Free tool · Rule of 55 · 59½ · RMDs
Withdrawal Age & Penalty Checker
Three ages control when you can touch retirement money without penalty — and when you’re forced to start taking it. Find yours.
Free tool · Rule of 55 · 59½ · RMDs
Three ages control when you can touch retirement money without penalty — and when you’re forced to start taking it. Find yours.
Enter your birthdate and employment status. The tool applies the Rule of 55 (IRC §72(t)(2)(A)(v)), the 59½ threshold, and the SECURE 2.0 required-minimum-distribution ages.
The Rule of 55 depends on when you separate from the employer sponsoring the plan — not your age today.
Enter your birthdate to see your dates.
Leave your employer during or after the calendar year you turn 55 and you can withdraw from that employer’s 401(k) or 403(b) with no 10% penalty (ordinary income tax still applies). Two catches: it covers only that plan — not IRAs or older accounts — and it survives only while the money stays in the plan. Rolling that plan into an IRA before 59½ permanently forfeits it. Qualified public-safety employees get the same break at 50, or after 25 years of service.
The general line in IRC §72(t): from exactly six months after your 59th birthday, withdrawals from 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and IRAs carry no 10% early-withdrawal penalty. Regular income tax still applies to pre-tax money. Before 59½, exceptions beyond the Rule of 55 include disability, SEPP/72(t) payment plans, large medical expenses, and QDRO transfers in divorce.
SECURE 2.0 set the RMD start age at 73 for anyone born 1951–1959 and 75 for anyone born 1960 or later. The first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the following year (doubling up that year’s taxable income — usually worth avoiding). Roth IRAs have no lifetime RMDs, and since 2024 Roth 401(k)s don’t either.
One more wrinkle worth knowing: if you work past RMD age, a current employer’s 401(k) can usually defer RMDs until you actually retire (unless you own 5%+ of the company) — but IRAs and old employers’ plans get no such deferral. Consolidating old accounts into a current employer’s plan can extend that deferral; rolling a current plan out to an IRA ends it.
No. What matters is the year you separated from that employer. Leaving at 53 means withdrawals from that plan before 59½ face the 10% penalty unless another exception applies. The rule only helps people who leave during or after the calendar year they turn 55.
No — it exists only for the employer plan you separated from. This is one of the most expensive rollover mistakes for people aged 55–59½: rolling that plan into an IRA converts penalty-free money into penalized money for the next several years. If you’re in that window, the decision deserves real care before any transfer.
Six calendar months after your 59th birthday. Born March 10, 1970? You reach 59½ on September 10, 2029. Distributions taken on or after that date avoid the 10% additional tax.
Your first RMD is for the year you reach your RMD age (73 or 75), but you may delay that first one until April 1 of the next year. Every later RMD is due December 31. Delaying the first means taking two RMDs in one tax year, which can bump your bracket and Medicare premiums — most people take the first one in its own year.
Roth IRAs: no lifetime RMDs for the owner. Roth 401(k)s: no RMDs beginning with 2024 (SECURE 2.0 §325). Inherited accounts follow different rules — most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years.
See what a withdrawal before — or after — these ages actually costs.
Run the numbers →Your age changes which options make sense. Check yours in four questions.
See your options →RMD coordination, withholding, and account consolidation at retirement.
Read the guide →These tools show you the rules. A no-cost, no-obligation consultation walks through how they apply to your specific accounts — before you sign anything.
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