RMD Rules 2026: SECURE 2.0 Age 75 Change and What Every Retiree Must Do Now

# RMD Rules 2026: SECURE 2.0 Age 75 Change and What Every Retiree Must Do Now

> **Quick answer:** Under SECURE 2.0, required minimum distributions now begin at age 73 for those born between 1951 and 1959 — and will push to age 75 for everyone born after 1959. Roth 401(k) accounts are now fully exempt from lifetime RMDs. The 2026 QCD limit is $111,000. These changes create a valuable planning window — but most retirees are leaving serious tax savings on the table by not acting on them.

Required minimum distribution rules in 2026 are meaningfully different from what most retirees were told to expect. SECURE 2.0 — the wide-ranging retirement law signed in late 2022 — has now fully taken effect, shifting RMD starting ages, eliminating RMDs from Roth workplace accounts, cutting penalties for missed distributions, and reshaping inherited IRA rules. If your retirement strategy was built around the old age-72 rule, it needs an update.

## What Changed: SECURE 2.0 RMD Rules in Full Effect for 2026

The most important shift is the new starting age for required minimum distributions.

**If you were born between January 1, 1951 and December 31, 1959**, your RMD age is now **73**. You are not required to take money out of your traditional IRA or 401(k) until the year you turn 73.