As people age, a number of important financial decisions have to be made and settled, and various laws and regulations govern what people can do with the money they have saved or invested. For those over the age of 70, it’s particularly important to keep track of RMDs, also known as Required Minimum Distributions. RMD requirements generally kick in when you reach your 70s, and they require you to withdraw a certain percentage of your money each year, provided you own certain types of tax-deferred accounts.
The guide below briefly discusses what RMDs are, then lays out a variety of statistics about them, including when they begin, typical distribution periods and amounts, penalties for missed or short RMDs, qualified charitable distributions, withdrawal behavior, and total IRA assets. All information was sourced from reliable financial sources, including the US Treasury Department, the IRS, the ICI, and Fidelity Investments, in September 2026.
What Are Required Minimum Distributions?
A required minimum distribution (RMD) is the smallest amount of money that you are legally required to withdraw each year from certain tax-deferred retirement accounts. RMDs typically kick in once you reach a certain age, usually sometime in your 70s. Withdrawal amounts are determined by your year-end account balance, your age at year-end, and your IRS life expectancy factor.
Most commonly, the law requires that you begin taking RMDs when you turn 73, though the exact age may vary depending on your year of birth. In general, you can delay your initial RMD until April 1st of the year after you turn 73. Afterwards, all RMDs must be taken by December 31 of each year. RMDs apply to various types of retirement accounts, including traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other pretax employer-sponsored plans. Roth IRAs, on the other hand, do not require withdrawals while the original owner is alive.
Age-Related RMD Data
As stated above, RMDs often begin in your 70s, with the exact year depending on your year of birth. Once RMDs begin, you generally must withdraw funds every year, with the distribution period varying according to your age.
The tables below display information regarding when RMDs begin by birth year for those alive in 2026, as well as lifetime withdrawal amounts based on a $500,000 account balance, with yearly age-based distribution periods.
When RMDs Begin, By Birth Year (2026)
| Birth Year | RMD Begins at Age |
First RMD Due |
| 1950 or Earlier (Born Before 7/1/1949) | 70½ | Already Required |
| 1950 or Earlier (Born After 7/1/1949) | 72 | Already Required |
| 1951–1959 | 73 | By April 1st the year after turning 73 |
| 1960 or Later | 75 | By April 1st the year after turning 75 |
Sources: Table 11
Uniform Lifetime Table (2026)
| Age in 2026 | Distribution Period | RMD on $500,000 Balance |
| 73 | 26.5 | $18,868 |
| 74 | 25.5 | $19,608 |
| 75 | 24.6 | $20,325 |
| 76 | 23.7 | $21,097 |
| 77 | 22.9 | $21,834 |
| 78 | 22.0 | $22,727 |
| 79 | 21.1 | $23,697 |
| 80 | 20.2 | $24,752 |
| Age in 2026 | Distribution Period | RMD on $500,000 Balance |
| 85 | 16.0 | $31,250 |
| 90 | 12.2 | $40,984 |
| 95 | 8.9 | $56,180 |
| 100+ | 6.4 | $78,125 |
Sources: Table 22
RMD Penalties and Offsets
Because you are required to withdraw money by law as part of an RMD, failing to withdraw the full legal amount determined by your age and account balance can result in penalties. Generally, the IRS will charge a 25% penalty on any amount of an RMD that you fail to withdraw, though this penalty can be reduced to 10% with a quick correction. Sometimes, the IRS may even waive the penalty entirely if they determine that the incorrect withdrawal was as a result of a reasonable error.
Aside from penalties, there are also Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) limits that account owners can factor into their RMDs. As of 2026, these QCDs allow account owners to donate up to $111,000 per calendar year, directly from their IRA, to a qualified public charity, completely tax-free. These are individual amounts, meaning that married couples can jointly donate a combined maximum of $222,000.
Penalties for Missed or Short RMDs
| RMD Status | Associated Penalty | Corrective Actions |
| Part/All of RMD Not Withdrawn by Deadline |
25% Excise Tax | ● Withdraw the Missed Amount ● File Form 5329 ● Attach a Letter of Explanation |
| Part/All of RMD Not Withdrawn by Deadline, but Shortfall is Withdrawn and a Corrected Return is Filed Within 2 Years |
10% Reduced Penalty |
● Withdraw the Missed Amount ● File Form 5329 ● Attach a Letter of Explanation |
Sources: Table 33
Qualified Charitable Distribution Limits
| Tax Year | Annual QCD Limit (per | Eligibility Age |
| Individual) | ||
| 2025 | $108,000 | 70½ and older |
| 2026 | $111,000 | 70½ and older |
Sources: Table 44
IRA Impacts on RMDs
The amount of money contained in IRAs, as well as the population of the United States that owns an IRA account, impacts the share of those who take withdrawals through RMDs yearly. The tables below display data regarding the share of traditional-IRA-owning households that took any withdrawals through RMDs from 2020-2024, as well as total assets contained in US IRAs at year-end during the same period.
Withdrawal Behavior Data, Tax Years 2020–2024
| Tax Year | Share of Traditional-IRA-Owning Households Taking Any Withdrawal |
| 2020 | 23% |
| 2021 | 29% |
| 2022 | 31% |
| 2023 | 31% |
| 2024 | 33% |
Sources: Table 55
Total US IRA Assets, Year-End ($ Trillions)
| Tax Year | Total US IRA Assets |
| 2020 | $13.9 trillion |
| 2021 | $11.5 trillion |
| 2022 | $13.6 trillion |
| 2023 | $17 trillion |
| 2024 | $19.2 trillion |
Sources: Table 66
References
Table 1:
- US Treasury Department. (2022). SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. In Title I – Expanding Coverage and Increasing Retirement Savings. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Secure%202.0_Section%20by%20Sectio n%20Summary%2012-19-22%20FINAL.pdf 2. Publication 590-B (2025), Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) | Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b
Table 2:
- Publication 590-B (2025), Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) | Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b
Table 3:
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) | planning your IRA withdrawal | Fidelity. (n.d.). https://www.fidelity.com/retirement-ira/required-minimum-distributions-qcds
Table 4:
- How to avoid RMD mistakes. (2026, June 29). https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/missed-rmd-how-to-fix
Table 5:
- The Role of IRAs in US Households’ Saving for Retirement, 2025. (2026, June). Investment Company Institute. https://ici.org/files/2026/per32-07
Table 6:
- Quarterly Retirement Market Data, First Quarter 2026. (2026, June 18). Investment Company Institute. https://www.ici.org/statistical-report/ret_26_q1 2. The Role of IRAs in US Households’ Saving for Retirement, 2025. (2026, June). Investment Company Institute. https://ici.org/files/2026/per32-07
