Required Minimum Distribution · Also called: required beginning date, RBD, Uniform Lifetime Table
The minimum you must withdraw each year from pre-tax retirement accounts once you reach the starting age: 73 if born 1951-1959, 75 if born 1960 or later.
Each year's amount is the prior December 31 balance divided by a life-expectancy factor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, so the required percentage rises with age. The first RMD may be delayed to April 1 of the following year, but then two RMDs fall in that year.
A missed RMD carries a 25% excise tax, reduced to 10% if corrected promptly. Roth IRAs, and since 2024 Roth accounts in employer plans, have no RMDs during the owner's lifetime.