Blog Article

How to Report Your 2020 RMD Rollover on Your Tax Return

Taxes-with-mask
Chris Waclawik

By Chris Waclawik, Wealth Advisor AFC®, CFP®
Published On 01/26/2021

Following the stock market decline early in 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act on March 27, providing relief for individuals and businesses impacted by the pandemic. One of the provisions was a suspension of 2020 Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Individuals who hadn’t taken a distribution yet were no longer required to do so.

For individuals who took a distribution early in 2020, they were given the opportunity to “undo” part or all of that distribution by returning funds to their IRA by August 31, 2020.

 

Tax Forms for IRA Rollovers

Some taxpayers who took advantage of this rollover to undo that RMD may be surprised to get tax forms reporting the withdrawal.

Example 1: Kendra turned 75 in 2020 and had a $30,000 RMD at the start of the year. She took her distribution on February 1, 2020, with 10% tax withholding ($27,000 net distribution and $3,000 for taxes). She didn’t “need” the distribution as Social Security and other income covered her entire cost of living. Because she didn’t need the money, she returned the full $30,000 to her IRA on June 15, 2020.

 

In January 2021, Kendra was surprised to receive a Form 1099-R since she returned the entire amount and knew she shouldn’t owe taxes on it. The Form 1099-R reported a $30,000 distribution from her IRA in Box 1 and $3,000 in Box 4 for tax withholding. Box 7 reports code 7 for a “normal distribution.”

 

How to Report the 2020 Rollover

Since Kendra returned the entire $30,000 withdrawal listed on her tax return, it won’t be included in her taxable income. However, she will need to report both the withdrawal and the rollover on her tax return.

In her case, the full $30,000 will be reported on line 4a of Form 1040, with $0 reported on Line 4b. She will also write “Rollover” next to line 4b. In her case, the $3,000 that was withheld for taxes will still be reported with other tax withholding and will impact her ultimate refund or balance due.

 

 

How to Report a Partial Rollover

Example 2: Jane turned 76 in 2020. She also had a $30,000 distribution that she took on February 1, 2020, with 10% tax withholding ($27,000 net after $3,000 for taxes). On June 15, 2020, she returned $12,000 to her IRA instead of the full $30,000.

In January 2021, she received a 1099-R that also reported a $30,000 distribution from her IRA in Box 1 and $3,000 in Box 4 for tax withholding. Box 7 reports Code 7 for a “normal distribution.”

In Jane’s case, she will also report the full $30,000 on line 4a. She will report $18,000 on line 4b ($30,000 original distribution minus $12,000 returned to her IRA in 2020). She will also write “Rollover” next to line 4b. The $3,000 withheld for taxes will still be reported with other tax withholding as usual.

 

Form 5498

Taxpayers who returned some or all of their distribution in 2020 will receive Form 5498. They likely will not receive this form until May 2021—after the April 15 tax filing deadline. This form will be used to report the amount returned to the retirement account in 2020 and verify the rollover reported on the 2020 tax return. The taxpayer does not need to wait (and should not wait) for the Form 5498 before filing their taxes. This is simply an information form so the IRS can verify what was reported on the tax return.

 

Exception from the Usual Rule

It’s important to remember that all of these rollovers are a one-time exception in 2020 from the usual rule. Typically, this type of rollover can only be done once per rolling 365-day period and must be completed within 60 days of taking the withdrawal. Also, RMDs are generally specifically prohibited from this type of rollover.

 

Conclusion

Individuals who returned RMDs in 2020 to avoid having to include the withdrawal in their taxable income will still receive a tax form showing the distribution and will have to report it on their tax return. When reported correctly, the amount returned will be excluded from their income as intended.

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: The material is presented solely for information purposes and has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, however Merriman cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source. Merriman does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be relied upon as such.

 

P.S. Don't LET YOUR FRIENDS MISS OUT. Share this article:

Chris Waclawik

By Chris Waclawik, Wealth Advisor AFC®, CFP®

After college, Chris moved to South Korea where he worked for the army as a financial counselor. He helped everyone from 18-year-old service members getting their first real paychecks, to those approaching retirement, and saw the stress caused by spending too much money early in life, as well as the stress of sacrificing too much earlier on and missing out on the opportunity to really live fully. He became a financial advisor to help people find clarity in reaching goals and to work with them to find balance between planning for tomorrow and living fully today.

Articles Straight to Your Inbox

Subscribe to Merriman's Envision Newsletter to receive in-depth articles and expert commentary, delivered monthly to your inbox:

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By submitting your information, you consent to subscribe to Merriman's email list so that we may send you relevant content from time to time. Please see our Privacy Policy.