For you military and federal employees out there, TSP has a detailed notice that provides great info and includes a chart and explanation of how to calculate your RMD yourself. I’ll put a link in the show notes https://www.tsp.gov/publications/tsp-775.pdf

The simplest way to calculate an RMD is to go to investor.gov's online RMD calculator https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/required-minimum-distribution-calculator

You need two key pieces of information. How old will you be on December 31st and what was the value of your Traditional TSP, 401k, and/or IRA at the end of last year. Hopefully, figuring out how old you will be at the end this year is pretty easy. To find the value of your account at the end of last year, pull up your end of year statement.

The main thing to remember about RMDs is that they are mandatory for Traditional IRAs, Traditional TSP, and Traditional 401k. RMDs now start at age 72 and must be taken every year. The dollar amounts are dictate by the IRS. RMDs are taxable income. And There is a very stiff penalty if you don’t take the full required distributions. So you lose a certain amount of control over how much and when those retirement savings are taxed. This may not be a big concern if those RMDs don’t push you into higher income tax bracket.

But if they will push you into a higher tax bracket, there are some strategies you can consider to minimize the tax impact. You could work past age 72, contribute to ROTH retirement accounts now instead of Traditional accounts, and do ROTH conversions is years you have lower income (like between stopping working and receiving social security or a pension). Just remember with ROTH accounts you must pay the income tax upfront for the benefit of tax-free withdrawal later. And don’t delay your very first RMD into the second year if that will push you into a higher tax bracket.

Also you can take your total RMDs for several IRAs from just one of the IRAs. But you can’t do that with other retirement accounts, like the TSP or 401k. And each spouse must take RMDs from their own retirement accounts, even if you file jointly.