What is the RMD on $1 million at age 73?

$37,735.85 — the $1,000,000 prior-year-end balance divided by 26.5, the age-73 factor in the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. That equals about 3.77% of the account, or roughly $3,145 per month.

What is the RMD on $500,000 at age 73?

$18,867.92 — exactly half the $1 million figure, since the RMD is proportional to the balance ($500,000 ÷ 26.5).

When do I take my first RMD?

For the year you turn 73, you may delay until April 1 of the following year; all later RMDs are due by December 31. Delaying means taking two taxable RMDs in one year, which often costs more in tax than it saves.

Can I avoid paying tax on my RMD?

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) sent directly from your IRA to a qualified charity — up to $108,000 in 2026 — excludes that amount from taxable income entirely, and can satisfy some or all of your RMD.

What is the penalty for missing an RMD?

25% of the amount you failed to withdraw, reduced to 10% if you correct the shortfall within two years and file Form 5329.

RMD on $1 Million at Age 73 (2026 Tables)

The Answer: $37,735.85

The quick answer

The required minimum distribution on a $1,000,000 traditional IRA or 401(k) at age 73 is $37,735.85 — about $3,145 per month. The math: your December 31 prior-year balance divided by 26.5, the age-73 life-expectancy factor from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (IRS Publication 590-B). That is roughly 3.77% of the account.

Key takeaways

The RMD age is 73 for anyone born 1951–1959; per SECURE 2.0, it rises to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.
The required percentage climbs every year even if your balance doesn't grow — from 3.77% at 73 to nearly 5% by 80 — because the IRS divisor shrinks annually.
A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) of up to $108,000 in 2026 can satisfy some or all of your RMD while removing that amount from taxable income entirely.
Missing an RMD costs a 25% penalty on the shortfall (10% if corrected within two years) — one of the harshest penalties in the tax code.

Retiree reviewing IRA account statements and a required minimum distribution schedule. — The RMD is a withdrawal requirement, not a spending requirement — the money can move to a taxable account, fund a QCD, or go straight back into investments. Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels

RMD = Prior Dec 31 balance ÷ IRS Uniform Lifetime factor

Variables

Balance — account value on December 31 of the previous year

Factor — from the Uniform Lifetime Table; 26.5 at age 73

Example: $1,000,000 ÷ 26.5 = $37,735.85. The factor shrinks each year, so the required percentage rises with age.

Because the divisor falls every year, the RMD percentage climbs even if the balance stays flat. Here is the schedule on a constant $1,000,000 balance:

Age	IRS factor	RMD on $1,000,000	% of balance
73	26.5	$37,736	3.77%
74	25.5	$39,216	3.92%
75	24.6	$40,650	4.07%
76	23.7	$42,194	4.22%
77	22.9	$43,668	4.37%
78	22.0	$45,455	4.55%
79	21.1	$47,393	4.74%
80	20.2	$49,505	4.95%

IRS Uniform Lifetime Table factors (Publication 590-B, 2022 revision, current through 2026). In reality your balance changes each year, so each RMD is recomputed on the actual prior Dec 31 value.

Run the numbers

RMD Calculator

Enter your own balance and age — including inherited-IRA rules — to get your exact required distribution.

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The Rules That Catch People: Deadlines, Taxes, Penalties

The age is 73 (for now). SECURE 2.0 set the RMD start age at 73 for anyone born 1951–1959, rising to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.
Your first RMD has a special deadline. You may delay the age-73 RMD until April 1 of the following year — but then you owe two RMDs in one tax year, which can push you into a higher bracket. Every later RMD is due December 31.
It is all ordinary income. A $37,736 RMD stacks on top of Social Security and other income. For many retirees it is the difference between the 12% and 22% federal brackets, and it can raise Medicare IRMAA surcharges two years later.
The penalty for missing it is 25% of the shortfall (reduced to 10% if corrected within two years) — down from the old 50%, but still among the harshest penalties in the tax code.
Roth accounts are exempt. Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMDs, and since 2024 Roth 401(k)s don't either — one reason Roth conversions before 73 are a common RMD-reduction strategy.

An RMD is a withdrawal requirement, not a spending requirement

You must take the money out and pay the tax — but you can immediately reinvest it in a taxable brokerage account, use it for a qualified charitable distribution (up to $108,000 in 2026, which removes it from income entirely), or fund gifting. The common mistake is treating the RMD as the government telling you what to spend.

For inherited IRA RMD rules (which use a different, faster table), see our inherited IRA guide. To understand how RMDs fit into a broader drawdown plan, our retirement drawdown guide models year-by-year portfolio depletion at different withdrawal rates. And if Roth conversions before 73 could lower your lifetime tax bill, the tax strategy playbook covers the conversion ladder approach.

Not sure which IRS table applies to your situation, or exactly which birth years hit age 73 versus 75? See our IRS RMD tables guide and RMD age by birth year breakdown. And if you're charitably inclined, a qualified charitable distribution can satisfy some or all of your RMD completely tax-free.

Sources & further reading

Reducing the Tax Hit: QCDs and Bracket Management

A $37,736 RMD on top of Social Security often pushes retirees into a higher bracket than they expect. Two tools can soften that:

Strategy	How it works	Effect on this $37,736 RMD
Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)	Send some or all of the RMD directly from the IRA to a qualified charity	Up to $108,000/year excluded from taxable income entirely — a full QCD of $37,736 removes 100% of this RMD from your tax return
Roth conversion before 73	Convert traditional IRA funds to Roth in lower-income years before RMDs start	Shrinks the traditional balance the RMD is calculated on, permanently lowering future required withdrawals
Bracket-fill withdrawals in your 60s	Withdraw more than required before RMDs begin, filling up to the top of a lower bracket	Same goal as Roth conversion — reduce the balance before the divisor forces larger withdrawals

QCDs must go directly from the IRA custodian to the charity — funds that pass through your hands first don't qualify. Consult a tax professional for your specific situation.

QCDs must happen before you touch the money

To qualify, the distribution has to move directly from your IRA custodian to the charity — you can't withdraw the RMD yourself and then donate it afterward. Set this up with your custodian ahead of your RMD deadline, since some institutions need several weeks to process a QCD correctly.

If bracket management is the goal, run the tradeoff between a Roth conversion now versus a larger RMD later with the Roth vs. Traditional IRA calculator, and see how the RMD schedule interacts with your full withdrawal plan in the retirement drawdown guide.

How we researched this

RMD figures use the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Publication 590-B, 2022 revision, current through 2026). QCD limits reflect 2026 IRS figures. This section describes general tax mechanics, not personalized tax advice — consult a qualified tax professional before executing a QCD or Roth conversion strategy.

RMD on $1 Million at Age 73: Exactly What You Must Withdraw (2026)

The Answer: $37,735.85

The Rules That Catch People: Deadlines, Taxes, Penalties

Reducing the Tax Hit: QCDs and Bracket Management

Frequently asked questions

Run the numbers yourself

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