Overview
- Retirees with traditional IRAs and 401(k)s must start required minimum distributions at age 73, with most annual withdrawals due by December 31.
- An IRS first‑year option lets you delay the initial payout to April 1 of the following year, which then requires a second RMD by year‑end and creates two taxable withdrawals in the same calendar year.
- Two RMDs in one year can raise taxable income, push you into a higher bracket, increase the share of Social Security that is taxed, and trigger higher Medicare Part B and D premiums.
- Delaying can still help in narrow cases, such as when income will drop the next year after full retirement or when large deductions or realized losses will offset income.
- You can blunt the hit with a qualified charitable distribution of up to $100,000 from an IRA that counts toward the RMD without adding taxable income, and you can reduce future RMDs by doing smaller, staged Roth conversions that themselves are taxable.