dmertz
Level 15

Retirement tax questions

1.  The tax code and regulations permit the combined RMD to be taken in any combination from either of the accounts, but perhaps the plan agreement specifies how the RMDs will be satisfied, particularly in the absence of any explicit instruction by the participant.

 

2.  If your intent was to have the entire RMD satisfied by taking funds from the traditional account, you can  somewhat recover by doing a partial Roth conversion in 2023 from the traditional IRA to the Roth IRA.  The difference is that you'll have a larger traditional IRA year-end balance on which your 2023 RMD will be calculated compared to what the balance would have been had the entire RMD been paid from the traditional 401(k) account.  Also, you would be realizing taxable in come in 2023 that would otherwise have been realized in 2022.  You'll need to complete your 2023 RMD for the traditional IRA before doing any Roth conversions.

 

Had you done this Roth conversion in 2022 after the RMD distribution, there would not have been these differences.  By taking all of the RMD from the Roth 401(k) the plan gave you the the opportunity to recover your intent by doing a Roth conversion before year end, but you did not do that.

 

3.  There is no problem.  The RMD for the traditional 401(k) account has been satisfied by the distribution from the Roth 401(k) account.  You should have three 2022 Forms 1099-R:  one with code B for the distribution satisfying the total RMD, one with code H for the direct rollover of the Roth 401(k) to the Roth IRA and one with code G for the direct rollover from the traditional 401(k) to the traditional IRA.  You must enter all of these.

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