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RMD on $2.5 million

The 2026 required minimum distribution on a $2.5 million IRA or 401(k) is $94,339.62 at 73 and $101,626.02 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 $2.5 million.

RMD on $2.5 million at each age

If the account held exactly $2.5 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. Each amount from 73 to 90 opens its own page with the ten years that follow and the tax.

RMD on a $2,500,000 balance by age, IRS Uniform Lifetime Table
AgeDivisorShare of balanceRMDPer month
7326.53.77%$94,340$7,862
7425.53.92%$98,039$8,170
7524.64.07%$101,626$8,469
7623.74.22%$105,485$8,790
7722.94.37%$109,170$9,098
7822.04.55%$113,636$9,470
7921.14.74%$118,483$9,874
8020.24.95%$123,762$10,314
8119.45.15%$128,866$10,739
8218.55.41%$135,135$11,261
8317.75.65%$141,243$11,770
8416.85.95%$148,810$12,401
8516.06.25%$156,250$13,021
8615.26.58%$164,474$13,706
8714.46.94%$173,611$14,468
8813.77.30%$182,482$15,207
8912.97.75%$193,798$16,150
9012.28.20%$204,918$17,077
9111.58.70%$217,391$18,116
9210.89.26%$231,481$19,290
9310.19.90%$247,525$20,627
949.510.53%$263,158$21,930
958.911.24%$280,899$23,408
968.411.90%$297,619$24,802
977.812.82%$320,513$26,709
987.313.70%$342,466$28,539
996.814.71%$367,647$30,637
1006.415.63%$390,625$32,552

Year by year from 73, growing 5%

A real account keeps changing. Starting at 73 in 2026 with $2.5 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 $2.5 million starting at 73 in 2026, 5% a year
YearAgeBalance at startRMDBalance at end
202673$2,500,000$94,340$2,525,943
202774$2,525,943$99,057$2,548,231
202875$2,548,231$103,587$2,566,877
202976$2,566,877$108,307$2,581,498
203077$2,581,498$112,729$2,592,207
203178$2,592,207$117,828$2,598,099
203279$2,598,099$123,133$2,598,715
203380$2,598,715$128,649$2,593,569
203481$2,593,569$133,689$2,582,873
203582$2,582,873$139,615$2,565,422
203683$2,565,422$144,939$2,541,507
203784$2,541,507$151,280$2,509,738
203885$2,509,738$156,859$2,470,523
203986$2,470,523$162,534$2,423,388
204087$2,423,388$168,291$2,367,852
204188$2,367,852$172,836$2,304,767
204289$2,304,767$178,664$2,232,408
204390$2,232,408$182,984$2,151,895
204491$2,151,895$187,121$2,063,012
204592$2,063,012$191,020$1,965,592
204693$1,965,592$194,613$1,859,528
204794$1,859,528$195,740$1,746,978
204895$1,746,978$196,290$1,628,223
204996$1,628,223$193,836$1,506,106
205097$1,506,106$193,091$1,378,666
205198$1,378,666$188,858$1,249,298
205299$1,249,298$183,720$1,118,857
2053100$1,118,857$174,821$991,237

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.

$2.5 million at 73: RMDs and balance by return
ReturnRMDs paid, 73 to 90Balance at 90Largest RMD
0%$1,605,843$894,157$94,340 at 73
3%$2,073,562$1,522,242$132,553 at 92
5%$2,479,320$2,151,895$196,290 at 95
7%$2,982,164$3,022,190$303,689 at 97

Tax on the RMD from $2.5 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 $94,340At 75: RMD $101,626
Single, $24,000 of Social Security$15,166 (16%)$16,866 (17%)
Married, $42,000 of Social Security$9,409 (10%)$10,283 (10%)

The calculator, set to $2.5 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$94,339.62$2,500,000 ÷ 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 $2,500,000 balance is $94,339.62, 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$94,340The whole RMD counts as income
Federal tax it adds$20,000Including Social Security it makes taxable
State tax it adds$0Pick a state to include it
Tax as a share of the RMD21.2%$20,000 in total

With $24,000 of Social Security and $20,000 of other income, filing single, your $94,340 taxable RMD adds about $20,000 of federal tax, 21.2% 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 $100,000$3,774$4,065$4,951
RMD on $150,000$5,660$6,098$7,426
RMD on $200,000$7,547$8,130$9,901
RMD on $250,000$9,434$10,163$12,376
RMD on $300,000$11,321$12,195$14,851
RMD on $350,000$13,208$14,228$17,327
RMD on $400,000$15,094$16,260$19,802
RMD on $450,000$16,981$18,293$22,277
RMD on $500,000$18,868$20,325$24,752
RMD on $600,000$22,642$24,390$29,703
RMD on $700,000$26,415$28,455$34,653
RMD on $750,000$28,302$30,488$37,129
RMD on $800,000$30,189$32,520$39,604
RMD on $900,000$33,962$36,585$44,554
RMD on $1 million$37,736$40,650$49,505
RMD on $1.25 million$47,170$50,813$61,881
RMD on $1.5 million$56,604$60,976$74,257
RMD on $1.75 million$66,038$71,138$86,634
RMD on $2 million$75,472$81,301$99,010
$2,500,000$94,340$101,626$123,762
RMD on $3 million$113,208$121,951$148,515
RMD on $4 million$150,943$162,602$198,020
RMD on $5 million$188,679$203,252$247,525
RMD on $10 million$377,358$406,504$495,050

How the RMD on $2.5 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. $2,500,000 ÷ 26.5 = $94,339.62 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 $2.5 million at 73?
$94,339.62: the December 31 balance of $2,500,000 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 $2.5 million at 75?
$101,626.02, or $2,500,000 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 $2.5 million on December 31 of the year before.
How much tax is due on an RMD from $2.5 million?
At 73 the RMD is $94,340. On 2026 federal brackets it adds about $15,166 of federal tax for a single person with $24,000 of Social Security, and about $9,409 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 $2.5 million IRA?
Not at an ordinary return. Starting at 73 and growing 5% a year, $2.5 million pays about $2,479,320 in RMDs by 90 and still holds about $2,151,895 at 90. The RMD rises each year because the divisor shrinks, peaking near $196,290 around 95.