# 3 Niche Ways to Cut RMD Taxes

> Financial planner reveals 3 strategies to delay or reduce taxes on required minimum distributions.
- Title: 3 Niche Ways to Cut RMD Taxes · Kiplinger | Shortify
- Summary: Financial planner reveals 3 strategies to delay or reduce taxes on required minimum distributions. Retirees can skip first RMD, buy QLACs, or keep working to…
- Keywords: required minimum distributions, rmds, tax planning, qualified longevity annuity contract, qlac, retirement planning, tax deferral, financial planner, kiplinger, evan beach, Niche, Ways
- Source: Kiplinger — https://kiplinger.com/taxes/tax-planning/how-to-delay-or-defer-taxes-on-your-rmds
- Published: 2026-10-18T14:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: required minimum distributions, rmds, tax planning, qualified longevity annuity contract, qlac, retirement planning, tax deferral, financial planner, kiplinger, evan beach
## RMDs and Tax Pain
Retirees often hate required minimum distributions because of high taxes and potential Medicare premium hikes.
## First RMD Deferral
Skip your first RMD to avoid tax spikes if income drops significantly in the following year.
## QLAC Tax Benefit
QLACs allow moving up to $210,000 per person from ira into tax-deferred income streams.
## Income Spikes and RMDs
RMDs can be delayed if income spikes from inheritance, home sales, or business sales in the current year.
## QLAC Longevity Risk
QLACs defer income until age 85, making them a longevity insurance tool rather than a tax strategy.
## Working Past Retirement
Retirees can defer RMDs from employer plans if they continue working and own less than 5% of the company.
## Tax Tail Wagging Dog
Tax deferral strategies can create a tax tail wagging the investment dog, but may benefit those focused on taxes.
## RMD Tax Traps
Most retirees spend more than their RMDs annually, making tax deferral strategies an uptown issue for tax-focused retirees.
## No Complete Tax Elimination
Complete tax elimination on RMDs is impossible without qualified charitable distributions.
## Future Tax Rates Matter
Tax deferral strategies only make sense if future tax rates are expected to drop.
## Key takeaway

Retirees can skip first RMD, buy QLACs, or keep working to delay taxes on retirement funds without triggering penalties.