Your first required minimum distribution starts with an account inventory
Before your first required minimum distribution, identify which accounts require withdrawals, the deadline for each, and how you will keep enough cash available. A rollover, a new annuity or a Roth conversion does not automatically satisfy the required withdrawal. Resolve the distribution instructions before authorizing a separate transaction.
This checklist is for someone preparing to take a first RMD from their own retirement accounts. Inherited accounts follow different rules; use our inherited retirement-account guide for those questions. First Freedom Life can explain insurance-contract options when appropriate. Your custodian, plan administrator and qualified tax professional should confirm the required amount, timing and tax treatment.
Watch: three checks before your first RMD
This short overview separates account rules, distribution deadlines and money that may be eligible to move. Confirm your own requirement with your custodian and qualified tax professional.
Educational guidance; an annuity does not remove RMD obligations. You can submit the inquiry above without watching or choosing a product.
Read the video transcript
Your first required minimum distribution is a deadline to plan around; it is not a reason to rush into a new product.
Before moving retirement money, make three checks.
First, identify the accounts. Your own IRA, a workplace plan and an inherited account can follow different rules. Still working does not automatically let you delay withdrawals from every account. Ask your custodian or plan administrator which rules apply to you.
Second, put the deadlines on a calendar. Delaying an eligible first distribution until the following April can put two required distributions in that calendar year. Ask your tax professional how the timing affects your situation before choosing a date.
Third, separate the required withdrawal from money that might be eligible to move. The required distribution itself cannot be rolled over. If you are comparing a fixed annuity for other eligible retirement funds, check the contract’s withdrawal rules, surrender charges, any market value adjustment and the cash you need to keep accessible. An annuity does not erase your required minimum distribution obligation.
Write down your account types, expected distribution dates, and the amount of cash you need available. Confirm the required amount with your custodian and tax professional.
If you want to discuss whether a fixed-annuity option belongs alongside your existing retirement accounts, send First Freedom Life an inquiry. We can explain insurance options and their tradeoffs. A transfer or product decision is not required to ask a question.
1. Put each account in the right category
List your traditional IRAs, including SEP or SIMPLE IRAs, current-employer plans, former-employer plans and any inherited accounts separately. Record whether a plan balance is pre-tax or a designated Roth account. The rules for your own Roth accounts are different from those for many pre-tax accounts and inherited accounts.
The IRS account-owner comparison chart explains why employment matters for some workplace plans but does not generally delay an IRA owner's RMD. Ask the administrator which starting-year rule applies to your birth year and account. Do not assume that one answer covers everything you own.
2. Mark both first-year and following-year deadlines
For a traditional IRA owner who turns 73 in 2026, the first RMD is for 2026 and can generally be delayed until April 1, 2027. The 2027 RMD is still due by December 31, 2027. Waiting on the first withdrawal can therefore place two annual required distributions in 2027. This is a timing example for that owner, not a universal starting-age rule for every birth year or plan.
The IRS RMD FAQs describe these first and subsequent deadlines. Ask your tax professional to compare taking the first distribution during its original year with delaying it where allowed. Consider the household's other income and cash needs before making that choice.
3. Confirm the amount and where it must come from
Ask for each account's calculation using the appropriate prior-year-end value and applicable IRS table. Check whether earlier withdrawals already count toward that year's requirement. Your custodian may calculate the amount, but you remain responsible for meeting the requirement.
Your own traditional IRA RMDs can generally be calculated separately and combined for withdrawal from one or more of those IRAs. A 401(k) RMD generally must come from its own plan. There are separate 403(b) aggregation rules. Keep inherited accounts out of a casual combined-total calculation and confirm the specific treatment with the custodian.
4. Separate the required withdrawal from an eligible rollover
The IRS rollover guidance excludes RMDs from rollover-eligible distributions. Do not instruct a transfer of an entire balance as though the required amount can stay sheltered in another account. Have the administrator identify the RMD and any remaining amount that is actually eligible to move.
Moving money is also not the default solution. Compare leaving an account in place, an eligible transfer or rollover, and the costs and features of the receiving arrangement. If you are considering a fixed annuity, our RMD annuity-options review explains the separate withdrawal-source discussion.
5. Coordinate cash access and the follow-up records
Write down the withdrawal date, destination, withholding instructions to confirm with your tax professional, and the confirmation you expect afterward. Allow time for the custodian's processing; an instruction is not the same as a completed distribution. Keep statements and distribution confirmations together for your records.
IRS Publication 575 discusses retirement-plan distributions and annuity payments. If an insurance contract is part of the comparison, review its actual permitted withdrawals, surrender charges, any market value adjustment and rider costs. Do not assume that a required tax withdrawal is automatically free of contract charges.
Bring a clear question to the insurance discussion
A useful inquiry is: “These are my accounts and deadlines. I want to understand whether a fixed annuity could help with part of my income needs while keeping enough money accessible.” Bring account types and questions; do not send Social Security numbers, account numbers or login credentials through the initial inquiry.
There is no need to choose or transfer into a product just to ask a question. Annuities are long-term insurance contracts; withdrawals can reduce value and use principal, and guarantees depend on the issuing insurer's claims-paying ability. Insurance options do not remove RMD obligations. First Freedom Life does not provide tax, legal or investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
If I turn 73 in 2026, when is my first traditional IRA RMD due?
For that owner, the first RMD is for 2026 and can generally be delayed until April 1, 2027. The 2027 RMD is still due by December 31, 2027. Confirm your account-specific facts with the custodian.
Does one IRA withdrawal automatically satisfy a 401(k) RMD?
No. Own-IRA aggregation and workplace-plan rules differ. A 401(k) RMD generally must be satisfied from that plan; confirm each account’s requirement.
Can I roll over the first-year required distribution?
No. The required distribution is not rollover-eligible. Identify it separately from other money that may be eligible to move.
Must I choose an annuity before asking First Freedom Life a question?
No. An inquiry starts an insurance discussion. Your custodian and qualified tax professional should confirm RMD amounts, deadlines and tax treatment.