Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits

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Chapter 10: RMD Rules for “Annuitized” Plans 437
plan; and see (discussed at for the ability of a nonspouse Designated
Beneficiary to transfer inherited QRP benefits to an “inherited” IRA or Roth IRA.
If the participant died before the ASD, the regulation is a little hazy on the requirements
and options. It appears that the beneficiary could take the benefits in a lump sum (if that option is
offered by the plan), though that option is not discussed in the regulation.
Alternatively, a Designated Beneficiary (see for definition of this term) could take
the benefits in any of three annuity forms:
A. Life annuity with minimum guaranteed term. The Designated Beneficiary can take a
life annuity with a minimum guaranteed term, provided the guaranteed term may not
exceed the beneficiary’s life expectancy, determined using the IRS’s Single Life Table.
Reg. A-3(b)(1); A-5(b), (c).
B. Life annuity. He can take a life annuity with no minimum guaranteed term. Although the
regulation does not specifically mention this form of benefit, it can be inferred from
and the regulations mentioned at “A.”
C. Annuity for term certain. He can take an annuity for a period certain. The period certain
may not exceed his life expectancy (see “A”).
Whichever of these annuity options is chosen, the first payment must be made no later than
the end of the year after the year of the participant’s death (or, if later, and if the sole beneficiary
is the participant’s spouse, the end of the year in which the participant would have reached age
70½). Reg. A-1(c)(1), fourth sentence; A-3(a), (b).
If the beneficiary is not a Designated Beneficiary, the options are more restricted because
all benefits must be distributed within five years after the participant’s death.
Reg. A-4. See for more on this so-called five-year rule.
Note that the above discusses the participant’s death “before the ASD,” rather than “before
the RBD.” See
If the participant died on or after the ASD, the payout to the beneficiary is determined by
the type of survivor annuity the participant selected when the annuity payout began. See the
alternatives listed at B)–(E). The survivor annuity can be accelerated (converted to a
lump sum), if the beneficiary wishes to do so and the plan permits this option. Reg.
A-14(a)(5).
Furthermore, “the annuity starting date will be treated as the required beginning date” for
purposes of Reg. and Reg. A-10(a). Thus, the
employee’s death after the ASD is treated as death after the RBD even if it was in fact before the
RBD. Similarly, if the participant died before the year he would have reached age 70½, and his
surviving spouse starts a regulation-compliant annuity payout prior to that year (even though she
could have waited until that year), distributions after her death must continue to be made over her
life expectancy (or whatever other regulation-compliant period she elected). Her death does not
trigger a new determination of Designated Beneficiary, as it would have had she died before
commencing her payout. Reg. A-11. Compare Reg. A-5, A-6,
A-4(b).
Note: Despite this rule treating the ASD as the RBD for certain purposes, it would appear
that annuity payments made to the participant prior to his first distribution year should not be