Short answer
Current law generally points many people born in 1960 or later to age 75.
IRS RMD guidance explains required minimum distributions and covered account types. The current birth-year framework generally puts people born before 1960 in the age-73 group and people born in 1960 or later in the age-75 group.
Start here
What you actually came to find out
Plain answers first. Sources stay below for checking details.
What does birth year decide?
Birth year decides which RMD starting-age rule applies under the current framework.
What accounts are affected?
IRS RMD sources cover many retirement accounts, with Roth IRA treatment different during the original owner lifetime.
What is the first deadline?
The first required withdrawal timing can include an April 1 deadline after the starting-age year.
Why does it matter?
RMDs can add taxable income and change Medicare or Social Security tax context later.
Born before 1960
Often age 73
The current framework puts many older birth years in the age-73 group.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
Born 1960+
Often age 75
The current framework puts people born in 1960 or later in the age-75 group.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
Roth IRA
Different
IRS RMD FAQs explain Roth IRA treatment during the original owner lifetime.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
Tax line
Income
IRS Publication 590-B explains IRA distribution treatment.
Source trail: IRS: Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements
A neutral way to read RMD age is this: it is not a spending plan. It is a tax rule that can force taxable withdrawals even when the household does not need the cash.
Free quick estimate
Look up the RMD age by birth year
Enter a birth year and see the current starting-age framework before opening the full retirement map.
Free to use here. Save it to your map when you want the full road.
This quick check uses the current IRS birth-year framework. Older cohorts may already be in RMD years.
RMD timing
Age 75
For someone born in 1960, the first RMD age points to 75. The first RMD year is about 2035.
See RMDs in my mapNeutral landscape
The shape of the question
The first question is birth year. Current RMD law uses birth-year cohorts to set the starting-age framework.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
The second question is account type. IRS RMD FAQs explain which accounts are generally covered and how Roth IRA treatment differs for the original owner.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
The third question is timing. IRS sources explain that the first RMD year and first deadline are not always the same calendar date.
Source trail: IRS: Required Minimum Distributions FAQs, IRS: Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements
The fourth question is taxes. Traditional IRA distributions can add taxable income under IRS distribution rules.
Source trail: IRS: Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements, IRS: Tax Inflation Adjustments
Curator core
What the authorities say
These sources are here for the reader who wants to check the work. The plain-English answer stays above them.
Source 01
IRS
Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
The IRS RMD FAQ explains which accounts have required withdrawals and when the first withdrawal generally begins.
Source framing
IRS says required minimum distributions apply to many retirement accounts, with Roth IRAs treated differently during the original owner lifetime.
Strongest for: official RMD age and account rules
Read at IRSSource 02
IRS
Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements
Publication 590-B is the IRS source for IRA distributions, Roth ordering rules, and required minimum distributions.
Source framing
IRS Publication 590-B explains distribution rules that matter after money leaves an IRA.
Strongest for: RMDs, Roth distribution rules, and IRA withdrawals
Read at IRSSource 03
IRS
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-33: Required Minimum Distributions
The IRS Internal Revenue Bulletin includes the final required minimum distribution regulations under the SECURE Act framework.
Source framing
IRS final regulations give the detailed rule framework behind inherited account distributions and the 10-year period.
Strongest for: final regulation context for the 10-year rule
Read at IRSSource 04
IRS
Required Minimum Distributions for IRA Beneficiaries
The IRS beneficiary page explains how inherited IRA withdrawal timing depends on beneficiary type and the original owner.
Source framing
IRS frames inherited IRA withdrawals around beneficiary status, owner age, and the 10-year rule for many non-spouse beneficiaries.
Strongest for: official inherited IRA beneficiary withdrawal rules
Read at IRSSource 05
IRS
Tax Inflation Adjustments
The IRS annual inflation adjustment release is the primary source for federal brackets, standard deductions, and selected thresholds.
Source framing
IRS updates tax brackets, standard deductions, and many tax thresholds each year for inflation.
Strongest for: current federal tax-year thresholds
Read at IRSSource 06
IRS
Roth IRAs
The IRS Roth IRA page explains contribution eligibility, qualified distributions, and the Roth tax structure.
Source framing
IRS frames Roth IRAs around after-tax contributions and qualified tax-free distributions.
Strongest for: official Roth IRA rules
Read at IRSPlain-English forks
The forks people face
Most retirement questions hide a few smaller decisions. These are the practical pieces that change the plan.
What year was the person born?
Why it matters: Birth year decides the starting-age lane.
In real life: This fork changes the first year forced withdrawals can appear.
What to look at: What to look at: the current RMD starting-age framework.
Is this an original-owner account or inherited account?
Why it matters: Inherited IRA rules have their own beneficiary timing.
In real life: This fork prevents inherited accounts from being treated like normal owner accounts.
What to look at: What to look at: IRS beneficiary RMD guidance.
Is the account Roth or traditional?
Why it matters: Roth IRA treatment differs during the original owner lifetime.
In real life: This fork changes whether the RMD line appears at all for that account.
What to look at: What to look at: IRS RMD FAQs and Roth IRA sources.
Will the RMD be spent or reinvested?
Why it matters: The withdrawal may be required even when spending does not require it.
In real life: This fork changes where the distribution lands after it leaves the account.
What to look at: What to look at: the plan tax and cash-flow timeline.
Common questions
Quick answers
Short, plain answers for the questions people usually have next. The source trail stays available below.
What is the RMD age for someone born in 1960 or later?+
The current birth-year framework generally points people born in 1960 or later to age 75 for original-owner RMDs.
What is the RMD age for someone born before 1960?+
The current framework generally puts many people born before 1960 in the age-73 group, depending on their birth year and current law.
Do Roth IRAs have RMDs for the original owner?+
IRS RMD FAQs explain that Roth IRAs are treated differently during the original owner lifetime.
Do inherited IRAs use the same age table?+
No. IRS beneficiary RMD guidance explains inherited account timing separately.
Are RMDs taxable?+
Traditional IRA distributions can be taxable under IRS Publication 590-B.
Where does RMD age belong in a plan?+
It belongs in the future tax timeline because it can create income later whether or not spending requires it.
How this page is curated
This page uses IRS RMD FAQs, IRS Publication 590-B, IRS final RMD regulations, IRS beneficiary RMD guidance, and IRS tax-year adjustment sources. It separates original-owner RMD age from inherited account timing.
Read the planner methodologyTrust anchor
Sources used on this page
Every source named above is listed here in one place.
IRS. Required Minimum Distributions FAQs
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plan-and-ira-required-minimum-distributions-faqsIRS. Publication 590-B: Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590bIRS. Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-33: Required Minimum Distributions
https://www.irs.gov/irb/2024-33_IRBIRS. Required Minimum Distributions for IRA Beneficiaries
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/required-minimum-distributions-for-ira-beneficiariesIRS. Tax Inflation Adjustments
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-billIRS. Roth IRAs
https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/roth-iras
Before you act on this
This plan is educational. It is not personalized financial, tax, or insurance advice. Projections illustrate the math, they do not predict the future. Talk to your own licensed financial professional before acting on any of it.