401K and Roth RMDs

If you have a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from a 401K or Roth, either inherited or your own, you can apparently skip RMDs in 2020:


‘A temporary waiver of required minimum distributions (RMDs). Generally, when you turn 72 (or 70½ if you reached that age on or before December 31, 2019), you must take an RMD from your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other qualified retirement plan account. If you were required to take an RMD in 2020 (either from your own IRA or defined contribution plan account or as a beneficiary taking life-expectancy payments), the CARES Act waives that requirement. How can you benefit?
Because RMDs are calculated on your account value at the end of the previous year—when account values were likely significantly higher than they are in current depressed market conditions—not taking an RMD in 2020 could allow you to avoid withdrawing an inflated amount and paying a bigger tax bill.
A waiver of the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty for retirement account distributions. The CARES Act waives the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty tax normally assessed on pre-age 59½ withdrawals, up to $100,000, across all retirement plan or IRA accounts, if you meet at least one of the following criteria:

· You have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
· Your spouse or dependent has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
· You face adverse financial circumstances arising from COVID-19, including, but not limited to, being quarantined, having work hours reduced, being laid off, or being unable to work because of a lack of childcare.
Further, if you receive a distribution for the reasons above, you may waive the 20 percent mandatory federal tax withholding. You may roll the distributed amount back into your retirement plan or IRA within three years from the date the distribution was taken. If you choose not to return the funds into a qualified account, you will owe taxes on the distributed amount (which also can be repaid over three years).
Increased retirement plan loan maximums. If you are affected by COVID-19; meet one of the criteria above; and your employer allows you to take a loan from your 401(k), 403(b), or other retirement plan account, you may take the lesser of $100,000 or 100 percent of your vested account balance (a significant increase from the 50 percent of your vested account balance, up to a maximum of $50,000, under normal rules). If you take a loan between March 27, 2020, and December 31, 2020, you may delay the loan repayment for up to one year.’
Then again, I ain’t a financial planner nor do I play one on TV.