Last verified 2026-09-07; facts checked against the primary sources below

What should you do after inheriting an IRA?

Q: Does the ten-year rule mean you can wait ten years?

Not always. For an original IRA owner who died in 2020 or later, many individual beneficiaries who are not eligible designated beneficiaries must empty the account by the end of the tenth year after death. Annual RMDs can also apply during that period ( Schwab inherited-IRA rules ). The table below applies only when the beneficiary is subject to the ten-year rule. It is not the schedule for every spouse, trust, estate or successor beneficiary. Original account situation Annual withdrawals during years 1–9 Traditional IRA; owner died before their required beginning date No annual distribution is required under the ten-year rule before the final year. Traditional IRA; owner died on or after their required beginning date Annual RMDs generally apply as well as the final deadline. Roth IRA The owner is treated as dying before the required beginning date; under the ten-year rule, no annual distribution is required before the final year. Source: IRS Publication 590-B, IRA beneficiaries and distributions after a Roth owner's death . For an owner who died in 2026 , a beneficiary subject to this ten-year deadline must empty the account by December 31, 2036 .

Q: What belongs on your withdrawal calendar?

Ask for written answers to three separate questions: Year of death: Was an RMD due and, if so, how much remains and who will distribute it? Each following year: Is an annual beneficiary RMD required, what is the amount, and what is the processing cutoff? Final year: When must the remaining balance be distributed? Schwab identifies December 31 of the year of death as the deadline for an unfinished required year-of-death distribution ( Schwab withdrawal rules ). If you discover the account after a deadline or suspect a prior shortfall, request the transaction history and tax-professional review promptly. Do not apply old penalty-relief notices to a later year without checking their scope.

Last verified: September 7, 2026

The short answer: Notify the IRA custodian, confirm that it recognizes you as a beneficiary, and request its inherited-account paperwork before asking for a payout. Your relationship to the owner, the IRA type and the owner's death date determine the available transfer and withdrawal routes. Ask separately about any unfinished year-of-death required minimum distribution, annual beneficiary withdrawals and the final account-emptying deadline.

This is an administrative guide to inherited traditional and Roth IRAs under federal rules. It does not choose a tax strategy or calculate your withdrawals. If the money is still in an employer plan, start with what happens to a 401(k) after death.

What should you confirm before moving the IRA?

Create a separate record for each account. Ask the custodian to fill any gaps in this worksheet before you select a distribution option.

Fact to record	Question to ask
Original owner and death date	Is this the original owner's IRA, or an IRA they had already inherited?
Account type	Is it traditional, Roth, SEP or SIMPLE? Are there special contract provisions?
Beneficiary record	Am I named directly, and what share does the custodian recognize?
Relationship and circumstances	Which beneficiary category applies to me, and what evidence is needed?
Owner's required beginning date	Did the owner die before or on/after the date they were required to begin distributions?
Distributions already taken	Was any required amount left unpaid in the year of death?
Transfer destination	What exact inherited-account title and transfer method should I use?

The IRS identifies death year, beneficiary characteristics and the owner's required beginning date as key inputs. The year-of-death RMD is any required amount the owner had not yet withdrawn (IRS beneficiary guidance). An earlier voluntary withdrawal does not establish the owner's required beginning date.

How do you start the beneficiary claim?

Use the institution's official inheritance or transition-services channel. Request a case reference, the account-specific claim checklist and secure upload instructions. Fidelity, for example, separates IRA inheritance from workplace-plan and nonretirement-account processes (Fidelity inheritance services).

Gather the following for the custodian's review; this is a preparation list, not a universal document requirement:

The owner's name, account details and death certificate.
Your contact, identity and taxpayer information.
The custodian's beneficiary application or claim forms.
Authority documents if you represent a trust, estate or another beneficiary.
Available statements and distribution records.

Fidelity's nonspouse individual application illustrates why the correct form matters: it has a defined applicant scope and asks for the deceased owner's death certificate. Other applicants use different paperwork (Fidelity application). Confirm the current form with your own custodian. Keep submitted copies and receipt confirmations in your estate-document checklist.

How do spouse and nonspouse options differ?

Your situation	What to resolve before signing
Surviving spouse	Compare remaining a beneficiary with any available option to treat the IRA as your own. Ask how each affects access and required withdrawals.
Nonspouse individual	Use the inherited-account process. Do not deposit the assets into your own ordinary IRA.
Trustee or estate representative	Obtain instructions for the named entity and its governing documents. Do not use an individual-beneficiary election automatically.
Beneficiary of someone who had already inherited the IRA	Request successor-beneficiary instructions and the original owner's records; do not assume a new ten-year period starts.

The IRS describes spouse ownership elections, nonspouse transfer restrictions and special trust/successor rules in Publication 590-B. Being the executor does not itself make you the IRA beneficiary. Resolve a disputed designation with the custodian and legal counsel before distributing assets.

Can you transfer an inherited IRA to another institution?

A nonspouse beneficiary can generally arrange a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer into a properly titled inherited IRA. A personal payout followed by a deposit is different: the usual 60-day rollover route is unavailable to nonspouse IRA beneficiaries (Fidelity nonspouse IRA guidance).

Ask both institutions to confirm the destination account, the deceased-owner and beneficiary names, which assets can transfer, any fees and who handles required withdrawals. Save the transfer confirmation and check it against the receiving statement. Changing custodians does not restart the inheritance withdrawal schedule.

Does the ten-year rule mean you can wait ten years?

Not always. For an original IRA owner who died in 2020 or later, many individual beneficiaries who are not eligible designated beneficiaries must empty the account by the end of the tenth year after death. Annual RMDs can also apply during that period (Schwab inherited-IRA rules).

The table below applies only when the beneficiary is subject to the ten-year rule. It is not the schedule for every spouse, trust, estate or successor beneficiary.

Original account situation	Annual withdrawals during years 1–9
Traditional IRA; owner died before their required beginning date	No annual distribution is required under the ten-year rule before the final year.
Traditional IRA; owner died on or after their required beginning date	Annual RMDs generally apply as well as the final deadline.
Roth IRA	The owner is treated as dying before the required beginning date; under the ten-year rule, no annual distribution is required before the final year.

Source: IRS Publication 590-B, IRA beneficiaries and distributions after a Roth owner's death. For an owner who died in 2026, a beneficiary subject to this ten-year deadline must empty the account by December 31, 2036. That date does not remove an earlier annual obligation.

Eligible designated beneficiaries include a surviving spouse, the owner's minor child, qualifying disabled or chronically ill individuals, and individuals not more than ten years younger than the owner. Different options may apply (IRS beneficiary categories). Have the custodian confirm the category rather than assuming every adult child or sibling has the same schedule.

What belongs on your withdrawal calendar?

Ask for written answers to three separate questions:

Year of death: Was an RMD due and, if so, how much remains and who will distribute it?
Each following year: Is an annual beneficiary RMD required, what is the amount, and what is the processing cutoff?
Final year: When must the remaining balance be distributed?

Schwab identifies December 31 of the year of death as the deadline for an unfinished required year-of-death distribution (Schwab withdrawal rules). If you discover the account after a deadline or suspect a prior shortfall, request the transaction history and tax-professional review promptly. Do not apply old penalty-relief notices to a later year without checking their scope.

What tax records should you keep?

Keep account statements, withdrawal confirmations, withholding elections, tax forms and any records of nondeductible contributions. Traditional IRA distributions may be taxable; inherited Roth earnings can be taxable if the applicable five-year condition is unmet. Ask your tax preparer to review the actual records before requesting a large payout (IRS beneficiary tax guidance).

Before you finish the claim, write down who will provide the calculation, who will submit each withdrawal and where confirmations will be stored. A completed beneficiary application is not proof that future withdrawals are scheduled.

Where can you find the right institution or account?

Use the account and institution directory for provider routes. If the statement is missing or you do not know where the IRA is held, start with how to find a deceased person's accounts.

The Estate Desk handles this for California families. theestatedesk.com