8/11/2009
Last Updated:
2/6/2009
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued guidance to financial institutions clarifying the new law
that allows seniors to avoid making required withdrawals from depleted retirement accounts in 2009.
Taxpayers over 70 1/2
years old generally must begin withdrawing a certain percentage of the balance of retirement accounts like IRAs and 401(k)s each year or pay, in addition to income tax, a 50 percent excise tax on the amount that should have been withdrawn but was not. While taxpayers who turned 70 1/2 in 2008, can delay the 2008 distribution until April 1, 2009, the guidance makes clear that those seniors must still take their withdrawals because the new law only suspends required withdrawals for the 2009 tax year.
Some beneficiaries must deplete an IRA by the fifth anniversary of the IRA owner's death. The guidance explains that if a beneficiary must take required minimum distributions under the five-year rule and the fifth year is 2009, the beneficiary has an extra year (until 2010) to liquidate the account.
Finally, according the guidance, the IRA trustee is not required to give the IRA owner a notice detailing the required withdrawal for 2009. Instead, the trustee may, if it wishes, send a statement that the required distribution is zero or a statement showing what the required distribution would have been and an explanation of the waiver.
For the IRS guidance, found in Notice 2009-9, click here.
For more on retirement plan distributions, click here.
Centrally Located in Brighton
near Cobbs Hill:
1399 Monroe Avenue,
Rochester, NY 14618
Map & Directions
Subscribe now and get our FREE Guide, "The Top Eight Mistakes People Make with Medicaid Qualification"
Rochester Elder Law
All Rights Reserved
Legal Disclaimer: We have organized and prepared this website to provide general information about our firm. Content is subject to change without notice. The material presented here is not legal advice and is not to be acted on as such. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Viewing this web site or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. This site may contain attorney advertising. However, prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.