By Sarah Brenner, JD
Director of Retirement Education
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Question:
Can an IRA to Roth IRA rollover be spread out over two transactions to soften the upfront tax hit?
Answer:
When a conversion is done, any taxes owed would be owed in the year of the conversion. There is no way to spread that income over more than one tax year. However, one possible strategy to minimize the tax bite of converting is to do partial conversions. There is no rule that says the entire traditional IRA must be converted in one year. Many times, people do not want to pay the taxes on a Roth conversion in a tax bracket that is higher than their normal tax bracket. In those cases, a series of small Roth conversions done year after year could be the answer. You fill up low tax brackets with amounts converted to a Roth IRA.
Question:
Hello, I recall your discussion of what the requirement will be for taking 2021 RMDs during the 10-year rule for IRAs inherited in 2020 from owners who had reached their RBD prior to death. Has there been a determination on this question?
Thank you,
Mike Otto
Answer:
Hi Mike,
In Notice 2022-53, issued on October 7, the IRS waived the 50% penalty for beneficiaries subject to the 10-year rule under the SECURE Act who do not take 2021 or 2022 required minimum distributions (RMDs) from an inherited IRA. You can find all the details in the Slott Report at https://www.irahelp.com/slottreport/irs-waives-50-penalty-missed-2021-and-2022-rmds-within-10-year-period
https://www.irahelp.com/slottreport/ira-rollovers-and-2021-rmds-todays-slott-report-mailbag