RMD – Recent Widow
Thanks everyone – here are the facts:
Client Husband DOB 3/12/49, passed away 12/15/2020. He would have turned 72 5 days ago. Widow DOB 6/25/49. Do RMD’s have to be distributed from husband’s IRA’s before rolling to spouses IRA’s? I assume this is the correct way to handle. She will still need to take her RMD’s from IRA’s this year unless she takes two in 2022. I assume she can still file a joint tax return in 2021 even though husband passed in prior year. Just making sure I’m on the right track this is an interesting scenario.
I posted this about a month ago and got a great response. However, the deceased husbands IRA’s are still in his name as of 4/15/2021. An additional question is whether an RMD needs taken for 2021 for the husband before the wife assumes ownership. Thanks again!
Permalink Submitted by David Mertz on Thu, 2021-04-15 14:23
The previous reply still holds: https://irahelp.com/forum-post/62994-rmd-recent-widow
Even if she does not assume ownership by the end of 2021, if she does not take distributions from this IRA in 2021 of at least as much she would be required to take as beneficiary, the account will default to being owned by her, with the result being the same as if she had explicitly assumed ownership.
There is no RMD for her husband for 2021 because the husband was not alive in 2021. With respect to this IRA she must take *her* 2021 RMD.