RMD Calculations and Qualified Charitable Distributions: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag

Thursday, June 19, 2025

By Sarah Brenner, JD
Director of Retirement Education

Question:

I am age 85, and my wife is age 75. If I die first and my wife inherits my IRA, are the required minimum distributions (RMDs) that my wife must take after my death calculated using her age or my age?

Richard

Answer:

Hi Richard,

If your wife inherits your IRA, she can do a spousal rollover to her own IRA or keep the account as an inherited IRA. With either option, the RMDs will be calculated using her life expectancy. The IRS Uniform Lifetime Table is used if she does a spousal rollover. New rules under the SECURE 2.0 Act would allow her to use that table for an inherited IRA as well.

Question:

Good day folks! I have an old stretch inherited IRA and would like to do a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) with part of my RMD.  Any problems with this idea?

Thank you, and I really enjoy the webinars!

Jim

Answer:

Hi Jim,

Glad you are enjoying Ed’s webinars!

Beneficiaries can do QCDs from inherited IRAs. However, the beneficiary must be age 70½ or older. If you qualify, you can do a QCD from your inherited IRA.

If you have technical questions you would like to have answered, be sure to submit them to [email protected], to be answered on an upcoming Slott Report Mailbag, published every Thursday.

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