I am trying to figure out how a tax refund this year affects any estimated RMD taxes for 2026. I just completed my 2025 tax return and have a refund of $3,400 thanks to the new standard deductions. All my current income sources should remain the same for 2026, so I will assume for this example that my refund will be the same as well. However, I will be starting my RMD this year. If the expected refund amount exceeds the RMD estimated taxes, do I need to even make estimated payments? As a test, I modified my Turbo Tax 2025 return to add an additional retirement income source equal to my RMD as if this was my 2026 tax return. The end result is a refund of approx $1400 instead of the $3400. Does the IRS expect me to make quarterly payments for the RMD tax and then refund it to me next year, or can I just skip the quarterly estimated payments altogether? Very confusing!!
