Prior year-end balance$250,000
Distribution factor (age 75)24.6
This year's RMD$10,163
Withdrawal rate & monthly equivalent
4.07% of balance · $847/mo
Enter your age and your account balance at the end of last year. This calculator applies the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table to estimate your required minimum distribution — the amount the tax code obliges you to take out. It calculates the required withdrawal only; it does not project gold's price or any return.
Use your account's value on December 31 of last year and your age on your birthday this year. The distribution factor comes from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (current as of Jul 2026).
Estimate only, based on the age and balance you entered and the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III of Publication 590-B). Your actual required distribution depends on your correct prior year-end balance, your applicable table, and any aggregation across accounts. This tool calculates the required withdrawal amount only — it does not project gold's price, appreciation, or any investment return, and it is not tax advice. SilverGoldInvestment.com is a publisher, not a custodian, dealer, or licensed advisor. Confirm your figure with your custodian or CPA before you take the distribution.
Unlike a stock IRA, a gold IRA holds a physical object — so meeting your RMD means either selling some metal or taking an in-kind distribution of coins or bars. Augusta Precious Metals walks you through both options over the phone. Rollovers and accounts of $50k+ go through their concierge process; smaller balances route to GoldenCrest Metals.
When you request the match, we introduce you to Augusta Precious Metals — the specialist team we've worked with longest. That single-dealer introduction is how SGI is compensated. You won't be contacted by a network of dealers.
Affiliate disclosure: SGI earns a per-account-opened fee when a reader opens an account with Augusta Precious Metals or GoldenCrest Metals after using our tools. The distribution factors in this calculator come from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table current as of July 2026 — they are IRS-published figures, not quotes from any provider. Confirm your required distribution with your own custodian or CPA.
Once you reach the required beginning age, the tax code stops letting a traditional IRA grow tax-deferred forever and requires you to withdraw — and pay tax on — a minimum amount each year. The rule is the same for a gold IRA as for any traditional IRA; what differs is that the asset is physical metal, which changes how you actually take the distribution. Here is what each part of the calculation means.
Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, the required beginning age is 73 for owners born between 1951 and 1959, and 75 for owners born in 1960 or later. Your first distribution can be delayed until April 1 of the year after you reach that age, but every year after that it is due by December 31. Delaying the first one pushes two distributions into the same tax year, so most owners take the first in the year they reach the required age rather than the following April.
The distribution is figured from the fair market value of the account on December 31 of the previous year — not today's value. For a gold IRA, the custodian reports that year-end value on Form 5498, based on the metal's market price at year-end. That single number is the starting point for the whole calculation.
The IRS Uniform Lifetime Table assigns a distribution period — a factor — to each age. You divide your prior year-end balance by that factor to get the year's required amount. The factor gets smaller as you age, so the required percentage of the account rises over time. The table this calculator uses is Table III of IRS Publication 590-B, the version in effect for distribution years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. Most owners use this table; the exception is an owner whose sole beneficiary is a spouse more than ten years younger, who uses the Joint Life table instead.
This is the practical wrinkle unique to a gold IRA. A stock IRA can simply sell shares and wire cash. A gold IRA holds coins or bars, so meeting the RMD means one of two things: the custodian sells enough metal to raise the required cash, or you take an in-kind distribution — the physical metal itself is shipped to you and its value counts toward the requirement. Both are allowed; each has different handling and tax-reporting steps, which is worth confirming with your custodian before the December 31 deadline.
Failing to take the full required amount by the deadline triggers an excise tax on the shortfall under IRC Section 4974. SECURE 2.0 reduced that penalty to 25% of the amount not taken, and to 10% if the shortfall is corrected promptly within the correction window — down from the old 50%. It is still a costly mistake, and it is entirely avoidable, which is why the year-end deadline matters.
If you hold more than one traditional IRA, the RMD is calculated separately for each, but you may take the total from any one or any combination of them. This calculator figures the requirement for a single account. Employer plans such as a 401(k) follow different aggregation rules and are not covered here.
Age 73 if you were born between 1951 and 1959, and age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later, under the SECURE 2.0 Act. Roth IRAs have no required distributions during the owner's lifetime; these rules apply to traditional (including gold) IRAs.
Divide your account's value on December 31 of the prior year by the distribution factor for your age from the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. For example, a $250,000 balance at age 75 uses a factor of 24.6, giving a required distribution of about $10,163 for the year.
Two ways. The custodian can sell enough metal to raise the required cash and distribute that, or you can take an in-kind distribution — the actual coins or bars are shipped to you and their value counts toward the requirement. Confirm the handling and tax reporting for either route with your custodian ahead of the deadline.
An excise tax applies to the amount you failed to withdraw. Under SECURE 2.0 the penalty is 25% of the shortfall, dropping to 10% if you correct it promptly within the IRS correction window. The full required amount is due by December 31 each year (April 1 for your very first distribution).
Yes — the calculation uses the account's value at the previous year-end, so a change in the metal's price moves next year's requirement up or down. This tool figures the required withdrawal amount only; it does not predict what the metal will be worth.
No. It is an educational estimate based on the numbers you enter and the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. It does not account for multiple accounts, an alternate table, or your personal tax situation. SilverGoldInvestment.com is a publisher, not a licensed advisor — confirm your figure with your custodian or CPA.