Is a regular monthly pension check considered an RMD?

[tomfitzgerald194]

I get checks once a month from my Pension plan.  I don't know how to answer the question "How much of the $$ (from Pension) was a RMD?"

[macuser_22]

Yes.  That is how a pensions is calculated by the payer.  They must calculate the RMD and that is what you get as a monthly payment.     They don't call it a RMD but that is what it is.

The rules that the plan administrator must use to calculate the RMD as required by §401(a)(9) are defined in § 1.401(a)(9)-6) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).

[ThomasM125]

A required minimum distribution (RMD) is associated with an IRA or 401(K) type of retirement account, where you decide when distributions are taken and how much is distributed. If you get a regular monthly distribution from a pension plan for which you don't control the amount or timing of the distribution, then it would not be an RMD.

[dmertz]

TurboTax is really asking how much of the distribution is eligible for rollover.  Regular pension payments for life are not eligible for rollover, so it's all effectively RMD.  However, since you would not have rolled any of this distribution over, it doesn't matter what answer you give to this question.