Key Points
If you have assets in a qualified retirement plan, such as a
company-sponsored 401(k) plan or a traditional Individual
Retirement Account (IRA), you'll want to be aware of several rules
that may apply to you when you take a distribution.
Required Minimum Distributions During Your Lifetime
Many people begin withdrawing funds from qualified retirement
accounts soon after they retire in order to provide annual
retirement income. These withdrawals are discretionary in terms of
timing and amount until the account holder reaches age 70½.
After that, failure to withdraw the required minimum amount
annually may result in substantial tax penalties. Thus, it may be
prudent to familiarize yourself with the minimum distribution
requirements.
For traditional IRAs, individuals must generally begin taking
required minimum distributions no later than April 1 following the
year in which they turn 70½. The same generally holds true
for 401(k)s and other qualified retirement plans. (Note that some
plans may require plan participants to remove retirement assets at
an earlier age.) However, required minimum distributions from a
401(k) can be delayed until retirement if the plan participant
continues to be employed by the plan sponsor beyond age 70½
and does not own more than 5% of the company.
In 2002, the IRS issued final regulations that greatly simplify
the calculation of required minimum distributions. Now, minimum
distributions are determined using one standard table based on the
IRA owner's/plan participant's age and his or her account balance.
Thus, required minimum distributions generally are no longer tied
to a named beneficiary. There is one exception, however. IRA
owners/plan participants who have a spousal beneficiary who is more
than 10 years younger can base required minimum distributions on
the joint life expectancy of the IRA owner/plan participant and
spousal beneficiary.
These minimum required distribution rules do not apply to Roth
IRAs. Thus, during your lifetime, you are not required to receive
distributions from your Roth IRA.
Additional Considerations for Employer-Sponsored Plans
The table below is general in nature and not a complete
discussion of the options, advantages, and disadvantages of various
distribution options. For example, there are different types of
annuities, each entailing unique features, risks, and expenses. Be
sure to talk to a tax or financial advisor about your particular
situation and the options that may be best for you.
| Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan
Distribution Alternatives1 |
|
Method |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Annuity |
A regular periodic payment, usually of a set
amount, over the lifetime of the designated recipient. (Not
available with some plans.) |
Assurance of lifetime income; option of spreading
over joint life expectancy of you and your spouse.2 |
Not generally indexed for inflation. |
| Periodic Payments |
Installment payments over a specific period, often
5 - 15 years. |
Relatively large payments over a limited
time. |
Taxes may be due at highest rate. |
| Lump Sum |
Full payment of the monies in one taxable
year. |
Direct control of assets; may be eligible for
10-year forward averaging. |
Current taxation at potentially highest rate. |
| IRA Rollover |
A transfer of funds to a traditional IRA (or Roth
IRA if attributable to Roth 401(k) contributions). |
Direct control of assets; continued tax deferral
on assets. |
Additional rules and limitations. |
In addition to required minimum distributions, removing money from
an employer-sponsored retirement plan involves some other issues
that need to be explored. Often, this may require the assistance of
a tax or financial professional, who can evaluate the options
available to you and analyze the tax consequences of various
distribution options.
Lump-Sum Distributions.
Retirees usually have the option of removing their retirement
plan assets in one lump sum. Certain lump sums qualify for
preferential tax treatment. To qualify, the payment of funds must
meet requirements defined by the IRS:
- The entire amount of the employee's balance in
employer-sponsored retirement plans must be paid in a single tax
year.
- The amount must be paid after you turn 59 ½ or separate
from service.
- You must have participated in the plan for five tax years.
A lump-sum distribution may qualify for preferential tax treatment
if you were born before January 2, 1936. For instance, if you were
born before January 2, 1936, you may qualify for 10-year forward
income averaging on your lump-sum distribution, based on 1986 tax
rates. With this option, the tax is calculated assuming the account
balance is paid out in equal amounts over 10 years and taxed at the
single taxpayer's rate. In addition, you may qualify for special
20% capital gains treatment on the pre-1974 portion of your lump
sum.
If you qualify for forward income averaging, you may want to
figure your tax liability with and without averaging to see which
method will save you more. Keep in mind that the amounts received
as distributions are generally taxed as ordinary income.
To the extent 10-year forward income averaging is available, the
IRS also will give you a break (minimum distribution allowance) if
your lump sum is less than $70,000. In such cases, taxes will only
be due on a portion of the lump-sum distribution.
If you roll over all or part of an account into an IRA, you will
not be able to elect forward income averaging on the distribution.
Also, the rollover will not count as a distribution in meeting
required minimum distribution amounts.
Periodic Distributions.
If you choose to receive periodic payments that will extend past
the year your turn age 70 ½, the amount must be at least as
much as your required minimum distribution, to avoid penalties.
| Uniform Lifetime Table for Required
Minimum Distributions |
| Age |
70 |
75 |
80 |
85 |
90 |
95 |
100 |
105 |
|
27.4 |
22.9 |
18.7 |
14.8 |
11.4 |
8.6 |
6.3 |
4.5 |
This table shows required minimum distribution periods for
tax-deferred accounts for unmarried owners, married owners whose
spouses are not more than 10 years younger than the account owner,
and married owners whose spouses are not the sole beneficiaries of
their accounts.
Source: IRS Publication 590.
Other Considerations.
If your plan's beneficiary is not your spouse, keep in mind that
the IRS will limit the recognized age gap between you and a younger
nonspousal beneficiary to 10 years for the purposes of calculating
required minimum distributions during your lifetime.
Conclusion
There are several considerations to make regarding your
retirement plan distributions, and the changing laws and numerous
exceptions do not make the decision any easier. It is important to
consult competent financial advisors to determine which option is
best for your personal situation.
Points to Remember
- Distributions from a 401(k) can be delayed until retirement if
a plan participant is still employed by the plan sponsor beyond age
70 ½ and if the plan participant does not own more than 5%
of the company.
- After age 70½, failure to withdraw the required minimum
amount annually may result in substantial tax penalties.
- A lump-sum distribution may qualify for 10-year forward income
averaging.
- The IRS will give you a break (minimum distribution allowance)
if your lump sum qualifies for 10-year forward averaging and is
less than $70,000.
- You may be able to accelerate or minimize the disbursement of
your retirement assets by how you choose to calculate periodic
payment time periods.
1Speak to a tax or financial advisor about your
alternatives before making a decision.
2Annuity guarantees are backed by the claims-paying
ability of the issuing company.
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Financial Communications. All rights
reserved.
