RMD Calculator: What Will the IRS Force You to Withdraw From Your $800K IRA at 73?

The withdrawal the IRS makes for you, whether you need the money or not

We ran an $800,000 traditional IRA through the calculator at age 73 — the required minimum distribution comes out to roughly $30,000 that first year, taxed as ordinary income, regardless of whether you actually need to spend it. That's the core planning surprise about RMDs: they're not optional, they don't care about your other income that year, and the required percentage of your balance only grows as you age — from about 3.8% at 73 to over 11% by your mid-90s per the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.

How the math works

Each year's RMD = that year's account balance ÷ the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for your age. The divisor shrinks every year (it's an estimate of your remaining life expectancy), which is why the required withdrawal percentage climbs steadily even if your balance stays flat.

Source: IRS Publication 590-B, Uniform Lifetime Table (2022 update, in effect through at least 2025). Under SECURE 2.0, the RMD start age is 73 for those turning 72 after 2022, rising to 75 starting in 2033.

What this tool doesn't model: the different (more favorable) Joint Life and Last Survivor table that applies if your sole beneficiary is a spouse more than 10 years younger; qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), which can satisfy your RMD while excluding the amount from taxable income; Roth 401(k) accounts, which as of 2024 no longer have RMDs during your lifetime; or the 25% (reduced from 50%) excise tax penalty under SECURE 2.0 if you miss an RMD.

Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser.Source on github.

Where this estimate can be materially off

• Your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger.You'd use the Joint Life and Last Survivor table instead, which produces meaningfully smaller RMDs than the Uniform Lifetime Table this tool uses.
• You plan to use qualified charitable distributions (QCDs).Donating some or all of your RMD directly from the IRA to charity (up to an annually-indexed limit) satisfies the RMD requirement without adding to your taxable income — this tool doesn't model that offset. See the QCD Strategy calculator for that math.
• Your balance won't grow steadily.A flat growth-rate assumption smooths over real market volatility — a bad sequence of returns right as RMD percentages climb can deplete the account faster than this straight-line model suggests.
• You have multiple traditional accounts.RMDs must be calculated separately per account but can usually be aggregated and withdrawn from any combination of your IRAs (not 401(k)s, which each require their own withdrawal) — combine your balances here for a household total, but confirm the actual aggregation rules with your custodian.

What to actually do with this number

1. If you're within a few years of 73, run this now — the tax hit is easier to plan around before it starts than to react to afterward.
2. Consider Roth conversions in the years before RMDs begin, to shrink the traditional balance (and future RMDs) while you have more control over your taxable income.
3. If charitably inclined, look at qualified charitable distributions once RMDs start — they can satisfy the requirement tax-free.
4. Confirm your specific table (Uniform Lifetime vs Joint Life and Last Survivor) with your account custodian, who is required to calculate and report your RMD each year.
5. Set the withdrawal on autopilot with your custodian to avoid the excise-tax penalty for a missed or late RMD.