Beneficiary - Trust

[TinaW]

If you do not have a spouse and name your trust as the beneficiary, can each beneficiary of the trust rollover their portion into a separate inherited IRA so each can determine when they want to take their taxable distribution  within the 10 year period?  If yes, what is the process of rolling the funds  to the trust then beneficiaries?

[Artie M]

On the way out the door but initially, have the executor/administrator of the estate provide you a copy of the trust instrument and perhaps a legal opinion indicating whether the trust was formed as a see-through or conduit trust or an accumulation trust.    If it meets the rules as a conduit trust, you might be able to treat the underlying beneficiaries as the beneficiaries of the 401k.  Usually, the key is ... are all the beneficiaries of the trust "individuals" without any "ghost" beneficiaries (e.g., no non-individuals, no remote beneficiaries, issues, heirs, charities, powers to appoint charities)?  Of course, this assumes the plan's terms don't prohibit doing this.  This is just general rules, I am sure there are folks on this board that know the details better than I.