Retirement

Inherited IRA RMD Calculator

Calculate required minimum distributions for inherited IRAs under the 10-year rule with tax bracket planning.

Decision Summary

Optimal strategy: Front-loaded

$167,085.67

Compares equal, front-loaded, and back-loaded distribution strategies over the 10-year mandatory window.

10-year rule applies to most non-spouse beneficiaries inheriting after 2019 (SECURE Act).

Scenario Comparison

The main answer and the most important supporting outputs in one glance.

Optimal strategy: Front-loaded

$167,085.67

Equal annual distribution

$50,000.00

Tax: equal strategy

$176,732.18

Tax: front-loaded strategy

$167,085.67

Key Metrics

Equal annual distribution

$50,000.00

Tax: equal strategy

$176,732.18

Tax: front-loaded strategy

$167,085.67

Tax: back-loaded strategy

$207,267.82

How to use it

Enter the inherited IRA balance, your relationship to the original owner, the owner's date of death, your age, and whether the account is Traditional or Roth. Post-SECURE Act rules (2020+) generally require most non-spouse beneficiaries to empty the account within 10 years.
Read the annual RMD schedule, tax impact per year, and the optimal distribution strategy over the 10-year window. Front-loading distributions in low-income years can significantly reduce the total tax bill compared to taking the entire balance in year 10.
Taking the minimum each year and a large lump sum in year 10 is the default behavior but often the worst tax outcome. If you expect income to rise, pulling more in early years while your bracket is lower can save thousands in taxes.
Map each year's expected income and bracket, then distribute inherited IRA withdrawals into the lowest-bracket years. If the inherited account is a Roth IRA, you still must distribute within 10 years but withdrawals are tax-free, so delay maximizes tax-free growth.
Re-run annually as your income changes and the account balance shifts. Track remaining balance, years left in the 10-year window, and cumulative tax paid on distributions.

AI Integrations

Contract, discovery endpoints, and developer notes for agent use.

Always available for agents

Tool contract JSON

https://aifinhub.io/contracts/inherited-ira-rmd-calculator.json

Stable input and output contract for this exact tool.

Human review

People can use the browser page to sense-check outputs and charts, but agents should still execute against the contract and discovery endpoints.

/agent-tools.json - machine-readable tool index.
/llms.txt - human-readable model discovery guide.
/.well-known/webmcp.json - WebMCP capabilities manifest.
/.well-known/ai-plugin.json - plugin-style discovery manifest.

{
  "tool": "inherited_ira_rmd",
  "inherited_balance": 250000,
  "beneficiary_age": 42,
  "account_growth_rate_percent": 6,
  "tax_rate_percent": 24
}

Open tool contract JSON Open AI integrations guide

Expand developer notes

Agent playbook

Resolve Inherited IRA RMD Calculator from /agent-tools.json and open its contract before execution.
Validate inputs against the contract schema instead of scraping labels from the page UI.
Open the browser page only when a person wants to review charts, assumptions, or related tools.

Agent FAQ

Should ChatGPT, Claude, or another agent click through the UI?

No. Start with /agent-tools.json, then follow the tool's contract URL. The page UI is for human review, not parameter discovery.

When do tools show Quick and Advanced?

Every tool opens in Quick Start first. Advanced Controls keeps the same scenario, reveals more assumptions or diagnostics, and every tool keeps AI integrations inline below the instructions.

When should an agent still open the browser page?

Open it when a human wants to sense-check the output, review the chart, or keep exploring related tools after the calculation finishes.

Questions people usually ask

What does this calculator do?

It calculates Required Minimum Distributions for inherited IRAs under current rules (SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0). The rules differ based on whether you are a spouse, eligible designated beneficiary, or non-spouse beneficiary, and when the original owner died.

What changed with the SECURE Act?

Before 2020, non-spouse beneficiaries could stretch distributions over their lifetime. The SECURE Act requires most non-spouse beneficiaries to empty inherited IRAs within 10 years. Additionally, the IRS now requires annual RMDs during that 10-year window if the original owner had already begun taking distributions.

What happens if I miss an RMD?

The penalty for missing an RMD was reduced from 50% to 25% (10% if corrected promptly) under SECURE 2.0. On a $20,000 RMD, that is still $2,500-$5,000 in penalties. The tool calculates your annual RMD so you do not miss it.

When should I use this vs my financial advisor's RMD tool?

Use this for quick RMD calculations and to understand the distribution schedule. For complex situations (multiple inherited accounts, trust beneficiaries, or optimizing distributions around other income), work with a tax professional.

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing is stored or transmitted.