10/16/2026
𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝘅𝗲𝘀?
It can lower your taxable income for one year, but delaying that first RMD can leave you taking two required distributions the following year.
When you reach RMD age, you get a one-time option to delay your first distribution until April 1 of the following year.
But your second RMD still has to be taken by December 31 of that same year.
That means you could have two RMDs reported on one tax return.
That extra income could push some of your income into a higher tax bracket. It could also increase your income enough to trigger higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums two years later.
Before choosing the April 1 delay, take time to estimate your income both ways: 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘔𝘋 𝘣𝘺 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 31 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘙𝘔𝘋𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳.
If you want help running those numbers before you make the decision, don’t hesitate to contact us. We can look at both years and see how each option affects your tax bracket and Medicare income thresholds.