Last week, the IRS announced that its soon-to-be final regulations on required minimum distributions will apply starting next year. The move essentially waives RMDs in 2021 and 2022 for inherited individual retirement accounts subject to the 2019 Secure Act’s 10-year rule. In a comment letter on the RMD proposal, ABA had urged the IRS to provide such transition relief to facilitate IRA administration and address customer uncertainty on whether to take RMDs before the final rule was released.
The announcement also confirmed that the final rule will require RMDs in years one through nine for inherited IRAs where the original owner had started taking distributions before death. Inherited IRAs where the original owner had not started taking distributions, on the other hand, need not take RMDs in years one through nine, but must still take complete distribution within 10 years.
Under the relief provided in the notice, inherited IRA owners are not required to take a distribution in years 2021 or 2022, even if the decedent had started taking distributions before death. In addition, the IRS will not assert the 50% tax penalty on accumulated distributions for 2021 and 2022 and will allow taxpayers to request a refund for any tax paid.
