Tools
A Required Minimum Distribution is the amount the IRS makes you withdraw each year from most pre-tax retirement accounts once you reach the start age. This page explains how the RMD works in plain English and gives you a quick estimator that divides your prior-year-end balance by the IRS Uniform Lifetime divisor for your age.
Enter the age you turn this year and your prior-year-end account balance. The estimator divides the balance by the IRS divisor for that age.
Educational estimate based on the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table as of 2026-08-19. Your actual RMD may differ if your spouse is the sole primary beneficiary and ≥10 years younger, if the account is an inherited IRA, or if your custodian uses a non-default table.
How the number is built
Find the IRS divisor for your age.
The post-SECURE 2.0 IRS Uniform Lifetime Table links each age from 73 to 120 to a distribution-period factor. Age 73 uses a divisor of 26.5; age 75 uses 24.6; the divisor falls as age rises.
Take your December 31 balance.
Use the balance reported on your prior year-end statement. The IRS measures the RMD against that figure, not against the balance at the start of the current year.
Divide — and withdraw by the deadline.
Current-year RMD = prior year-end balance ÷ divisor. Withdraw by December 31 of the current year; the first RMD year only has until April 1 of the following year.
FAQ
If you're here from a search for "what is an RMD" or "required minimum distribution calculator", the answers below cover the background, the timing rules, and where the divisor actually comes from. For your specific number, follow up with the estimator above and a tax professional.
The official divisor tables are maintained by the IRS in Publication 590-B, Appendix B. Read Publication 590-B on irs.gov.
Beyond the calculator
Quillwright tracks every pre-tax account in one place, projects each year's RMD against the IRS table, and flags Roth conversion, QCD, and harvesting opportunities in plain English — not portfolio-manager shorthand.
7 days free, then $19/mo — cancel during the trial and you owe nothing.
Reminder
Educational only, not financial advice. The estimator above uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table as a default planner; for spousal beneficiaries, inherited IRAs, and other non-standard situations the divisor may differ. Your custodian — and ultimately a licensed tax professional — is the source of truth for any actual distribution you take.