Why review required minimum distributions by account?
A required minimum distribution, or RMD, is the annual minimum a retirement-account owner must receive after the applicable starting age.
This calculator uses US IRA rules, including for owners living abroad or returning to Korea.
It is distinct from Korean pension withdrawal ceilings or tax optimization: the central decisions here are the minimum amount, permitted account pooling and payment deadline.
Different beneficiary designations, Roth exemptions and payments from unrelated plans can make a single total-balance calculation misleading.
The worksheet first calculates each supported IRA and then evaluates the pooled IRA obligation.
Use it to prepare a custodian request and reconcile records; a calculation does not establish that a distribution has been processed.
2026 rules and starting ages by birth cohort
Final cohort rules
- Born before July 1, 1949: age 70½.
- Born July 1, 1949 through 1950: age 72.
- Born 1951 through 1958: age 73.
- Born in 1960 or later: age 75.
1959 requires another check
26 CFR §1.401(a)(9)-2(b)(2)(v) is [Reserved], while REG-103529-23 proposes age 73.
The calculator does not promote that proposal to a final rule.
Before 2032 it shows no current obligation; from 2032 it withholds amounts pending review of the final rule.
Sources were checked on October 3, 2026.
The currently published 2025 edition of IRS Publication 590-B includes a 2026 worksheet.
Selecting 2027–2040 creates a scenario assuming the verified rules continue; it does not mean those future years have been legally verified.
Recheck applicable law before making a future payment.
Records to enter: balances and credited gross distributions
Prior December 31 balance
The 2026 obligation uses the December 31, 2025 balance.
Do not substitute today’s market value, a balance after this year’s withdrawals or a KRW conversion.
Use the statement value and confirm any required valuation adjustments with the custodian.
Payment credited to this obligation
Enter eligible gross distributions including withholding.
A first-year payment made the following year belongs in the first-year allocation, rather than both allocations.
Do not carry prior-year excess payments into this year’s credit.
Leave unknown balances and payments blank.
Enter 0 when you have confirmed a zero balance or no credited payment.
An unknown record keeps the group shortfall at N/A; it is never silently treated as zero.
Account labels are optional, and full account numbers or login details are unnecessary.
Formula and IRS life-expectancy tables
Per-account formula
RMD = prior year-end account balance ÷ applicable IRS divisor
Use the age reached on the birthday in the obligation year.
The divisor does not change within the year depending on whether the birthday has already occurred.
Most owners use Table III, the Uniform Lifetime Table.
Sole spouse beneficiary more than ten years younger
Use Table II, Joint and Last Survivor, only when both conditions hold for the account.
An owner aged 73 and a sole spouse beneficiary aged 62 use 27.2; a spouse aged 63 creates an exact ten-year gap and uses the normal 26.5 divisor instead.
Beneficiary designations can differ among accounts of the same owner.
The 120+ table category applies to ages 120 and above.
A spouse under age 20 has no matching entry in this published Table II range, so the tool withholds the amount instead of interpolating.
A missing spouse date also requires records.
Account amounts are rounded upward to cents for conservative payment planning; this display convention is not presented as a statutory rounding rule.
Permitted IRA aggregation and separate accounts
One living owner’s IRA group
Calculate each Traditional, SEP and SIMPLE IRA separately, then satisfy the combined amount using one or more of those IRAs.
Grouped shortfall = max(0, total RMD − total credited distributions for the obligation year).
Adding the individual unpooled gaps can overstate the remaining payment when withdrawals were concentrated in one IRA.
A living owner’s Roth IRA has no RMD, and Roth payments do not offset the non-Roth IRA obligation.
Another owner’s IRA and inherited IRAs do not join this group.
401(k) and 457(b) plan RMDs require separate plan payments.
Aggregation among 403(b) contracts is permitted, but those contracts do not aggregate with IRAs and their detailed workplace rules are outside this tool.
April 1 for the first year; December 31 thereafter
Turning 73 in 2026: born in 1953
The first obligation year is 2026, with a final first-year deadline of April 1, 2027.
Use the December 31, 2025 balance and the age-73 divisor for the 2026 obligation.
Payment can occur during the first year or by the permitted following-year deadline.
Two distinct obligations in 2027
The 2026 obligation is due April 1, 2027; the 2027 obligation is due December 31, 2027.
The latter uses the December 31, 2026 balance and the age-74 divisor.
The same payment cannot satisfy both obligations.
Selecting the year after the first year reveals separate first-year balance, payment and spouse-beneficiary fields.
Include all distributions credited to that first obligation, whether made in the first year or the following year.
Custodian processing cutoffs differ from legal deadlines; arrange requests early enough for completion.
Disaster extensions and death-year distributions require a separate deadline review.
Steps to use and save the worksheet
- Select the obligation year and owner’s date of birth, then add all IRAs of that owner.
- Enter account types and statement balances; confirm each account’s sole spouse-beneficiary designation.
- Allocate eligible payments to the correct obligation year, including the separate first-year record when displayed.
- Calculate and review the table, divisor, per-account RMD and grouped shortfall.
- Save the TXT worksheet or print it, reconcile it with custodian calculations, and request any remaining distribution.
The fictional example demonstrates the input format rather than supplying your account data.
Replace every relevant example value before using the worksheet.
Saved worksheets include the birth date and account labels you entered; share them only with the intended recipient.
Worked examples: divisors, shortfalls and spouse rules
Uniform Lifetime Table RMD checks by birthday age| Birthday age | Prior balance USD | Table III divisor | RMD USD |
|---|
| 73 | 265,000 | 26.5 | 10,000 |
| 74 | 255,000 | 25.5 | 10,000 |
| 75 | 246,000 | 24.6 | 10,000 |
The fictional age-73 example uses USD 265,000 and USD 3,000 credited distributions: RMD USD 10,000 and remaining shortfall USD 7,000.
If IRA A and B have RMDs of USD 10,000 and USD 5,000 and A pays an eligible USD 15,000, the group shortfall is zero.
B’s USD 5,000 unpooled gap is not an additional payment requirement after permissible pooling.
Interpretation and practical situations
Several custodians after moving abroad
Compare statement balances, designated beneficiaries and custodian estimates.
Decide which eligible IRA will supply the combined payment.
Calculate family members’ accounts separately because ownership determines pooling.
Helping a parent organize records
Keep missing statements or payment histories at N/A so unresolved accounts remain visible.
Use the worksheet to help the owner and custodian verify amounts and processing dates.
A zero supported-IRA shortfall does not complete a review containing excluded accounts.
A known RMD subtotal omits amounts for accounts with missing valuations.
Calculated status means that the formula ran on the entered records; it is not confirmation of payment completion or an IRS eligibility determination.
Tips, limits and matters requiring separate review
- Collect December 31 statements, beneficiary records, gross-payment records and withholding details.
- Inherited and death-year cases, annuities, QLACs, QCDs and rollover balance adjustments are excluded.
- Confirm workplace still-working exceptions and pre-1987 403(b) amounts with the plan administrator.
- Korean taxes, treaty treatment, US income tax, excise tax and waiver procedures require separate filing review.
- RMDs are minimums rather than withdrawal ceilings; excess credit does not carry forward.
Check processing lead times before making a year-end request.
Update the worksheet when statement values or beneficiary designations change.
Assess the following year’s two obligations and income impact before electing to delay the first distribution.
Frequently asked questions
Can working owners delay their IRA RMD?
Traditional, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs do not use the workplace-plan still-working exception.
Review IRA withdrawals once the applicable starting age is reached.
This tool does not determine workplace exceptions.
Can one IRA pay the RMDs for several IRAs?
Calculate each Traditional, SEP and SIMPLE IRA of the same living owner separately, then take the combined amount from one or more of those IRAs.
Do not include a spouse’s IRA, inherited IRA, Roth account or workplace-plan distributions.
Which table applies if my spouse is exactly ten years younger?
Table III applies when the ages reached on birthdays in the obligation year differ by exactly ten.
Table II requires a difference greater than ten and the spouse to be the sole beneficiary of that particular account.
Is age 73 final for everyone born in 1959?
The checked final regulation, 26 CFR §1.401(a)(9)-2(b)(2)(v), remains reserved; REG-103529-23 proposes age 73.
This tool withholds amounts from 2032 pending review.
Check the latest final rule before arranging future distributions.
When is the next RMD due after delaying the first?
The first-year amount can be due April 1 of the following year; the next obligation is due December 31 of that same year.
Use separate balances, ages and payment allocations.
Two payments in one year can increase taxable income.
Can an excess withdrawal satisfy next year’s RMD?
No excess distribution carries forward as credit toward another obligation year.
A withdrawal may change the balance used in a later calculation, but that is different from carrying forward an RMD payment credit.
Should I enter the cash received after withholding?
Enter eligible gross distributions, including withholding, credited to the chosen obligation year.
Net bank deposits can overstate the apparent shortfall.
Confirm the nature of rollovers, conversions and other transactions with the custodian and exclude ineligible amounts.
Is the shortfall multiplied by a penalty rate my final tax?
The result is an RMD shortfall, not tax.
IRS guidance describes a general 25% excise tax, a 10% rate for qualifying timely correction, and possible waiver procedures.
Form 5329, the correction conditions, income tax and any waiver need separate review.
Official sources, updates and next action
Verified 2026-10-03 · US jurisdiction · USD · living account owner.
The calculator uses IRS lifetime tables effective from 2022 and T.D. 10001 rules applicable from 2025, with the 1959 cohort kept subject to a final-rule check.
Recheck new editions of Publication 590-B, starting ages, tables, aggregation rules and special deadline relief; update requirements, constants and tests together.
Confirm the remaining payment with your custodian
Enter real records above and save the obligation-year worksheet.
Reconcile per-account amounts, grouped shortfalls, unresolved records and any delayed first-year amount before agreeing on the payment request and processing date.