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No tolerable upper intake level (UL) has been set for potassium. The National Academies found no toxicological marker specific to too much potassium, so they set no upper limit. That doesn’t make any amount safe for everyone: talk to your doctor about high doses.
Take several supplements? Add them all up in the Supplement Checker: it shows your potassium total next to the nutrients that do have a limit.
How much Potassium you need
| Age | Males | Females | Pregnancy | Breastfeeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth to 6 months | 400 mg* | 400 mg* | – | – |
| 7-12 months | 860 mg* | 860 mg* | – | – |
| 1-3 years | 2,000 mg* | 2,000 mg* | – | – |
| 4-8 years | 2,300 mg* | 2,300 mg* | – | – |
| 9-13 years | 2,500 mg* | 2,300 mg* | – | – |
| 14-18 years | 3,000 mg* | 2,300 mg* | 2,600 mg* | 2,500 mg* |
| 19-30 years | 3,400 mg* | 2,600 mg* | 2,900 mg* | 2,800 mg* |
| 31-50 years | 3,400 mg* | 2,600 mg* | 2,900 mg* | 2,800 mg* |
| 51-70 years | 3,400 mg* | 2,600 mg* | – | – |
| 71+ years | 3,400 mg* | 2,600 mg* | – | – |
* Adequate Intake (AI): the amount set when there isn’t enough evidence for an RDA.
What counts toward the Potassium limit
No upper limit (UL) has been set for potassium.
What happens with too much Potassium
The 2019 National Academies report (Ch. 5) set no UL. It says "excessive potassium supplement intake can lead to adverse events and death". It notes that high acute intakes "have been consistently linked with cardiac conduction system abnormalities, which may be fatal", with case reports including overdoses of potassium chloride tablets. It names people with chronic kidney disease, diabetes or heart failure, and people using ACE inhibitors or ARBs, as subpopulations "in which potassium excess may be of concern."
Sources: Health Canada, Dietary Reference Intakes tables (the joint U.S.-Canada values); National Academies, Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019), DRI summary tables; National Academies, Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019), DRI summary tables. Limits checked November 8, 2026. More from the NIH: Office of Dietary Supplements Potassium fact sheet.
If you think you or a child took too much of a supplement, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (U.S., free, 24 hours) or use poison.org. In an emergency, call 911.
General information, not medical advice. Your doctor may recommend a different amount, for example to treat a deficiency. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, take medication or have a medical condition.