Roth IRA Open on December 31, 2024 - why is this question even being asked?

[PTP1]

I'm over 65, and made a withdrawal from this Roth IRA for the first time ever in 2024. Why does it matter if it's still open or not? Subsequent questions seem to be going down a rabbit hole of questions and topics that shouldn't pertain to me.

[SabrinaD2]

If you're over 65 and made a withdrawal from your Roth IRA for the first time in 2024, the status of your account matters due to IRS rules:

1. 5-Year Rule: Roth IRAs must be open for at least five years to withdraw earnings tax-free
2. Qualified Distributions: Withdrawals after age 59½ are tax-free if the account meets the 5-year rule

For more details, visit TurboTax Roth IRA Withdrawal Rules

[dmertz]

TurboTax asks this question because before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended claiming miscellaneous deductions subject to the 2%-of-AGI floor, if you distributed all of your Roth IRA funds during the year such that you had a zero balance at year end and those distributions totaled less than your basis in Roth IRA contributions and conversions, you had unrecoverable basis that you could claim as a deduction on Schedule A.  With that sort of deduction presently suspended, this question asked by TurboTax currently serves no purpose.  The question likely remains in TurboTax because the suspension of these deductions is set to expire at the end of 2025 and it was easiest to just leave the question in place.