Do Roth IRAs Have RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions)?

There are usually no required minimum distributions on Roth IRAs -- with some exceptions.

By Lyle Daly – Updated Apr 25, 2025 at 10:40 PM

Key Points

Roth IRAs don't require RMDs, allowing owners to preserve investments indefinitely.
Inherited Roth IRAs generally must be depleted within 10 years if the owner died after 2019.
Withdrawals from Roth IRAs remain tax-free, making this type of account a powerful way to preserve wealth.

The Roth individual retirement account (IRA) has some unique features. While other IRAs, including the traditional IRA, simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA, and Savings Incentive Match PLan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRA, are subject to required minimum distributions (RMDs), the Roth IRA is not. As long as you are alive, you can leave your money there without taking a Roth IRA RMD. Once you pass away, though, your beneficiaries will have a different set of distribution rules to follow.

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Inherited Roth IRAs do have withdrawal requirements, and to complicate matters, these distribution rules have recently changed. For Roth IRAs inherited prior to Jan. 1, 2020, beneficiaries may take RMDs over their lifetimes (based on IRS life expectancy tables). However, following the passage of the SECURE Act in 2019, most beneficiaries no longer have the option of receiving lifetime RMDs for IRAs bequeathed after 2019.

The exceptions are beneficiaries who are younger than the original account owner by 10 years or less, beneficiaries who are chronically ill or disabled, and minor children. Minor children can take RMDs until they reach legal adulthood. Thereafter, they have 10 years to withdraw the remainder of the funds. Students may have the option to delay the start of the 10-year window until they reach age 26.

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About the Author

Lyle Daly is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology and cryptocurrency. Lyle has been a contributor at the financial services company since 2018. His work has been featured on USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, Fox Business, and Nasdaq. Before joining The Motley Fool, he wrote for financial brands including Intuit.

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