2002 Required Minimum Distribution

[Guest taj32z]

If a participant that has been taking the required minimum distributions dies, can his beneficiary who is his spouse and not age 70 1/2 defer taking the required minimum distributions until she reaches age 70 1/2?

Thank you!

[BPickerCPA]

Yes, if she is the sole beneficiary. She has to take the year of death distribution if the decedent hadn't taken it. After that, she can treat the account as her own and not take a required distribution until she's 70½.

[jaemmons]

If the deceased participant was in a qualified retirement plan, the spousal beneficiary can only delay taking futher MRD's if and only if they roll the $'s over to their own IRA. Once the participant is in "pay status" with respect to MRD's, at their death, the distributions must continue at least as frequently to the beneficiary in the year following death, based upon their (the beneficiary's) single life expectancy.

If the deceased participant were drawing MRD's from an IRA, the spousal beneficiary can treat the IRA as their own in the year following death and delay MRD's until they attain 70 1/2.