QCDs and the 10-Year Rule: Today’s Slott Report Mailbag

Thursday, March 05, 2020

By Sarah Brenner, JD
IRA Analyst
Follow Us on Twitter: @theslottreport

Question:

My dad was 86 when he died and I inherited half of his IRA, which I elected to stretch.  Am I correct in thinking that since I am not yet 70 ½, I am not allowed to direct qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from this IRA?  Please advise.

Thanks, Ron.

Answer:

Hi Ron,

You are correct. Beneficiaries can do QCDs, but to be eligible the beneficiary must be age 70 ½. If you have not yet reached that age, you may not do a QCD.

Question:

We have not been able to find a clear answer on this…

If a non-spouse beneficiary inherits an IRA and is bound by the new 10-year rule and passes away within the 10 years, is the successor beneficiary bound by the original 10-year timeframe?  Does the account still need to be emptied by the end of the 10th year of the original owner’s death?

Mike

Answer:

Hi Mike,

The SECURE Act is only a little over two months old and there are still a lot of questions about the details. We will need guidance from the IRS to clarify some of these issues. While it is not completely clear, an analysis of the SECURE Act provisions leads us to believe that if a beneficiary dies within the 10-year payout period, a successor beneficiary would not get an additional 10-year period. Instead, the account would need to be emptied within whatever time remains of the original beneficiary’s 10-year period.

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