If you’re turning 73 in 2026 – born in 1953 – your first RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) deadline has two dates, not one, and mixing them up is the costliest mistake in this process. Take that first withdrawal any time up to December 31, 2026, or the IRS lets you wait until April 1, 2027. That extra time sounds like a favor, but for a lot of people it’s a trap: wait that long, and your first and second RMDs both land in the same tax year – 2027 – stacking two years of taxable withdrawals onto one return.
This is written for you if you just reached RMD age, and just as much if it’s a parent’s IRA statement on the table right now: the two dates, the one real decision, and the actual penalty for missing it – smaller than the number most people still repeat.
A quick note before we start: this is general information, not personal financial or tax advice – check with your plan administrator, a tax professional, or the IRS before you act.
What Age Actually Triggers Your First RMD?
SECURE 2.0 raised the RMD age in stages – why you may have heard both 73 and 75 and weren’t sure which was yours.
Born 1951-1959? You Are in the Age-73 Group
Born 1951 through 1959? Your RMD age is 73 – which includes everyone turning 73 in 2026 (2026 minus 73 equals 1953).
Born 1960 or Later? Your Number Is 75, Not 73
Born in 1960 or later? Your RMD age is 75 – that later age belongs only to this younger group, not everyone.
Your First RMD Deadline, Explained Simply
Two dates to know: You can take your first RMD any time in the year you turn 73 – for 2026’s group, any time up to December 31, 2026. Or delay it, but only until April 1 of the following year – April 1, 2027, for this year’s group. Every RMD after your first is due by December 31, no extensions.
That April 1 date – the required beginning date – is a one-time grace period for your first RMD only, not a standing deadline.
The Two-RMD Trap: Why Waiting Until April Can Cost You More
The one decision that actually matters – and the reason April 1 can be a trap instead of a favor.
What Actually Happens If You Delay
Delay your first RMD to April 1, and your second RMD is still due by December 31 that same year. For this year’s first-timers – turning 73 in 2026, born 1953 – delaying stacks both the 2026 and 2027 RMDs into tax year 2027: two years of required withdrawals, taxed as one.
This is a choice, not automatic. Take your first RMD by December 31, 2026, and you avoid it entirely – one RMD, one tax year, same as every year after.
How Stacking Two Withdrawals Can Affect Your Social Security Taxation and Medicare Part B Premium
RMDs raise your MAGI (modified adjusted gross income), which determines how much of your Social Security benefit is taxable – fixed thresholds of $25,000 single / $32,000 married filing jointly, not inflation-adjusted. Above those, up to 50% can become taxable, rising to 85% above roughly $34,000 single or $44,000 joint (current as of mid-2026; confirm at ssa.gov). Stack two RMDs into one year and you push harder against those thresholds – exactly how extra taxable income can eat into your Social Security raise.
Medicare works on a two-year lookback too: this year’s income can raise your Part B premium two years later, via a surcharge called IRMAA.
Parent’s accounts, more than one retirement account, or just not sure how it fits together? That’s a numbers-specific question worth taking to a fee-only advisor – one who charges a flat or hourly fee rather than earning a commission on what you buy.
Should You Take It This Year or Wait? A Simple Decision Table
A two-option decision – and for most people, one option is clearly simpler.
For most people, taking it by December 31 is simplest – waiting should be a deliberate choice, not a default because April felt far away.
How Much Do You Actually Have to Withdraw?
Your RMD isn’t a flat percentage – it’s your account balance on December 31 last year, divided by a life-expectancy factor from the IRS’s Uniform Lifetime Table. At age 73, that factor is 26.5.
Here’s the math with a round, hypothetical number – not a typical balance, just a clean way to see the formula:
$500,000 (prior year-end balance) / 26.5 (age-73 factor) = $18,867.92
Get your exact number free first: your IRA or 401(k) custodian already runs this automatically (Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard all provide it), or use the Investor.gov RMD calculator, the SEC’s own free tool, no signup required.
For most people, that’s enough. If you want more:
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Heard the missed-RMD penalty is 50%? That’s out of date – the old number scares people more than the real one.
The actual penalty is 25% of the shortfall – what you should have withdrawn but didn’t. Correct it within the correction window, generally by the end of the second tax year after the year you missed it, and it drops to 10%.
Missed a deadline? The IRS’s own waiver process runs through Form 5329, and a fee-only CPA or EA can help you file it. Prefer free help? The IRS Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help to people 60 and older, including retirement questions, and is funded for 2026. Skip any company marketing itself as fixing missed-RMD penalties for a fee – the IRS process and a real tax professional are the legitimate path.
Any RMD, missed or on time, changes what you owe when you file. FreeTaxUSA is the budget pick; TurboTax is the most recognized name, with a free tier for 1099-R retirement-distribution income and paid tiers from $0-$139 (Deluxe) to $79-$209 (Expert Assist), plus a state fee, as of mid-2026.
Still Working? You Might Not Have to Take One Yet
If you’re still working, there’s a real exception – narrower than most assume.
The still-working exception lets you delay RMDs from your current employer’s own 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) until you retire, as long as you don’t own more than 5% of the business. It never applies to any IRA, including a SEP or SIMPLE IRA – the IRS says so directly: “This exception does not apply to IRA owners.”
Split between a current 401(k) and an old IRA from a previous job? The exception covers the 401(k) only – your IRA’s RMD is still due on schedule.
Still contributing there? Also check the 2026 catch-up contribution rules – the age bands and limits changed this year too.
The Accounts That Don’t Have This Rule at All
Roth IRAs have never required lifetime RMDs for the original owner – true since before SECURE 2.0 existed. And starting with the 2024 tax year, Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s joined them, under SECURE 2.0 Section 325.
If a meaningful share of your savings sits in a Roth account, that portion isn’t part of any of the math above.
Another Option: Sending It Straight to Charity
If giving to charity is part of your plan, it’s worth knowing about the Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD – a transfer sent directly from your IRA to a qualified charity.
You can start QCDs at 70 1/2, years before your RMD age of 73 or 75 – don’t confuse the two. For 2026, you can direct up to $111,000 per person this way, up from $108,000 in 2025 (reset annually).
QCDs are specifically used for how they interact with RMD income – ask your custodian or a tax professional whether directing this year’s withdrawal as a QCD applies to your own RMD, since the mechanics depend on your account and timing. Worth its own deeper look if it applies to you.
If You’re Reading This for a Parent
If it’s your mom or dad’s IRA statement on the table, not your own, everything above applies to their account too – just their birth year and balance instead of yours. One distinction: this covers a parent’s own account. An inherited account follows completely different rules – the 10-year rule – not covered here.
Worth checking this week:
- Their birth year – the only input that decides whether their RMD age is 73 or 75.
- If they’re turning 73 this year, mark both dates – December 31, 2026 and April 1, 2027 – and decide which fits their situation, ideally with a tax professional.
- Whether they’re still working. A workplace 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) may qualify for the still-working exception – never an IRA.
- Whether their custodian already runs an automatic RMD service – if so, much of this may already be handled.
- If a deadline slipped, skip any company promising to fix it for a fee – the IRS’s Form 5329 waiver process and a fee-only CPA or EA are the legitimate path.
None of this requires becoming their financial advisor overnight – just one conversation, their birth year, and fifteen minutes with their statement.
This is general education about federal RMD rules, current as of mid-2026 – not personalized tax or financial advice. Confirm your own numbers, and theirs, with your plan custodian, a tax professional, or the IRS before acting.
Gleemo has more honest, clearly written guides on the numbers and deadlines of this stage of life – the full guide is at gleemo.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to take an RMD if I am still working?
Not from your current employer’s own 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) – delay until you retire, unless you own more than 5% of the business. Never applies to an IRA, including a SEP or SIMPLE IRA.
What is the RMD age in 2026?
73 if you were born 1951-1959; 75 if born 1960 or later. Anyone turning 73 in 2026 was born in 1953.
Can a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) avoid RMDs?
Yes, for both. Roth IRAs never required lifetime RMDs for the original owner; Roth 401(k)s and Roth 403(b)s joined them starting with the 2024 tax year (SECURE 2.0 Section 325).
What is the penalty for missing an RMD?
25% of the shortfall – not the 50% many still believe. Drops to 10% if corrected within the correction window, generally by the end of the second tax year after the year you missed it.
Does an RMD count as income for Social Security taxes?
Yes – it raises your MAGI, which determines how much of your Social Security benefit is taxable. The base thresholds are fixed at $25,000 single and $32,000 married filing jointly; the 50%/85% breakpoints above that are current as of mid-2026, confirm at ssa.gov.
Can I send my RMD to charity instead of taking it as income?
You can direct IRA money straight to a qualified charity – a QCD – starting at 70 1/2, up to $111,000 per person for 2026. Ask your custodian or a tax professional whether it would apply toward your specific RMD.
