SECURE 2.0: The Changes That Affect You
Higher RMD ages, a super catch-up for ages 60-63, and the new Roth catch-up rule for high earners.
SECURE 2.0 made dozens of changes to retirement rules. The ones most savers will notice:
Later RMDs - and the full history
The age to start required minimum distributions has been raised repeatedly, so it has not always been the same. For decades it was 70½; the original SECURE Act moved it to 72 (2020), and SECURE 2.0 pushed it to 73 (2023) and then 75 (from 2033) - giving your money more time to grow tax-deferred.
Which age applies to you is set by your birth year, not the calendar year: born 1950 or earlier → 72 (or 70½ if you reached it before 2020); born 1951-1959 → 73; born 1960 or later → 75. Our RMD calculator works out your exact start age from your birth year.
Super catch-up at 60-63
From 2025, savers aged 60 to 63 can make a larger catch-up contribution - $11,250 for 2026 - instead of the standard 50+ catch-up.
Roth catch-up for high earners
Starting in 2026, if your prior-year wages with your employer exceeded $150,000, your catch-up contributions must be Roth (after-tax).
Other highlights
- A smaller, fixable penalty for missed RMDs (25%, or 10% if corrected promptly).
- Roth 401(k)s no longer have lifetime RMDs.
- New penalty-free emergency and domestic-abuse withdrawals.