Retirement & Eldercare

Warning: 2015 Marks Changes in IRA Rollover Limitation Rules

Warning: 2015 Marks Changes in IRA Rollover Limitation Rules

Rules within the tax code permit distributions to be taken from IRA accounts without incurring either taxes or early distribution penalties as long as the monies withdrawn are rolled over within a sixty-day period into another IRA account. This has traditionally been permitted once per year for every IRA account that an individual held, but a new ruling has created a change in this allowance.

According to a tax court ruling that was made during 2014, taxpayers are now limited to a single IRA rollover for every 12-month period rather than one per account. This is a marked departure from the previous position that was published in IRS materials. Though many believe that information contained in IRS publications represents the law, it is actually only an interpretation, and is not citable as a defense. Court decisions supersede any IRS guidance that has been provided.

The new position will be reflected in IRS guidance that is being published for 2015, and the new rules will be put into place in 2015. Taxpayers need not worry about the new ruling for 2014, as the IRS is providing time for this information to be disseminated. Distributions taken in 2014 that are deposited into another IRA in 2015 (within the 60-day limit) will not count as a 2015 rollover.

Simplified Employer Pension Plans (SEPS) and SIMPLE plans will both fall under the new one-per-12-month-rule, though traditional-to-Roth IRA conversions and trustee-to-trustee IRA transfers will not be. If you are considering taking a distribution from an IRA to rollover into another and need more explanation or guidance regarding the new rule, contact us for assistance.

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Lee Reams, BSME, EA

Lee Reams, BSME, EA

Editor-in-Chief

Besides his role at CountingWorks as an educator and speaker to thousands of accountants nationwide, Lee manages a technical research service for a large group of tax accountants which sharpens his technical skills. Lee served on the Board of Blackline Systems, is a former Board of Director for the California Tax Education Council, is a Past President of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of Enrolled Agents, Member and Past Director for the California Society of Enrolled Agents.

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