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If you missed all or part of a required minimum distribution (RMD), confirm the shortfall with your IRA custodian or retirement-plan administrator, arrange a corrective distribution promptly, and report the missed amount on Form 5329 for the year it was due. The shortfall may be subject to a 25% federal excise tax, potentially reduced to 10% if you correct it within the applicable correction window. You can also ask the IRS to waive some or all of the tax if reasonable error caused the miss and you are taking reasonable steps to fix it; approval is not automatic.
This is general U.S. federal tax information. The amount and deadline depend on the account, plan terms, age, beneficiary circumstances, and tax year. For a workplace plan, contact the plan administrator as well as considering your individual tax filing.
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What happens when you miss an RMD?
For an individual account owner or plan participant, the amount that should have been distributed but was not may be subject to an excise tax under section 4974. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) describes the general rate as 25% of the shortfall. The rate may be 10% if you correct the shortfall within the correction window and report the tax as required. These rates apply to the shortfall, not to the entire account balance. For example, if the confirmed shortfall were $1,000, the general 25% rate would be $250 before any waiver; a 10% rate would be $100 if the applicable correction requirements are met. This is only an illustration—the custodian or administrator should confirm the amount actually missed.
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The IRS summarizes the rates in its Retirement plan and IRA required minimum distributions FAQs; the page says its answer to question 8 was updated December 10, 2024.
The IRS may waive some or all of the tax if you show that reasonable error caused the shortfall and that you are taking reasonable steps to remedy it. A waiver is discretionary: filing a request does not guarantee approval. The Instructions for Form 5329 (2025) explain the waiver request process. Check the instructions for the specific tax year you are filing, since forms and applicable rules can change.
What to do first
- Confirm the amount that was due and what was distributed. Ask the custodian or plan administrator for the RMD calculation for the missed year and the distribution history through the deadline. Confirm the amount of the shortfall rather than estimating it from the account balance. If you took a partial distribution, the relevant shortfall is the difference between the amount required and the amount actually distributed by the deadline.
- Check which account owed the distribution. Do not assume a distribution from one retirement account can satisfy another account’s RMD. The IRS Form 5329 instructions say distributions from qualified plans cannot be aggregated to meet the RMD requirement. Account type and plan rules matter, so have the administrator confirm whether any distribution from another account counts in your specific situation. In particular, ask about aggregation before treating a withdrawal from one account as curing another account’s shortfall.
- Arrange a corrective distribution promptly. Ask the custodian or plan administrator how to distribute the missed amount from the account or plan that owed it. Keep confirmation of the date and amount. Correcting the shortfall is relevant both to the possible 10% rate and to demonstrating reasonable steps if you seek a waiver. Taking the distribution now does not change the fact that the RMD was missed by its original deadline, but it is a step toward correcting the shortfall.
- Keep supporting records. Save the RMD calculation, account statements, distribution confirmation, and relevant correspondence. If requesting a waiver, retain documents that explain the error and show what you did to correct it. A clear timeline—when the distribution was due, when you learned of the shortfall, and when you acted—can help make your explanation specific.
- Check the current year’s RMD separately. Fixing a prior-year shortfall does not satisfy the current year’s RMD. Confirm the current requirement and deadline with the administrator. Keeping the years separate helps avoid treating a corrective distribution for one year as the distribution due for another.
How the 25% and 10% rates work
The general excise tax is 25% of the difference between the amount required to be distributed and the amount actually distributed by the deadline. The 2025 Form 5329 instructions describe a reduced 10% rate when, during the correction window, you receive a distribution of the amount that caused the excess accumulation and file a return reflecting the tax.
The IRS FAQ describes the 10% rate as available when the RMD is timely corrected within two years. The detailed instructions define the correction-window endpoint as the earliest of the mailing of a deficiency notice, assessment of the tax, or the last day of the second taxable year beginning after the end of the year the additional tax is imposed. Because the applicable period depends on the facts and tax year, do not treat “within two years” as a blanket extension of the RMD deadline. Use the instructions for the relevant Form 5329 year or ask a qualified tax professional to determine your deadline.
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How to report the missed RMD on Form 5329
Report the shortfall for the tax year in which the RMD was due, using that year’s Form 5329. A missed distribution from an earlier year generally belongs on that earlier year’s form, not on the form for the year you eventually take the corrective distribution. The IRS provides the form and year-specific instructions at About Form 5329.
- Get the form for the year the RMD was due. For example, if the missed RMD was due in 2024, use the 2024 Form 5329 and instructions. Do not substitute a current-year form merely because you are correcting the shortfall now.
- Complete the applicable RMD shortfall section. Use the form instructions to enter the amount required, the amount distributed by the deadline, and the resulting shortfall. Follow that year’s line references and instructions.
- If requesting a waiver, include a written explanation. The 2025 instructions direct filers to enter “RC” and the amount requested to be waived when seeking relief. Explain why the shortfall occurred and describe the reasonable corrective steps you have taken. Attach relevant supporting information, such as the corrective-distribution confirmation, as appropriate.
- File by the applicable deadline. The 2025 instructions say to file Form 5329 with the applicable federal return by its due date, including extensions. If you are not required to file a federal return, file Form 5329 by itself at the time and place your return would otherwise be due. For prior-year forms, consult that year’s instructions for filing details.
- Address any tax shown as due. A waiver request is not itself a grant of relief. Follow the form instructions and pay any tax shown due while the IRS considers the request; consult a tax professional if you are unsure how to handle payment or a prior-year filing.
If you missed RMDs for more than one year, do not simply put the combined amount on one current-year Form 5329. Identify the shortfall by year and consult each year’s form and instructions. The IRS guidance directs filers to report the shortfall for the year the RMD was due, so the filing and explanation should match the year and facts at issue.
What to say in a waiver request
The IRS’s 2025 Form 5329 instructions state: “The IRS can waive part or all of this tax if you can show that any shortfall in the amount of distributions was due to reasonable error and you are taking reasonable steps to remedy the shortfall.” Your explanation should address both parts of that standard, not simply ask for forgiveness.
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- Explain why you consider the error reasonable in those circumstances.
- State when you discovered the shortfall and what you did to correct it, including the corrective distribution date and amount if completed.
- Include documents that support the account calculation, circumstances, and corrective action when available.
The IRS decides whether to waive all, some, or none of the tax. The recordkeeping and explanation support your request but do not ensure a particular outcome. A concise account of what happened, paired with dates and records, is more useful than a general statement that you did not know about the requirement.
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Workplace plan failures and individual tax filings are different
If the missed RMD came from an employer retirement plan, contact the plan administrator to ask whether the plan sponsor is correcting a plan-level failure. The sponsor’s correction process is separate from your individual responsibility to address any section 4974 excise tax on Form 5329.
The IRS’s Correcting required minimum distribution failures guidance describes the Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (EPCRS). A sponsor may be able to correct some failures through the Self-Correction Program, but that does not waive a participant’s section 4974 tax. A sponsor may request a waiver through the Voluntary Correction Program. A plan-level correction filing therefore does not replace an individual’s Form 5329 obligations. Ask the administrator what the sponsor is doing, but do not assume that the sponsor’s process takes care of your separate individual filing.
Check whether the deadline or amount was different in your case
RMD timing can depend on when you reached the applicable starting age, whether the distribution is your first RMD, the type of account, and beneficiary or plan circumstances. For many account owners, the first RMD can generally be delayed until April 1 of the year after reaching age 73. If you use that delay, the following year’s RMD is still generally due by December 31 of that same year, so two RMDs may fall in one calendar year. Later annual RMDs are generally due by December 31. See the IRS’s RMD FAQs and Retirement topics: Required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the rules relevant to your account and circumstances.
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Final RMD regulations provide effective-date context for calendar years beginning on or after January 1, 2025; consult the Internal Revenue Bulletin 2024-33 and current IRS materials where a rule’s effective date could affect your situation. If you are unsure which account owed a distribution, how the amount was calculated, or whether a special rule applies, ask the plan administrator or a qualified tax professional before filing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if I missed an RMD?
Contact the account custodian or plan administrator to confirm the RMD for the year, what was actually distributed by the deadline, and the shortfall. Ask how to take a corrective distribution from the account or plan that owed it. Keep the calculation, statements, distribution confirmation, and correspondence.
If I take the missed distribution now, does that erase the missed deadline?
No. A corrective distribution is a step toward remedying the shortfall, but it does not change that the original RMD was not taken by its deadline. Prompt correction can matter for the possible 10% rate and for showing reasonable steps if you request a waiver. Report the shortfall on Form 5329 for the year it was due.
Can I use an RMD from one retirement account to cover another account’s shortfall?
Do not assume so. Account type and plan rules matter, and the IRS Form 5329 instructions state that qualified plans cannot aggregate distributions to meet their RMD requirement. Ask the custodian or plan administrator to confirm whether a distribution from another account counts in your specific situation.
Can the IRS waive the tax for a missed RMD?
The IRS can waive some or all of the tax if reasonable error caused the shortfall and you are taking reasonable steps to remedy it. Request the waiver on the applicable Form 5329 and explain what happened and how you are correcting it. The decision is discretionary, so a request does not guarantee relief.
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Which Form 5329 should I file if I corrected the RMD in a later year?
Use Form 5329 for the tax year in which the RMD was due, not simply the year you took the corrective distribution. Follow that year’s form and instructions. If you are not required to file a federal return, the 2025 instructions say to file Form 5329 by itself at the time and place your return would otherwise be due; check the instructions for the particular year.
Does my employer’s plan correction take care of my personal tax filing?
Not necessarily. A plan sponsor may use EPCRS to address a plan-level failure, but that does not waive a participant’s section 4974 tax through the Self-Correction Program. The individual may still need to address the excise tax on Form 5329. Contact the administrator and review your individual filing obligations.
When can the reduced 10% rate apply?
The IRS describes a 10% rate when the shortfall is corrected within the applicable correction window and the tax is reported as required. The IRS FAQ describes timely correction within two years, while the detailed instructions define the window by specific endpoints. Check the instructions for the relevant tax year and your facts; it is not an extension of the original RMD deadline.
The Bottom Line
Confirm the missed amount with the custodian or plan administrator, correct it promptly, and file the Form 5329 for the year the RMD was due. The shortfall may be taxed at 25%, or 10% if the applicable correction requirements are met. If reasonable error caused the miss, request a waiver with a clear explanation and evidence of corrective steps—but remember that the IRS decides whether to grant it.
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