First RMD in 2026: Deadlines, Calculations and Taxes
October 13, 2026
Turning 73 in 2026? Understand Your First RMD Before Choosing a Withdrawal Date
The April deadline offers flexibility, but delaying a first withdrawal can put two required distributions into the same tax year.
A first RMD has a special deadline, followed by a separate annual requirement.
A first required minimum distribution can seem like a routine withdrawal. The account provider sends a figure, and you decide when to move the money. But the date matters: a distribution that satisfies one year’s requirement can sometimes arrive in the following calendar year.
For someone turning 73 in 2026, the first required minimum distribution, or RMD, from an owned traditional IRA is for 2026. Its special first-year deadline is April 1, 2027. Waiting until then does not eliminate the separate 2027 RMD. [1]
This article focuses on an original account owner turning 73 in 2026. Inherited accounts, annuitized benefits, and people born in other years can require different analysis.
Key takeaways
- A 2026 first RMD may be taken during 2026 or delayed until April 1, 2027. [1]
- The next RMD is still due by December 31, 2027. [2]
- An RMD is generally based on the prior December 31 balance and the applicable IRS divisor. [3]
- IRA aggregation rules do not let you satisfy a 401(k) RMD by withdrawing from an IRA. [2]
Put both deadlines on the calendar
| Requirement | Balance generally used | Latest date |
|---|---|---|
| First RMD, for 2026 | December 31, 2025 | April 1, 2027 |
| Second RMD, for 2027 | December 31, 2026 | December 31, 2027 |
Table note: For an original IRA owner turning 73 in 2026. [1,2]
April 1 is a special deadline for the first RMD. It is not an annual extension to the usual year-end distribution deadline. Taking the first RMD in early 2027 satisfies the 2026 requirement, while the second withdrawal satisfies the 2027 requirement. Both are generally reported as 2027 distributions if received in that calendar year. [1,5]
A practical way to label the records is “RMD for 2026” and “withdrawal received in 2027.” Those phrases describe different things: the requirement being met and the year the distribution enters the tax reporting system.
How the first amount is calculated
For most original IRA owners, the calculation is the previous year-end account balance divided by the Uniform Lifetime Table factor for the owner’s age in the distribution year. At age 73, that factor is 26.5. If a spouse is the sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger, a different IRS table generally applies. [3]
Assume an owner turns 73 in 2026, has a traditional IRA worth $530,000 on December 31, 2025, and uses the Uniform Lifetime Table:
| Worked calculation: $530,000 ÷ 26.5 = $20,000 first RMD for 2026. |
The divisor comes from the IRS table, not the account’s expected investment return. It is also not a universal withdrawal percentage for retirement spending. An RMD tells you the minimum distribution required by tax rules; it does not establish how much a household can sustainably spend.
For the next year, the calculation changes. Age 74 uses a factor of 25.5, applied to the actual December 31, 2026 balance. Market movements, distributions, and other account activity can therefore affect the next RMD. [3]
Delaying the first RMD can place two distributions in one tax year.
A two-year example of the timing trade-off
Continue the hypothetical example and assume the entire $20,000 first RMD is delayed until March 2027. Assume the actual IRA balance on December 31, 2026 is $510,000. The owner’s 2027 RMD is then $510,000 ÷ 25.5 = $20,000.
| Withdrawal in this hypothetical | Amount | Calendar year received |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 RMD taken in March 2027 | $20,000 | 2027 |
| 2027 RMD completed by year-end | $20,000 | 2027 |
| Total gross distributions from these RMDs | $40,000 | 2027 |
Table note: Hypothetical example using an actual assumed December 31, 2026 balance of $510,000. No other distributions or exclusions are assumed. [3,4]
For an entirely pretax IRA, and assuming no exclusion such as a qualified charitable distribution, those two withdrawals produce $40,000 of taxable distributions in 2027. The example is not a forecast of account returns or a recommendation to delay. [4]
If the first withdrawal had instead occurred in 2026, its income would generally fall in 2026, and the second RMD would use the actual year-end balance after that withdrawal and other activity. A fair comparison must calculate both paths; it should not assume identical future balances.
Compare the tax years, not just the deadlines
A delayed first RMD can move income from one year into another, but the better result depends on the rest of the return. Final wages, pension income, a business sale, capital gains, deductions, and other withdrawals may make the two years look very different.
Additional taxable retirement distributions can increase the portion of Social Security benefits included in taxable income. That interaction depends on the IRS calculation and filing status; it is not determined simply by multiplying the RMD by one marginal tax rate. [6]
Higher income can also affect Medicare Part B and prescription-drug income-related premiums, usually using a tax return from two years earlier. A 2027 distribution may therefore matter for 2029 premiums under the usual lookback. This is a timing implication, not a prediction of 2029 thresholds or premiums. [7]
Account type determines which required withdrawals can be combined.
Separate the accounts before combining amounts
For your own traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs, calculate each RMD separately. Their eligible IRA RMD amounts can generally be totaled and withdrawn from one or more of those IRAs. Keep the calculations even if one account supplies all the money. [2]
Workplace plans require different handling. A 401(k) RMD generally must come from that plan, and separate 401(k) plans have separate requirements. An IRA withdrawal does not satisfy a 401(k) requirement. A specific exception generally permits aggregation among 403(b) accounts. Inherited accounts need their own review and should not be mixed with your owned-IRA RMD calculation. [2,8]
Working at 73 does not suspend every RMD
An owned traditional IRA still has an age-based RMD even when its owner works. A current employer’s retirement plan may allow a later start until retirement for an eligible participant. That exception does not automatically extend to an old employer’s plan, and the tax-law 5%-owner rule can prevent the delay. The statutory ownership definition generally concerns more than 5%; eligibility should be checked under the plan’s rules. [1,2,8]
Roth IRAs and designated Roth accounts in workplace plans do not require distributions during the original owner’s lifetime under current rules. Beneficiaries can still face required-distribution rules after the owner’s death. [4]
Track the gross distribution and what remains due
Use distribution confirmations rather than just bank deposits. A gross IRA distribution can include both money paid to you and federal income tax withheld and sent to the IRS. Form 1099-R reports gross distributions and federal withholding separately. [5]
For example, a $20,000 gross withdrawal with $3,000 withheld leaves $17,000 deposited into the bank. The $17,000 deposit alone understates the distribution. Check that earlier eligible withdrawals have been included before scheduling the remaining amount; an RMD need not be one single payment. [2,5]
An RMD itself cannot be rolled into another retirement account or converted to a Roth IRA. A qualified charitable distribution may satisfy an IRA RMD when all QCD requirements are met, but an ordinary personal withdrawal followed by a charitable donation is not automatically a QCD. [8,9]
If an RMD is missed
A shortfall can be subject to a 25% excise tax. A reduced 10% rate may apply if the shortfall is corrected and the required return is submitted within the statutory correction window. That window can close earlier than two years if certain IRS actions occur. [8]
The IRS may waive some or all of the excise tax for reasonable error when reasonable steps are taken to correct it. The process uses Form 5329 and an explanation; relief is not automatic. Use the form and instructions for the applicable year rather than assuming a later withdrawal erases the earlier issue. [8]
A practical first-RMD checklist
- Identify which accounts are owned IRAs, workplace plans, Roth accounts, or inherited accounts.
- Save each relevant prior-year December 31 balance and confirm the correct IRS table.
- Record the first deadline and the following year’s deadline separately.
- Compare tax-year income under taking the first RMD now versus delaying it.
- Reconcile gross eligible distributions already made and determine the remaining amount.
- Allow for the provider’s processing time and retain completion records.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to spend the withdrawal?
No. The requirement is a distribution from the retirement account. The money can remain saved or invested outside that account after any taxes, subject to the rules of the receiving account. An RMD itself is not eligible for rollover. [9]
Can an extra withdrawal this year cover next year’s RMD?
No. Distributing more than one year’s required amount does not create an RMD credit for a later year. [4]
Does the provider’s calculation remove my responsibility?
No. A custodian or administrator may calculate the amount, but the account owner remains responsible for taking the correct required distribution. [4]
Final takeaway
The first RMD creates a choice about timing, not a free extra year. Keep the calculation, account rules, distribution deadline, and tax-reporting year distinct. That turns a confusing first withdrawal into a manageable annual process.
Claim notes and fact-checking record
| Verification scope: Scope limited to original owners turning 73 in 2026. Deadlines cross-checked against IRS RMD guidance and the comparison chart. Divisors verified in Publication 590-B Table III. Example calculations independently recalculated. No 2029 Medicare figures or guaranteed tax savings are stated. |
| Marker | Primary-source support |
|---|---|
| [1] | IRS: Retirement Topics, Required Minimum Distributions. First deadline and distinction between IRA and workplace-plan starting rules. |
| [2] | IRS: RMD Comparison Chart. Subsequent deadlines, aggregation, and multiple withdrawals. |
| [3] | IRS: Publication 590-B, Appendix B. Table III factors: age 73 = 26.5; age 74 = 25.5. Spouse more-than-10-years-younger exception. |
| [4] | IRS: Retirement Plan and IRA RMD FAQs. Tax treatment, Roth owner exemption, excess withdrawals, and owner responsibility. |
| [5] | IRS: 2026 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498. Calendar-year distribution reporting, gross amounts, and tax withholding. |
| [6] | IRS: Publication 915. Taxable retirement income can affect taxation of Social Security benefits. |
| [7] | SSA: Premiums, Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries. Income-related Medicare premiums and usual two-year tax-return lookback. |
| [8] | IRS: Instructions for Form 5329, Part IX. Plan ownership exception, QCDs, aggregation, excise-tax rates, correction window, and reasonable-error waiver. |
| [9] | IRS: Rollovers of Retirement Plan and IRA Distributions. RMD amounts are not eligible rollover distributions. |
| Educational use only: This article provides general education, not individualized tax, legal, investment, or insurance advice. Rules and individual circumstances can change. Use the official materials for the applicable year and facts. |