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Your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) required minimum distribution (RMD) is your traditional TSP balance on December 31 of last year, divided by a life expectancy factor. The factor comes from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Uniform Lifetime Table. If you were born 1951 to 1959, RMDs start the year you turn 73, when the factor is 26.5.
How the TSP RMD Is Calculated
The TSP RMD equals the traditional TSP balance on December 31 of the prior year, divided by the IRS life expectancy factor for the age you reach this year. The IRS publishes those factors in Publication 590-B. The IRS RMD FAQs describe the same method, figured separately for each account.
The calculator sets your age as the distribution year minus your birth year. That is the age you reach by December 31 of the distribution year. The calculator uses the Uniform Lifetime Table (Table III) from Publication 590-B, Appendix B. Selected Table III factors:
| Age you reach this year | Table III factor |
|---|---|
| 72 | 27.4 |
| 73 | 26.5 |
| 74 | 25.5 |
| 75 | 24.6 |
| 76 | 23.7 |
| 77 | 22.9 |
| 78 | 22.0 |
| 79 | 21.1 |
| 80 | 20.2 |
| 85 | 16.0 |
| 90 | 12.2 |
| 95 | 8.9 |
| 100 | 6.4 |
| 120 and over | 2.0 |
In the rows above, the factor gets smaller as age rises. A balance that stays the same therefore produces a larger RMD as you age.
The calculator's default inputs produce this result:
- Birth year 1952 and distribution year 2026, so the age used is 74.
- Traditional TSP balance on December 31, 2025: $400,000.
- Table III factor at 74: 25.5.
- RMD for 2026: $400,000 ÷ 25.5 = $15,686.
- Monthly Equivalent: $15,686 ÷ 12 = about $1,307.
- Deadline: December 31, 2026, because 2026 is not this person's first RMD year.
With the same $400,000 balance at age 73, the factor is 26.5 and the RMD comes to $15,094. The results panel shows RMD This Year, Monthly Equivalent and Deadline, followed by a line-by-line breakdown of the math. The Copy result button copies the figures so you can paste them somewhere else.
When Your First TSP RMD Is Due
Your first TSP RMD is for the year you reach your applicable age, which is 73 or 75 depending on your birth year. The ages come from 26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(C) in the United States Code (U.S.C.):
- Born 1951 to 1959: applicable age 73.
- Born 1960 or later: applicable age 75.
A 1959 birth year fits the wording of both rules. The calculator uses 73 for 1959. If you enter a distribution year before you reach your applicable age, the TSP RMD calculator shows "No RMD yet" along with your first RMD year.
The first RMD gets extra time. You can take it as late as April 1 of the following year. The second RMD is still due by December 31 of that same following year. Every RMD after the first is due by December 31 of its year.
Someone born in 1953 turns 73 in 2026. Their first RMD is for 2026 and is due by April 1, 2027. If they wait until April 2027, the 2027 RMD is also due by December 31, 2027. That puts two RMDs into one calendar year, and withdrawals are included in taxable income except any part already taxed or received tax-free. Take the first RMD in 2026 if you want to avoid two RMDs in 2027.
For an employer plan such as the TSP, the required beginning date is April 1 of the year after the later of two years. Those two years are the year you reach your applicable age and the year you retire. Tick "I still work for the federal government (not yet separated)" and the calculator shows no TSP RMD until you separate. IRAs do not get the retirement option, so an IRA you hold outside the TSP follows the age rule alone.
What the TSP RMD Calculator Leaves Out
The calculator covers one traditional TSP balance that you own, figured with the Uniform Lifetime Table. It does not cover these cases:
- Roth TSP money. Designated Roth accounts are not subject to RMDs during the owner's life. Whatever you enter in "Roth TSP balance (not counted)" does not change the result.
- A much younger spouse. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and more than 10 years younger, the IRS uses the Joint and Last Survivor table (Table II). This calculator uses Table III only. Look up your Table II factor in Publication 590-B and divide your balance by it.
- Inherited TSP accounts. The calculator does not handle beneficiary accounts. Start with the IRS RMD FAQs and your account at TSP.gov.
- Money already paid this year. The result is the full year's RMD. It does not subtract amounts the TSP has already paid you this year, so subtract those yourself to see what is left to take.
You can withdraw more than the minimum in any year. A Publication 590-B example shows that taking extra in one year does not reduce a later year's RMD. Withdrawals count as taxable income except any part already taxed or received tax-free, and this calculator does not estimate that tax.
The TSP withdrawal calculator estimates federal and state tax and the 10% penalty on a withdrawal. For the wider rules on taking money out of the TSP, see our TSP withdrawal rules guide. To set your RMD beside your other retirement income, add it to the total retirement income estimator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mandatory TSP withdrawal age?
The mandatory TSP withdrawal age is 73 if you were born 1951 to 1959, and 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. Those ages come from 26 U.S.C. 401(a)(9)(C). If you are still a federal employee at your applicable age, your first TSP RMD is due by April 1 of the year after you retire.
Does the Roth TSP have required minimum distributions?
No. The IRS RMD FAQs state that designated Roth accounts are not subject to RMDs during the owner's life. The calculator ignores the "Roth TSP balance (not counted)" field and divides only your traditional TSP balance.
Do I have to take a TSP RMD if I still work for the government?
No, as long as you have not separated from federal service. For the TSP, your first RMD is then due by April 1 of the year after you retire. Tick the still-employed box and the calculator shows no TSP RMD until you separate. This exception does not apply to IRAs.
Is it better to take RMD monthly or annually?
The RMD rule sets only a total for the year and a deadline, so either schedule meets it if the full annual amount is taken by the deadline. The calculator's Monthly Equivalent is the annual RMD divided by 12, so $15,686 a year works out to about $1,307 a month. Once the TSP RMD calculator gives you the annual figure, run that amount through the TSP withdrawal calculator to see the tax on it.