How RMDs work
RETIREMENT DISTRIBUTIONS · A ONE-PAGE PRIMER
Most IRA owners age 73 and older use one table — the Uniform Lifetime Table. Two situations change the math: retiring before 59½ (Single Life Table and SEPP), and a spouse 10+ years younger who is your sole beneficiary (the Joint Life Table, which produces a materially smaller RMD).
By Jason R. Escamilla, CFA — ImpactAdvisor LLC, a San Francisco fee-only fiduciary RIA. These are estimates only; check with your CPA or financial professional before taking action.
Which IRS table applies to you
- IRS Table III — Uniform Lifetime Table (ordinary RMDs): for IRA owners age 73+, whenever the Joint Life Table doesn't apply. This is the default for most people.
- IRS Table II — Joint Life and Last Survivor Table: available when your spouse is more than 10 years younger AND is the sole beneficiary for the entire distribution year. It produces a lower required distribution.
- IRS Table I — Single Life Table: used for inherited IRAs and for qualifying early-distribution programs (SEPP / 72(t)) that allow penalty-free withdrawals before age 59½.
Source: IRS Publication 590-B, Appendix B (Tables I–III).
RMD percentages by age — Uniform Lifetime and Joint Life tables
RMD % = 100 ÷ life-expectancy factor. Divide the prior year's Dec. 31 account balance by the factor, or multiply it by the percentage.
RMD life expectancy factors and percentages by age — IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III) and Joint Life Table (Table II) for a sole-beneficiary spouse 12, 20, or 29 years younger.
| Age | Uniform Lifetime (Table III) | Joint Life — spouse 12 yrs younger | Joint Life — spouse 20 yrs younger | Joint Life — spouse 29 yrs younger |
|---|
| 73 | 26.5 yrs (3.77%) | 27.9 yrs (3.58%) | 34.2 yrs (2.92%) | 42.3 yrs (2.36%) |
| 74 | 25.5 yrs (3.92%) | 27 yrs (3.70%) | 33.3 yrs (3.00%) | 41.3 yrs (2.42%) |
| 75 | 24.6 yrs (4.07%) | 26.1 yrs (3.83%) | 32.4 yrs (3.09%) | 40.3 yrs (2.48%) |
| 76 | 23.7 yrs (4.22%) | 25.2 yrs (3.97%) | 31.4 yrs (3.18%) | 39.4 yrs (2.54%) |
| 77 | 22.9 yrs (4.37%) | 24.3 yrs (4.12%) | 30.5 yrs (3.28%) | 38.4 yrs (2.60%) |
| 78 | 22 yrs (4.55%) | 23.4 yrs (4.27%) | 29.6 yrs (3.38%) | 37.5 yrs (2.67%) |
| 79 | 21.1 yrs (4.74%) | 22.5 yrs (4.44%) | 28.7 yrs (3.48%) | 36.5 yrs (2.74%) |
| 80 | 20.2 yrs (4.95%) | 21.6 yrs (4.63%) | 27.8 yrs (3.60%) | 35.5 yrs (2.82%) |
| 81 | 19.4 yrs (5.15%) | 20.7 yrs (4.83%) | 26.9 yrs (3.72%) | 34.6 yrs (2.89%) |
| 82 | 18.5 yrs (5.41%) | 19.9 yrs (5.03%) | 26 yrs (3.85%) | 33.7 yrs (2.97%) |
| 83 | 17.7 yrs (5.65%) | 19 yrs (5.26%) | 25.1 yrs (3.98%) | 32.7 yrs (3.06%) |
| 84 | 16.8 yrs (5.95%) | 18.2 yrs (5.49%) | 24.2 yrs (4.13%) | 31.8 yrs (3.14%) |
| 85 | 16 yrs (6.25%) | 17.4 yrs (5.75%) | 23.3 yrs (4.29%) | 30.9 yrs (3.24%) |
| 86 | 15.2 yrs (6.58%) | 16.5 yrs (6.06%) | 22.5 yrs (4.44%) | 30 yrs (3.33%) |
| 87 | 14.4 yrs (6.94%) | 15.7 yrs (6.37%) | 21.6 yrs (4.63%) | 29.1 yrs (3.44%) |
| 88 | 13.7 yrs (7.30%) | 14.9 yrs (6.71%) | 20.8 yrs (4.81%) | 28.2 yrs (3.55%) |
| 89 | 12.9 yrs (7.75%) | 14.2 yrs (7.04%) | 20 yrs (5.00%) | 27.3 yrs (3.66%) |
| 90 | 12.2 yrs (8.20%) | 13.4 yrs (7.46%) | 19.1 yrs (5.24%) | 26.4 yrs (3.79%) |
| 91 | 11.5 yrs (8.70%) | 12.7 yrs (7.87%) | 18.3 yrs (5.46%) | 25.6 yrs (3.91%) |
| 92 | 10.8 yrs (9.26%) | 11.9 yrs (8.40%) | 17.5 yrs (5.71%) | 24.7 yrs (4.05%) |
| 93 | 10.1 yrs (9.90%) | 11.3 yrs (8.85%) | 16.7 yrs (5.99%) | 23.8 yrs (4.20%) |
| 94 | 9.5 yrs (10.53%) | 10.6 yrs (9.43%) | 15.9 yrs (6.29%) | 23 yrs (4.35%) |
| 95 | 8.9 yrs (11.24%) | 9.9 yrs (10.10%) | 15.1 yrs (6.62%) | 22.2 yrs (4.50%) |
| 96 | 8.4 yrs (11.90%) | 9.3 yrs (10.75%) | 14.3 yrs (6.99%) | 21.3 yrs (4.69%) |
| 97 | 7.8 yrs (12.82%) | 8.7 yrs (11.49%) | 13.6 yrs (7.35%) | 20.5 yrs (4.88%) |
| 98 | 7.3 yrs (13.70%) | 8.2 yrs (12.20%) | 12.9 yrs (7.75%) | 19.7 yrs (5.08%) |
| 99 | 6.8 yrs (14.71%) | 7.6 yrs (13.16%) | 12.2 yrs (8.20%) | 18.9 yrs (5.29%) |
| 100 | 6.4 yrs (15.63%) | 7.2 yrs (13.89%) | 11.5 yrs (8.70%) | 18.1 yrs (5.52%) |
| 101 | 6 yrs (16.67%) | 6.7 yrs (14.93%) | 10.8 yrs (9.26%) | 17.3 yrs (5.78%) |
First RMD calculation — timing and the April 1 grace period
Example: you turned 72 in October 2024, so 2025 is your first RMD distribution year.
- Age = 73 by year-end.
- Account balance = the value on 12/31/2024 (the prior year's final balance).
- Life expectancy = Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III) for age 73 → 26.5 years / 3.77%.
- RMD = Account Balance ÷ 26.5, or Account Balance × 3.77%.
- Your first RMD year has a grace period: you have until April 1, 2026 — but delaying means two taxable RMDs land in 2026 (the 2025 one and the 2026 one).
In 2026 the RMD is 3.92% of the balance on 12/31/2025, due by Dec. 31, 2026.
Joint Life Table case study — spouse 10+ years younger, tested year by year
Eligibility for the Joint Life Table is re-tested every distribution year: the spouse must be the sole beneficiary for the entire year. In the case study below the same couple qualifies in two years and not in the other two, with the spouse exactly 20 years younger throughout.
Joint Life Table case study: an IRA owner whose spouse is 20 years younger, showing which table governs each distribution year.
| Distribution year | Age | Valuation date | Beneficiary status during the year | Joint Life available? | Uniform Lifetime RMD | Joint Life RMD | RMD due date |
|---|
| 2024 | 72 | Dec. 31, 2023 | No RMD required — under SECURE 2.0 the first RMD age is 73 (in the distribution year). | n/a | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 73 | Dec. 31, 2024 | Spouse added as sole beneficiary during 2025 → too late for 2025 (not sole for the entire year) | No — Joint Life unavailable | 26.5 yrs (3.77%) | 34.2 yrs (2.92%) | April 1, 2026 (initial grace period)* |
| 2026 | 74 | Dec. 31, 2025 | Spouse remains sole beneficiary for the entire year | Yes — Joint Life available | 25.5 yrs (3.92%) | 33.3 yrs (3.00%) | Dec. 31, 2026 |
| 2027 | 75 | Dec. 31, 2026 | Spouse continues as sole beneficiary all of 2027 | Yes — Joint Life available | 24.6 yrs (4.07%) | 32.4 yrs (3.09%) | Dec. 31, 2027 |
| 2028 | 76 | Dec. 31, 2027 | Child added as co-primary in July 2028 → spouse not sole beneficiary for the entire year | No — Joint Life unavailable | 23.7 yrs (4.22%) | 31.4 yrs (3.18%) | Dec. 31, 2028 |
- Timing is year-by-year: beneficiary designations affect RMDs only on a year-by-year basis. No retroactive "catch-up" applies.
- Multiple IRAs: each IRA is calculated separately. One IRA can qualify for Joint Life if the spouse is sole beneficiary, while another with different beneficiaries must use the Uniform Lifetime Table.
- Secondary beneficiaries: contingent beneficiaries are ignored (children, etc.). What matters is whether anyone else is a primary beneficiary during that year.
Source: IRS Pub. 590-B · Treasury Reg. §1.401(a)(9)-5, Q&A-4 — the designated beneficiary must be sole for the entire distribution year (for lifetime RMDs).
Inherited IRAs and penalty-free early distributions (Single Life Table, SEPP)
Inherited IRAs can carry RMDs, and the rules for determining the applicable "age" can be intricate — see IRS: Retirement Topics — Beneficiary.
Traditional IRAs can also qualify for penalty-free early distributions before age 59½ when taken as part of a qualifying series of substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP, sometimes called 72(t)).
IRS Single Life Table (Table I) — used for inherited IRAs and substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP).
| Age | Life expectancy | Distribution % |
|---|
| 50 | 34.2 yrs | 2.92% |
| 51 | 33.3 yrs | 3.00% |
| 52 | 32.4 yrs | 3.09% |
| 53 | 31.4 yrs | 3.18% |
| 54 | 30.5 yrs | 3.28% |
| 55 | 29.6 yrs | 3.38% |
| 56 | 28.7 yrs | 3.48% |
| 57 | 27.9 yrs | 3.58% |
| 58 | 27 yrs | 3.70% |
| 59 | 26.1 yrs | 3.83% |
| 60 | 25.2 yrs | 3.97% |
| 61 | 24.3 yrs | 4.12% |
| 62 | 23.4 yrs | 4.27% |
| 63 | 22.5 yrs | 4.44% |
| 64 | 21.6 yrs | 4.63% |
| 65 | 20.8 yrs | 4.81% |
SEPP payment methods: the RMD method (balance ÷ Single Life factor, recalculated annually), fixed amortization, and fixed annuitization. The interest-rate cap for the fixed methods is the greater of 5% or 120% of the mid-term AFR per IRS Notice 2022-6. Source: IRS — Substantially Equal Periodic Payments.
Questions about your own RMDs
ImpactAdvisor LLC is an independent, fee-only fiduciary RIA in San Francisco. Our investment professionals each have 25+ years of experience, and retirement-account distribution planning is part of full-service wealth management and available with IMPACT Direct.
Related: donor-advised funds for charitable gifting from appreciated assets, and portfolio borrowing for liquidity without selling.
Frequently asked questions
At what age do RMDs start?
Under SECURE 2.0 the first RMD age is 73, measured in the distribution year — if you turn 73 during the year, that year is your first RMD distribution year.
Which account balance is my RMD based on?
The account's value on December 31 of the prior year. For a 2026 RMD, that is the 12/31/2025 balance.
How do I calculate my first RMD?
Divide the prior year's December 31 balance by the Uniform Lifetime Table factor for your age. At age 73 the factor is 26.5 years, so the RMD is the balance ÷ 26.5, or 3.77% of the balance.
When is my first RMD due?
The first RMD year carries a grace period: you may delay until April 1 of the following year. Delaying means two taxable RMDs are taken in that following year — one for each distribution year.
When can I use the Joint Life Table instead of the Uniform Lifetime Table?
When your spouse is more than 10 years younger AND is your sole beneficiary for the entire distribution year. The Joint Life Table (IRS Table II) produces a lower required distribution — for example, at age 74 the Uniform factor is 25.5 years (3.92%) while a spouse 20 years younger gives 33.3 years (3.00%).
What if my spouse becomes sole beneficiary partway through the year?
That year does not qualify. The sole-beneficiary test must be satisfied for the entire distribution year, and it is re-tested every year. No retroactive catch-up applies.
Does adding a child as a co-beneficiary affect my RMD?
Yes, if the child is added as a primary beneficiary — the spouse is then no longer the sole beneficiary for the entire year, so the Uniform Lifetime Table applies for that year. Contingent (secondary) beneficiaries are ignored; only primary beneficiaries matter for the test.
If I have several IRAs, are they tested separately?
Yes. Each IRA is calculated separately. One IRA can qualify for the Joint Life Table if the spouse is its sole beneficiary while another IRA with different beneficiaries uses the Uniform Lifetime Table.
Which IRS table applies to an inherited IRA?
The Single Life Table (IRS Table I). Determining the applicable age for an inherited IRA involves additional rules — see the IRS beneficiary guidance.
How can I take penalty-free IRA withdrawals before age 59½?
Through a qualifying series of substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP, also called 72(t)). Payments can be computed with the RMD method, fixed amortization, or fixed annuitization; the Single Life Table supplies the life-expectancy factor, and the interest-rate cap for fixed methods is the greater of 5% or 120% of the mid-term AFR under IRS Notice 2022-6.