Before 2020, when someone other than a spouse inherited an IRA, the beneficiary could spread the distributions and accompanying taxes out over their lifetime, which was often several decades or more. This was commonly referred to as a Stretch IRA. For most non-spouse beneficiaries, excluding eligible designated beneficiaries<\/a>, the ability to stretch out distributions over time was eliminated with the passing of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which went into effect in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of the SECURE Act, most non-spouse beneficiaries who inherited a retirement account in 2020 or after became subject to the 10-year rule. This rule requires all funds to be distributed by the end of the 10th year following the death of the IRA owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the SECURE Act passed, it did not specify whether annual distributions would be needed within the 10-year period. So, most tax professionals assumed that a beneficiary could wait to withdraw all funds in the 10th year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in February 2022, the IRS issued proposed regulations<\/a> that said beneficiaries subject to the 10-year rule would also need to take annual RMDs if the deceased IRA owner had died on or after their required beginning date, which is April 1 of the year after the deceased IRA owner turned 72. That meant affected beneficiaries should have taken RMDs in 2021 and would need to again in 2022. Those beneficiaries who did not risked being subject to a 50% penalty on the funds that should have been distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proposed regulations caused confusion and concern for taxpayers, so the IRS issued Notice 2022-53<\/a> in October, which stated that all beneficiaries subject to the 10-year rule are exempt from taking RMDs for 2021 and 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The IRS notice in October did not address whether RMDs would be required in 2023 and beyond. The silence could be an indication that the IRS intends to follow the interpretation it laid out in its proposed regulations and require annual minimum distributions on inherited IRAs after 2022. Or the IRA could be planning to reverse course and eliminate annual RMDs altogether for beneficiaries of the 10-year rule. Ultimately, we\u2019ll just have to wait and see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you are not required to take an annual distribution from your account, if you are a beneficiary subject to the 10-year rule, you may want to consider taking a voluntary distribution. Spreading distributions out as much as possible during the 10-year window can help reduce the chance that larger distributions in future years create a bigger tax bill. This can happen if a large distribution in one year pushes the beneficiary into a higher tax bracket. It might also lead to the beneficiary being phased out of critical deductions or credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDoes the 10-year rule require annual IRA distributions or only by the end of the 10th year?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Will the IRS ultimately require annual IRA distributions for those subject to the 10-year rule?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Does it make sense to take voluntary distributions from an inherited IRA?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How might voluntary IRA distributions save on taxes in the long run?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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