Required Minimum Distribution Age for Inherited 401K - Spouse Died Previous to Age Being Raised to 72 years

[Valerie333]

My husband died in 2013 and I inherited his 401K. The mutual fund company administering the plan informed me that I need to take a Required Minimum Distribution for 2021 since he would have been 70-1/2 at the end of 2020. I was hoping I would not need to take an RMD until he would have turned 72 (in 2022). He did not take any RMDs and neither have I.

Since he died before the law raised the age for taking an RMD from 70-1/2 to 72, does it mean he would have been required to take an RMD when he would have turned 70-1/2 in 2020 and not when he would have turned 72 in 2022? I thought the age was raised to 72 if you were not 70-1/2 in 2019. He would have been 69 in 2019.

I should have rolled his inherited 401K into my own individual IRA but I unfortunately did not do so in 2013.

[MinhT1]

The IRS says in this document.:

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must be taken each year beginning with the year you turn age 72 (70 ½ if you turn 70 ½ in 2019).

So if your late husband did not reach age 70 1/2 in 2019 (i.e. born after 07/01/1949), you would not be required to take a RMD until 2022.

[Valerie333]

Thank you for the reply. The mutual fund company said that since he died before the age was increased to 72, he is not covered by SECURE Act which raised the RMD age to 72. It sounds like it is not dependent on when he died, so I will try to see if I can get the company to change the age to 72.

Thank you again.

[dmertz]

[Deleted.  I misread the circumstances.  See MinhT1's answer.]