Your RMD for 2026 will be calculated based on your traditional IRA balance as of December 31, 2025. Any money you can remove from that balance this year will directly lower your 2026 RMD. Please refer to this IRS guidance.
You could also consider converting a portion of your traditional IRA balance to a Roth IRA in 2025. The amount converted is added to your 2025 taxable income (AGI/MAGI). Since the money is moved out of the traditional IRA before December 31, 2025, it is not included in the balance used to calculate your RMD for 2026. This lowers your RMD for all future years. However, you must pay the tax on the converted amount in 2025. This means your 2025 AGI/MAGI will be higher, which you must carefully manage to avoid jumping into a higher income tax bracket or a higher IRMAA bracket two years from now (for 2027 Medicare premiums).
Another option is a Qualified Charitable Distribution. You instruct your IRA custodian to send money directly from your IRA to a qualified charity. The distribution is excluded from your AGI/MAGI. It is neither taxed nor deducted. Since it's removed from the IRA balance before year-end, it reduces your RMD for all subsequent years.
You can use a portion of your IRA balance to purchase a Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract. The premium paid for the QLAC is excluded from the IRA balance used to calculate your RMDs until the QLAC payments begin (which can be as late as age 85).
I recommend contacting a certified financial planner to explore other possible options as well.
Hope this helps!
Cindy
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