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REDDIT

Inherited Roth IRA rules pre-2020

R
Dec 9, 2025 · 20:57

My parent had a Roth IRA with myself listed as a beneficiary. They passed away in 2015 so prior to Secure 2.0. The wrinkle is that I had no idea this account existed until this year. It being the 10th since they passed away, as I understand it, it must be fully liquidated.

It is not a huge amount of money, but it's also not pocket change and possibly will place me into a higher tax bracket if forced to fully liquidate.

Does anyone know or understand the rules? Does the 10 year rule apply to date of death(2015) or date of inheritance/control of asset(2025)? The inherited account was only created this year.

If I have to liquidate by 12/31/25 what is the most tax efficient way? It seems I cannot rollover to my own IRA, without liquidating it to cash and then rebuying, which obviously makes it taxable.

Any help is greatly appreciated!