Q. What is the deal with the new rules about IRA minimum distributions?
A. This was a confusing issue even for tax professionals. We'll do our best
to clarify it here.
On January 17, 2001, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) distributed proposed
regulations related to required minimum distributions from Individual
Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and other qualified plans. The proposed changes
attempt to simplify the current proposed regulations from 1987, although
their level of success is debatable.
First, it is important to remember that many proposed regulations require
several years of public comment and revision prior to their publication as
final regulations. Some proposed regulations are ultimately withdrawn by the
IRS and never make it to the final publication stage. This means that the
current proposed regulations may not come into effect at all, or may be
further modified before they are made final.
With that in mind, we can sort out some confusion regarding the "effective
date" of the new proposed changes. The IRS originally proposed that the new
rules would become effective after 2001, but suggested that taxpayers could
elect to use them for determining required minimum distributions during
calendar year 2001. In other words, a taxpayer could elect to use the new
rules at any time during 2001, although they would not become required until
after December 31, 2001.
The IRS then clarified its guidance in Announcement 2001-18, 2001-10, I.R.B.
The new rules may be used during 2001 with the following exception:
they may not be used with reference to tax year 2000 minimum distributions,
which are required to be made by April 1, 2001. To determine those
distributions, the taxpayer must still use the prior proposed 1987 era
regulations. Presumably, distributions relative to tax year 2001,
particularly those taken after April 1, 2001, may be determined using the
new proposed regulations.
Furthermore, the IRS has warned IRA plan sponsors not to amend their plan
documents until the publication of final regulations. The IRS also will not
issue model IRA plan documents on the basis of the January 2001 publication
of these proposed regulations.
Although this makes it difficult for the taxpayer to plan future
distributions, it highlights the need for taxpayers to keep in touch with
their CPA or professional financial advisor to handle these tricky
regulations changes.
If you wish to do more in-depth reading about these proposed regulations,
including revised tables, they can be found in their entirety, online:
1) Go to
www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a010117c.html (this is a very
large page).
2) Scroll down to "Internal Revenue Service."
3) Under "Internal Revenue Service," choose the section called "Income
Taxes." Under that section, find the item labeled "Retirement Plans;
required distributions, 3928-3954 [01-304]."
4) Next to this item, choose to view either the [TEXT] version or [PDF]
version (you need Adobe Reader to view a PDF file).
5) Be patient, because this is a very large file. Your ability to access it
will depend on your system and Internet connection.
Readers will soon see that, while some small steps were taken in reducing
this overly complex area, there is much more work to be done prior to
rendering the issue intelligible to the taxpayer.
This IRS Publication provides IRA basics from the perspective of the
Internal Revenue Service. To view online, go to:
www.irs.gov/forms_pubs/pubs/p590toc.htm
IRA.Com News
IRA.com is growing to serve you. Your comments and suggestions are guiding
the way. We recently had a successful test-run of our "Ask an Expert"
feature and received a great many questions to which our experts responded.
We are still receiving a large number of suggestions in our
suggestion box,
which will help us to create a final product that offers the best of what
you need. We encourage your contributions.
DISCLAIMERS
(c) 2001 Copyright Claimed, Internet Retirement Alliance.
Abstracts (c) Information, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland 301-215-4688.
Redistribution is prohibited.
The material and information herein is obtained by from a wide variety of
sources. The Internet Retirement Alliance (IRA.com) believes this
information is accurate, current, and authoritative, but it may not be. The
Internet Retirement Alliance (IRA.com) provides the information "as is"
without any express or implied warranties.
The Internet Retirement Alliance (IRA.com) does not provide legal,
accounting, investment, or other professional services. If the reader
requires legal, accounting, investment, or other expert assistance, the
services of a competent professional person should be sought.
