The Slott Report

Question: Hello. Thanks in advance for fielding my question. My mother died in 2021 in her 90's. She was using $100,000 of her traditional IRA RMD as a QCD. In order to fulfill her 2021 charitable commitments, I did a QCD after her death. Because I am not 70 ½ yet, my CPA tells me I need to include the IRA withdrawal in my income and take a charitable deduction because the assets had already moved to my inherited IRA account. Is this correct? Is there an exception I am missing here? Thanks!

A person is allowed only one IRA-to-IRA or Roth-IRA-to-Roth-IRA 60-day rollover per year. This 12-month period is a full 12 months – it is not a calendar year. Accordingly, we refer to this as the “once-per-year rule.” For example, if a person received an IRA distribution in March that is subsequently rolled over, he is not eligible to initiate another 60-day IRA or Roth IRA rollover with a distribution received before the following March. The 12 months begin with the date the funds are received by the account owner. (Day of receipt is an important distinction. This could buy a person a couple of days when the 60-day deadline is approaching and a check was originally mailed to the IRA owner.)

Did you take your RMD from your IRA for 2021? Hopefully, the answer is yes because for most IRA owners and beneficiaries the deadline for taking a 2021 RMD was December 31, 2021. There is an exception. If you reached age 72 in 2021, you still have time. Your deadline for taking your 2021 RMD from your IRA is April 1, 2022.

Question: Hi, I turn 72 this year and have to take my first required minimum distribution (RMD). I am also in the process of converting most of my IRA into a Roth IRA. I know I have to take my RMD first before the conversion. Since this is my first year of RMDs, I know one of the options is to delay the RMD until April of next year.

As we move into 2022, small business owners may be wondering whether they still have time to establish a new retirement plan for 2021. The short answer is: “It depends.” There are several retirement plan options especially designed for small business owners, including the self-employed. These include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs and Solo 401(k)s. All three can be opened up and maintained easily and inexpensively, and all allow tax-deductible contributions that can be significantly higher than the IRA contribution limit.

Less than two weeks into the new year seems like a good time to provide a few reminders and warnings when it comes to Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). As a quick refresher, remember these QCD facts: Only available to IRA (and inherited IRA) owners who are age 70½ and over. Capped at $100,000 per person, per year. (For a married couple where each spouse has their own IRA, each spouse can contribute up to $100,000.)

Question: Has the IRS clarified the 10-year rule on inherited IRAs? Do you have to take RMDs each year or can you wait until the 10th year? Also, does this rule apply to inherited Roth IRAs? Thanks, Daniel

The IRS has released new life expectancy tables for calculating required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2022. The most commonly used tables are the Uniform Lifetime and the Single Life Expectancy Tables. The Uniform Lifetime Table is used by most IRA owners who need to take 2022 lifetime RMDs.

Welcome to 2022! One of the big changes in the retirement account world this year will be the calculation of required minimum distributions (RMDs). RMDs for IRA owners and plan participants are calculated using life expectancies from IRS tables. There are three tables: 1. The Uniform Lifetime Table, used to calculate lifetime RMDs in most cases.

Question: Ed, Since the Build Back Better bill is still in legislative limbo, does that mean that backdoor Roth IRA contributions are still available for 2022? If so, what do you suggest if someone makes a backdoor Roth contribution early in 2022 and then the legislature retroactively disallows it when the bill is finally passed?