your full RMD in one lump sum, split it into smaller payments throughout the year, or set up automatic periodic withdrawals — as long as the total required amount is out by your deadline.

What if I have multiple retirement accounts — do I need a separate RMD for each?
It depends on the account type. Multiple IRAs can have their RMDs combined and taken from just one of them. Multiple 401(k)s or other employer plans generally require separate RMD withdrawals from each individual plan.

This article is for general informational purposes and is not tax or financial advice. RMD rules can be complex and depend on your specific accounts, birth year, and beneficiary situation. For guidance specific to your circumstances, consult a licensed tax professional or financial advisor, and refer to the official IRS.gov resources.