How to Avoid Paying Taxes on an Inherited IRA
Dependent upon the type of account you inherit, you may have several withdrawal options available to you. Non-spouse beneficiaries have 10 years from the time of the original account owner’s death to empty out an inherited IRA account completely.
Tax bills associated with withdrawals of this nature may be considerable; however, you may be able to reduce them by spreading out withdrawals over time and seeking advice from a financial advisor before making the final decision.
Taxes on lump sum withdrawals
Nonspouse beneficiaries of IRAs have several options available to them depending on the original owner’s financial situation. Distributions over 10 years or depletion by year 10 can either be taken or made in one lump sum withdrawal payment; but taking this approach means they will owe taxes on everything they withdraw as soon as it hits their accounts; in such a situation it may be wiser to use bracket topping – reviewing taxable income each year and taking sufficient IRA distributions to avoid bumping up into another tax bracket – in order to preserve their investment gains.
Many heirs make the mistake of cashing out their inheritance all at once, which can incur a high tax bill. Instead, it would be prudent to consider taking even distributions over a decade to reduce tax burden and potentially delaying them until retirement when their taxable income should drop further. They should use life expectancy withdrawal method to calculate RMDs as required – failure to comply will incur a 50% penalty penalty fee.
Taxes on rollovers
If you inherit either a traditional or Roth IRA, its rules for administration can be challenging to navigate. While certain elements remain constant, it’s essential that you understand how it’s structured and which options may exist to protect it – otherwise you could end up paying taxes you don’t owe!
Your strategy for handling an inherited IRA depends on its original account owner’s death and who the beneficiary is. Surviving spouses and eligible designated beneficiaries often have more flexibility with how to manage these accounts than non-spouse beneficiaries can. For instance, spouses are sometimes permitted to roll over funds into their own IRA accounts before waiting to take required minimum distributions until age 72 in order to reduce taxable income spikes that push them into higher tax brackets; but before making this decision it would be wiser to consult a tax professional first.
Taxes on RMDs
As part of an inheritance IRA’s RMDs, beneficiaries must pay taxes according to ordinary income tax rates. There are exceptions such as disabled or chronically ill beneficiaries being exempted from this rule and non-spouse children taking distributions based on their life expectancies; spouses can combine inherited IRA funds into their accounts within 60 days after receiving distributions from said IRA.
Beneficiaries can opt for stretched out distributions known as a “Stretch IRA.” This can help them avoid paying the 10% early withdrawal penalty; however, it’s essential to run the numbers to determine whether this strategy makes sense; for instance, if waiting until year 10 will increase their tax bracket dramatically and might make more sense converting their IRA to Roth instead. A financial professional can assist beneficiaries with these calculations as well as explain any new rules related to inherited IRAs as well as provide advice.
Taxes on distributions to nonspouse beneficiaries
Inherited IRAs have long been a reliable vehicle for wealth transfer. Unfortunately, thanks to the SECURE Act most non-spouse beneficiaries will soon have 10 years or face taxes on any funds left in them inherited IRAs they inherit if they wish to access them, and this tax burden may need to be minimized by finding ways to legally avoid tax obligations on such accounts. Luckily there are ways around it.
To avoid paying taxes on an inherited IRA, it’s best to withdraw money gradually rather than making one lump-sum withdrawal. This is particularly important if you are non-spouse beneficiary; spouses can roll over an IRA into their own accounts and continue taking RMDs based on life expectancy; however, if inheriting from someone other than their spouse, withdrawal must occur within 10 years with exceptions given for disabled, chronically ill, and underage beneficiaries; furthermore, all withdrawals will be taxed at your regular income tax rate regardless of any federal estate tax due.
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