Publication 590-B - Introductory Material

For the latest information about developments related to Pub. 590-B, such as legislation enacted after it was published, go to IRS.gov/Pub590B.

What’s New

Qualified tuition program rollover to a Roth IRA. Beginning with distributions made after December 31, 2023, a beneficiary of a section 529 qualified tuition program is permitted to roll over a distribution from the section 529 account to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary if certain requirements are met.

The distribution is paid in a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer (rollover) to a Roth IRA maintained for the benefit of the designated beneficiary. The distribution cannot exceed the aggregate amount contributed to the program (and earnings attributed to the contributed amount) before the 5-year period ending on the date of the distribution.A distribution made after December 31, 2023, and before April 15, 2024, that is rolled over to a Roth IRA by April 15, 2024, and designated for 2023 would be reported as a Roth IRA contribution for 2023.For more information, see Trustee-to-Trustee Transfer in Pub. 590-A.

Distributions to victims of domestic abuse. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2023, a distribution to a domestic abuse victim is not subject to the 10% additional tax on early distributions if the distribution is made from an applicable eligible retirement plan and made to an individual during the 1-year period beginning on the date on which the individual is a victim of domestic abuse by a spouse or domestic partner.An eligible distribution to a domestic abuse victim must not exceed the lesser of $10,000 or 50% of the present value of the nonforfeitable accrued benefit of the employee under the plan.The distribution may be repaid at any time during the 3-year period beginning on the day after the date on which the distribution was received.

Excise tax relief for certain 2023 required minimum distributions. The IRS will not assert an excise tax in 2023 for missed RMDs if certain requirements are met. See Notice 2023-54, available at IRS.gov/irb/2023–31_IRB#NOT-2023-54, for details.

Reminders

Age increased for required beginning date for required minimum distributions. Individuals who reach age 72 after December 31, 2022, may delay receiving their required minimum distributions until April 1 of the year following the year in which they reach age 73.See Your required beginning date for more information.

Income on corrective distributions of excess contributions. The income on the corrective distribution of excess contributions made on or after, December 29, 2022, is no longer subject to the 10% additional tax on early distributions. See Pub. 590-A for more information.

Modification of required distribution rules for designated beneficiaries. There are new required minimum distribution rules for certain beneficiaries who are designated beneficiaries when the IRA owner dies in a tax year beginning after December 31, 2019. All distributions must be made by the end of the 10th year after death, except for distributions made to certain eligible designated beneficiaries. See 10-year rule , later, for more information.

Simplified employee pension (SEP) and SIMPLE plans. SEP and SIMPLE IRAs aren’t covered in this publication. They are covered in Pub. 560, Retirement Plans for Small Business.

Deemed IRAs. A qualified employer plan (retirement plan) can maintain a separate account or annuity under the plan (a deemed IRA) to receive voluntary employee contributions. If the separate account or annuity otherwise meets the requirements of an IRA, it will be subject only to IRA rules. An employee's account can be treated as a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA.For this purpose, a “qualified employer plan” includes:

Statement of required minimum distribution (RMD). If an RMD is required from your IRA, the trustee, custodian, or issuer that held the IRA at the end of the preceding year must either report the amount of the RMD to you, or offer to calculate it for you. The report or offer must include the date by which the amount must be distributed. The report is due January 31 of the year in which the minimum distribution is required. It can be provided with the year-end fair market value statement that you normally get each year. No report is required for section 403(b) contracts (generally tax-sheltered annuities) or for IRAs of owners who have died.

IRA interest. Although interest earned from your IRA is generally not taxed in the year earned, it isn't tax-exempt interest. Tax on your traditional IRA is generally deferred until you take a distribution. Don't report this interest on your return as tax-exempt interest. For more information on tax-exempt interest, see the instructions for your tax return.

Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). For purposes of the NIIT, net investment income doesn't include distributions from a qualified retirement plan (for example, 401(a), 403(a), 403(b), or 457(b) plans, and IRAs). However, these distributions are taken into account when determining the modified adjusted gross income threshold. Distributions from a nonqualified retirement plan are included in net investment income. See Form 8960, Net Investment Income Tax—Individuals, Estates, and Trusts, and its instructions for more information.

Photographs of missing children. The IRS is a proud partner with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC). Photographs of missing children selected by the Center may appear in this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. You can help bring these children home by looking at the photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.

Introduction

This publication discusses distributions from individual retirement arrangements (IRAs). An IRA is a personal savings plan that gives you tax advantages for setting aside money for retirement. For information about contributions to an IRA, see Pub. 590-A.

What are some tax advantages of an IRA?

Two tax advantages of an IRA are that:

What's in this publication?

This publication discusses traditional and Roth IRAs. It explains the rules for:

It also explains the penalties and additional taxes that apply when the rules aren't followed. To assist you in complying with the tax rules for IRAs, this publication contains worksheets, sample forms, and tables, which can be found throughout the publication and in the appendices at the back of the publication.

How to use this publication.

The rules that you must follow depend on which type of IRA you have. Use Table I-1 to help you determine which parts of this publication to read. Also use Table I-1 if you were referred to this publication from instructions to a form.

Comments and suggestions.

We welcome your comments about this publication and suggestions for future editions.

You can send us comments through IRS.gov/FormComments. Or, you can write to the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Forms and Publications, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224.

Although we can’t respond individually to each comment received, we do appreciate your feedback and will consider your comments and suggestions as we revise our tax forms, instructions, and publications. Don’t send tax questions, tax returns, or payments to the above address.

Getting answers to your tax questions.

If you have a tax question not answered by this publication or the How To Get Tax Help section at the end of this publication, go to the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant page at IRS.gov/Help/ITA where you can find topics by using the search feature or viewing the categories listed.

Getting tax forms, instructions, and publications.

Go to IRS.gov/Forms to download current and prior-year forms, instructions, and publications.

Ordering tax forms, instructions, and publications.

Go to IRS.gov/OrderForms to order current forms, instructions, and publications; call 800-829-3676 to order prior-year forms and instructions. The IRS will process your order for forms and publications as soon as possible. Don’t resubmit requests you’ve already sent us. You can get forms and publications faster online.

Useful Items

You may want to see:

Publications

Forms (and Instructions)

See How To Get Tax Help , later, for information about getting these publications and forms.