
03/17/2025
Many People Who Turned 73 in 2024 Must Withdraw Retirement Plan Funds by April 1
Generally, people of age 73 or older must take annual withdrawals, known as required minimum distributions (RMDs), from their traditional IRAs, 401(k) plans and similar retirement accounts. The deadline for most RMDs is December 31. However, the usual deadline for people to take their first RMD is April 1 of the following year. Therefore, if you turned 73 in 2024 and have not yet taken your first RMD from your traditional IRA, then you generally must do so by April 1, 2025. Similar RMD rules apply for many workplace retirement accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), SEP and SIMPLE IRA plans. Note also that the original owners of Roth IRAs generally do not have to take RMDs.
If you take your first RMD this spring, then you will typically need to take your second RMD by December 31 of this year. Your IRA or workplace retirement account manager can determine the amount of your 2024 and 2025 RMDs, and can execute the necessary withdrawals. Note that most RMDs must be reported as taxable income.