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RMD on $1.5 million

The 2026 required minimum distribution on a $1.5 million IRA or 401(k) is $56,603.77 at 73 and $60,975.61 at 75: the December 31 balance divided by the IRS divisor for your age. Below: the amount at every age, the next 28 years, the tax it adds and a calculator set to $1.5 million.

RMD on $1.5 million at each age

If the account held exactly $1.5 million on December 31 of last year, this is the RMD at each age. The divisor falls every year, so the same balance requires a larger share: from 3.77% at 73 to 8.20% at 90.

RMD on a $1,500,000 balance by age, IRS Uniform Lifetime Table
AgeDivisorShare of balanceRMDPer month
7326.53.77%$56,604$4,717
7425.53.92%$58,824$4,902
7524.64.07%$60,976$5,081
7623.74.22%$63,291$5,274
7722.94.37%$65,502$5,459
7822.04.55%$68,182$5,682
7921.14.74%$71,090$5,924
8020.24.95%$74,257$6,188
8119.45.15%$77,320$6,443
8218.55.41%$81,081$6,757
8317.75.65%$84,746$7,062
8416.85.95%$89,286$7,440
8516.06.25%$93,750$7,813
8615.26.58%$98,684$8,224
8714.46.94%$104,167$8,681
8813.77.30%$109,489$9,124
8912.97.75%$116,279$9,690
9012.28.20%$122,951$10,246
9111.58.70%$130,435$10,870
9210.89.26%$138,889$11,574
9310.19.90%$148,515$12,376
949.510.53%$157,895$13,158
958.911.24%$168,539$14,045
968.411.90%$178,571$14,881
977.812.82%$192,308$16,026
987.313.70%$205,479$17,123
996.814.71%$220,588$18,382
1006.415.63%$234,375$19,531

Year by year from 73, growing 5%

A real account keeps changing. Starting at 73 in 2026 with $1.5 million and a 5% return after each year’s RMD comes out, the RMD grows for years before the shrinking balance overtakes the shrinking divisor.

RMDs from $1.5 million starting at 73 in 2026, 5% a year
YearAgeBalance at startRMDBalance at end
202673$1,500,000$56,604$1,515,566
202774$1,515,566$59,434$1,528,939
202875$1,528,939$62,152$1,540,126
202976$1,540,126$64,984$1,548,899
203077$1,548,899$67,638$1,555,324
203178$1,555,324$70,697$1,558,859
203279$1,558,859$73,880$1,559,229
203380$1,559,229$77,190$1,556,141
203481$1,556,141$80,213$1,549,724
203582$1,549,724$83,769$1,539,253
203683$1,539,253$86,963$1,524,904
203784$1,524,904$90,768$1,505,843
203885$1,505,843$94,115$1,482,314
203986$1,482,314$97,521$1,454,033
204087$1,454,033$100,975$1,420,711
204188$1,420,711$103,702$1,382,860
204289$1,382,860$107,198$1,339,445
204390$1,339,445$109,791$1,291,137
204491$1,291,137$112,273$1,237,807
204592$1,237,807$114,612$1,179,355
204693$1,179,355$116,768$1,115,717
204794$1,115,717$117,444$1,048,187
204895$1,048,187$117,774$976,934
204996$976,934$116,302$903,664
205097$903,664$115,854$827,200
205198$827,200$113,315$749,579
205299$749,579$110,232$671,314
2053100$671,314$104,893$594,742

What the return changes

The RMD is a share of whatever is in the account, so the return decides how much comes out in total. At 0% the account shrinks every year; at 7% it keeps growing into your eighties.

$1.5 million at 73: RMDs and balance by return
ReturnRMDs paid, 73 to 90Balance at 90Largest RMD
0%$963,506$536,494$56,604 at 73
3%$1,244,137$913,345$79,532 at 92
5%$1,487,592$1,291,137$117,774 at 95
7%$1,789,298$1,813,314$182,213 at 97

Tax on the RMD from $1.5 million

An RMD from a traditional IRA or 401(k) is ordinary income. It can also make more of your Social Security taxable. These are the federal tax amounts the RMD adds on 2026 brackets, with the standard deduction, the 65-and-older amount and the senior deduction. State tax is extra in most states; the retirement tax calculator adds it.

Federal tax the RMD adds, estimate on 2026 rules
HouseholdAt 73: RMD $56,604At 75: RMD $60,976
Single, $24,000 of Social Security$6,366 (11%)$7,386 (12%)
Married, $42,000 of Social Security$4,744 (8%)$5,405 (9%)

The calculator, set to $1.5 million

Set to someone born in 1953, who turns 73 in 2026. Change the birth year, the balance or a planned QCD; the tax part below it takes your Social Security, other income and state.

Your 2026 RMD$56,603.77$1,500,000 ÷ 26.5 (age 73)
DeadlineApril 1, 2027First RMD. Waiting until then means two RMDs in 2027.
Share of the balance3.77%1 ÷ 26.5
Your RMD starting age73Born in 1953

Born in 1953, you are 73 in 2026, so the IRS divisor is 26.5. Your 2026 required minimum distribution from a $1,500,000 balance is $56,603.77, due by April 1, 2027.

An RMD is income, so it can move your Medicare premium two years later. Add this RMD in the IRMAA calculator.

Taxable RMD$56,604The whole RMD counts as income
Federal tax it adds$11,030Including Social Security it makes taxable
State tax it adds$0Pick a state to include it
Tax as a share of the RMD19.5%$11,030 in total

With $24,000 of Social Security and $20,000 of other income, filing single, your $56,604 taxable RMD adds about $11,030 of federal tax, 19.5% of it. That is the difference between your tax with and without the RMD, on 2026 brackets.

RMDs on other balances

2026 RMD by balance at 73, 75 and 80
BalanceAt 73At 75At 80
RMD on $200,000$7,547$8,130$9,901
RMD on $500,000$18,868$20,325$24,752
RMD on $750,000$28,302$30,488$37,129
RMD on $1 million$37,736$40,650$49,505
$1,500,000$56,604$60,976$74,257
RMD on $2 million$75,472$81,301$99,010
RMD on $3 million$113,208$121,951$148,515
RMD on $5 million$188,679$203,252$247,525

How the RMD on $1.5 million is worked out

Take the balance on December 31 of last year and divide by the divisor for the age you reach this year. $1,500,000 ÷ 26.5 = $56,603.77 at 73. RMDs start at 73 for anyone born from 1951 to 1959 and at 75 for anyone born in 1960 or later. The first one can wait until April 1 of the next year, which puts two RMDs in one tax year. Several IRAs can be added together and the total taken from any of them; each 401(k) pays its own.

A spouse more than 10 years younger who is the sole beneficiary means the Joint Life table, which gives a smaller RMD than these. From 70½, up to $111,000 a year can go from an IRA straight to charity as a qualified charitable distribution and count toward the RMD without being taxed.

Figures checked on against IRS Publication 590-B (2025), Distributions from IRAs, IRS, Retirement plan and IRA required minimum distributions FAQs and T.D. 10001, final required minimum distribution regulations (July 19, 2024).

Frequently asked questions

What is the RMD on $1.5 million at 73?
$56,603.77: the December 31 balance of $1,500,000 divided by the IRS Uniform Lifetime divisor for 73, which is 26.5. That is 3.77% of the balance.
What is the RMD on $1.5 million at 75?
$60,975.61, or $1,500,000 divided by 24.6. Anyone born in 1960 or later takes a first RMD at 75, so this is their first-year amount if the balance is $1.5 million on December 31 of the year before.
How much tax is due on an RMD from $1.5 million?
At 73 the RMD is $56,604. On 2026 federal brackets it adds about $6,366 of federal tax for a single person with $24,000 of Social Security, and about $4,744 for a married couple with $42,000 of Social Security. State tax comes on top in most states. These are estimates, not tax advice.
Will RMDs empty a $1.5 million IRA?
Not at an ordinary return. Starting at 73 and growing 5% a year, $1.5 million pays about $1,487,592 in RMDs by 90 and still holds about $1,291,137 at 90. The RMD rises each year because the divisor shrinks, peaking near $117,774 around 95.