Generally, for individuals or employees with accounts who die prior to January 1, 2020, designated beneficiaries of retirement accounts and IRAs calculate RMDs using the Single Life Table (Table I, Appendix B, Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)). The table provides a life expectancy factor based on the beneficiary’s age. The account balance is divided by this life expectancy factor to determine the first RMD. The life expectancy is reduced by one for each subsequent year.
If the distribution is from a qualified retirement plan, the plan document will establish the RMD rules, and the plan administrator should provide the beneficiary with his or her options. The options for the RMD pay-out period may be as short as 5 years, or as long as the life expectancy of the beneficiary. (If the beneficiary is the spouse of the owner, the spouse can also choose to treat the IRA as his or her own.) Therefore, if the distribution is from a qualified plan, the beneficiary should contact the plan administrator. For IRA distributions, see Publication 590-B, Distribution from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), or this chart of required minimum distributions to help calculate the required minimum distributions.
Generally, for individuals or employees with accounts who die after December 31, 2019, the SECURE Act distinguishes between an “eligible designated beneficiary” and other beneficiaries who inherit an account or IRA. An eligible designated beneficiary includes a surviving spouse, a disabled individual, a chronically ill individual, a minor child, or an individual who is not more than 10 years younger than the account owner. Certain trusts created for the exclusive benefit of disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries are included. These eligible designated beneficiaries may take their distributions over the beneficiary's life expectancy. However, minor children must still take remaining distributions within 10 years of reaching age 18. Additionally, a surviving spouse beneficiary my delay commencement of distributions until the later of the end of the year that the employee or IRA owner would have attained age 72, or the surviving spouse’s required beginning date.
Designated beneficiaries, who are not an eligible designated beneficiary, must withdraw the entire account by the 10th calendar year following the year of the employee or IRA owner’s post-2019 death. Non-designated beneficiaries must withdraw the entire account within 5 years of the employee or IRA owner’s death if distributions have not begun prior to death. For IRA distributions, see Publication 590-B, Distribution from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), or this chart of required minimum distributions to help calculate the required minimum distributions.
