Nonspouse Benficiaries

Part 1: Inherited Roth IRA by Non-Spouse Beneficiary – 5-Year Clock Issues?

When an IRA owner does a Roth conversion, there is typically a 5-year clock for the earnings on the converted dollars to be tax free. If a person already had a Roth IRA for 5 years AND is over 59 ½, there is no conversion clock to worry about. For these people, Roth IRA distributions will be both tax- and penalty-free.

Caution! No Rollover for Nonspouse Beneficiaries

Did you inherit an IRA from someone who is NOT your spouse? This is not uncommon. Maybe you inherited from a sibling or a parent or a friend. If this is your situation, you will want to proceed with caution. For nonspouse beneficiaries a wrong move can result in disastrous consequences. So, take your time and do it right. Step one is to carefully explore your options. What are a nonspouse beneficiary’s options when it comes to the inherited IRA? Under the tax code, nonspouse beneficiaries can take advantage of the “stretch” IRA. This means you can set up a properly titled inherited IRA and then take required minimum distributions (RMD)s based on your life expectancy.

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