Roth IRA Spouse Beneficiary Question

Submitted by John Boyle on Sat, 2023-01-28 21:58

Husband dies at 61 years old, and leaves his 52 year old wife with a $300k Roth IRA (husband established Roth 8 years earlier). If the wife has the Roth put into a inherited Roth IRA, would she have access to the funds tax-free? Thx



Submitted by Alan - IRA critic on Sun, 2023-01-29 02:19

  • Yes. The inherited Roth is qualified since it has been held over 5 years and the owner passed. All distribution are tax and penalty free and do not have to be reported on Form 8606. As for beneficiary RMDs, they do not start until the husband would have reached age 75.
  • The wife could assume ownership of the inherited Roth once she reaches 59.5 and will be credited with the holding period for the inherited Roth IRA. Her own Roth would then be immediately qualified. 

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