FAME! I’m Gonna Live Forever….and My Retirement Account Might Last That Long, Too!

by Becky Achten

Section 401(a)(9) requires most retirement plans and individual retirement accounts to make required minimum distributions (“RMDs”) over the lifetime of the individual (or the lifetime of the individual and certain designated beneficiaries) beginning no later than such individual’s required beginning date (generally, April 1 in the year following attainment of age 72).  This minimum amount is determined by dividing the individual’s account balance by the applicable distribution period found in one of the life expectancy and distribution tables (the “Tables”).

On November 12, 2020 the Department of Treasury is scheduled to publish final regulations updating the Tables, which is in response to an Executive Order issued in August of 2018 directing the Secretary of the Treasury to review the Tables to determine if they should be updated to reflect current mortality data.

The updated Tables will generally reflect longer life expectancies than presently reflected in the current Tables last published based on 2003 mortality rates.  For example, the current Tables use a life expectancy of 25.6 years for a 72-year-old for purposes of calculating the RMD while the updated Tables will use a life expectancy of 27.4 years.  This will result in reduced RMDs, enabling individuals to retain larger balances in retirement accounts to account for the possibility of living longer.

The updated Tables will be effective for distributions beginning on or after January 1, 2022 and will include a transition to ‘re-set’ the life expectancy for certain individuals already receiving RMDs based on the prior Tables.  For example, an individual who attains age 72 in 2021 will be required to take an RMD no later than April 1, 2022.  The updated Tables will not apply to calculate the individual’s 2021 RMD (paid on or before April 1, 2022), but the updated Tables will apply to the 2022 RMD (paid on or before December 31, 2022). The regulations do not include periodic automatic updates to the Tables.  Instead, the Treasury and IRS will review the Tables at the earlier of 10 years or whenever a new study of mortality experience is published.  The final regulation and new Tables can be found here.