IRS Issues Proposed Regulations Updating Required Minimum Distribution

On February 24, the IRS published proposed regulations on required minimum distributions (RMDs). The changes to the existing RMD rules come on account of the amendments found in the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. 

Specifically, the SECURE Act revised the beginning date of RMDs to April 1 of the calendar year following the later of the calendar year in which the employee either turns age 72 or retires. Prior to the SECURE Act, the triggering age was 70 ½. This change in the rules applies with respect to employees who have attained age 70 ½ after January 1, 2020. The proposed rules also clarify that the employee doesn’t have to survive until age 70 ½ to have the amended age apply; an employee’s beneficiaries can wait until the deceased would’ve turned 72 to begin distributions if the deceased would’ve turned 70 ½ after January 1, 2020.

The bulk of the proposed regulations addresses the elimination of “stretch” individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or plan distributions. The SECURE Act now requires that distributions to non-spouse beneficiaries be completed within 10 years of the plan participant or IRA owner’s death. Distributions may only be distributed over the course of the beneficiary’s life if the beneficiary is an “eligible designated beneficiary.” The definition of an eligible designated beneficiary is now clarified to be a designated beneficiary who, as of the date of the employee’s death, is either:

1. The surviving spouse of the employee
2. A child of the employee who has not yet reached the age of majority
3. Disabled
4. Chronically ill
5. Not more than 10 years younger than the employee

The rules go on to clarify that the age of majority is the child’s 21st birthday. Likewise, whether the designated beneficiary is disabled or chronically ill will depend on the age of the person at the employee’s death and the nature of their impairment.

The proposed regulations are applicable for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. Interested stakeholders may submit comments until May 25, 2022. Employer plan sponsors should be mindful of the updates to the RMD rules and work with their service providers to implement them accordingly.

Required Minimum Distributions »