Information for Seniors and Retirees

You cannot keep retirement funds in your account indefinitely. You generally have to start taking withdrawals from your IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA, or retirement plan account when you reach age 70½. Roth IRAs do not require withdrawals until after the death of the owner.

Your required minimum distribution is the minimum amount you must withdraw from your account each year. You can always withdraw more than the minimum required amount.

Your withdrawals will be included in your taxable income except for any part that was taxed before (your basis) or that can be received tax-free (such as qualified distributions from designated Roth accounts).

Calculating the required minimum distribution (RMD)

The required minimum distribution for any year is the account balance as of the end of the immediately preceding calendar year divided by a distribution period from the IRS’s “Uniform Lifetime Table.” A separate table is used if the sole beneficiary is the owner’s spouse who is ten or more years younger than the owner. We have an interactive online tool that will perform the calculations and appropriate table lookup automatically to calculate the required minimum distribution.

Beginning date for your first required minimum distribution

For IRAs (including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs)  it is April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach age 70½. For 401(k), profit-sharing, 403(b), or other defined contribution plans it is April 1 following the later of the calendar year in which you: reach age 70½, or retire.

Date that you turn 70½ – You reach age 70½ on the date that is 6 calendar months after your 70th birthday.

Example: You are retired and your 70th birthday was June 30, 2013. You reached age 70½ on December 30, 2013. You must take your first RMD (for 2013) by April 1, 2014.

Example: You are retired and your 70th birthday was July 1, 2013. You reached age 70½ on January 1, 2014. You do not have an RMD for 2013. You must take your first RMD (for 2014) by April 1, 2015.

Terms of the plan govern

The plan’s terms may allow you to wait until the year you actually retire to take your first RMD (unless you are a 5% owner). Alternatively, a plan may require you to begin receiving distributions by April 1 of the year after you reach age 70½, even if you have not retired.

5% owners

If you own 5% or more of the business sponsoring the plan, then you must begin receiving distributions by April 1 of the year after the calendar year in which you reach age 70½.

Date for receiving subsequent required minimum distributions

For each subsequent year after your required beginning date, you must withdraw your RMD by December 31.

The first year following the year you reach age 70½ you will generally have two required distribution dates: an April 1 withdrawal (for the year you turn 70½), and an additional withdrawal by December 31 (for the year following the year you turn 70½). To avoid having both of these amounts included in your income for the same year, you can make your first withdrawal by December 31 of the year you turn 70½ instead of waiting until April 1 of the following year.

Example: John reached age 70½ on August 20, 2013. He must receive his 2013 required minimum distribution by April 1, 2014, based on his 2012 year-end balance. John must receive his 2014 required minimum distribution by December 31, 2014, based on his 2013 year-end balance.

 If John receives his initial required minimum distribution for 2013 on April 1, 2014, then both his 2013 and 2014 distributions will be included in income on his 2014 income tax return.