Retirement calculator
Inherited IRA RMD and 10-Year Rule Calculator
When may an inherited IRA need to be emptied, and is a withdrawal due this year?
What this tool helps you answer
When may an inherited IRA need to be emptied, and is a withdrawal due this year?
Inherited IRA rules depend on who inherited the account, when the owner died, and whether the owner had reached the required withdrawal start. This calculator identifies the likely ten-year deadline, explains when yearly withdrawals may apply, and calculates a current amount only when the visitor supplies the correct life-expectancy factor.
Transparent method
How the estimate works
See how the estimate is calculated
Classify the beneficiary as a standard ten-year beneficiary, spouse, minor child, disabled or chronically ill person, close-age beneficiary, or another trust or estate case.
For a standard beneficiary, set the outside deadline at December 31 of the tenth year after death and check whether death occurred before or after the owner's required start.
When annual withdrawals appear to apply, divide the prior December 31 balance by the user-supplied IRS or custodian factor and subtract withdrawals already taken.
What to check before acting on the result
How to read it
- Confirm the beneficiary class before relying on the ten-year deadline.
- Ask whether the owner died before or after the required beginning date.
- Get the correct life-expectancy factor and year-end balance from the custodian before the distribution deadline.
Not included
- A spouse rollover or election recommendation
- Trust look-through, separate-account, minor-age, disability, or chronic-illness legal determinations
- A guessed life-expectancy factor
- Income tax, withholding, state rules, penalties, missed-RMD relief, or investment advice
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
When must an inherited IRA be empty?
Many non-spouse adult beneficiaries must empty the account by December 31 of the tenth year after the owner's year of death.
Are withdrawals required every year during the ten years?
They generally continue when the owner died after the required beginning date. When death was before that date, the standard ten-year rule generally does not require annual withdrawals before year ten.
Why does the calculator not choose a life-expectancy factor?
The factor depends on beneficiary and timing facts. A wrong factor produces a wrong RMD, so the tool requires the current IRS table or custodian value.
Do surviving spouses have different choices?
Yes. A spouse may have options not available to other beneficiaries, including treatment as the spouse's own IRA in some cases.
Sources
Rules and references behind this calculator
Want the fine print? See sources, methods, and limits.