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The Daily Insight

Can my daughter inherit my Roth IRA?

Author

Andrew Ramirez

Published May 16, 2026

Inheriting a Roth IRA as a Non-Spouse Earnings are taxable unless the 5-year rule is met. You won’t be subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Assets in the account can continue to grow tax-free. You can designate your own beneficiary.

What happens when a child inherits a Roth IRA?

You do not have RMDs. However, if you open the Roth IRA as a new inherited account, you need to take RMDs but can stretch them over your lifetime. You’re the minor child of the original owner. You can take distributions based on your life expectancy until you’re 18 or the age of majority, if different, in your state.

Do inherited Roth IRAs get a step up in basis?

You’ll pay the tax on the distributions out of the tax-deferred retirement accounts, but when the children inherit the holdings in the taxable account, they’ll get a step up in basis, which effectively eliminates any capital gains in the investments during the time that you owned the taxable investments.

Can a beneficiary of an inherited IRA contribute to a Roth IRA?

For Roth IRAs, you contribute taxed income (and your contributions aren’t tax deductible) and when you retire, your withdrawals are tax-free. As a beneficiary, you can transfer the money from any type of IRA to a new inherited IRA in your name.

What happens when you cash out an inherited IRA?

This is known as an “inherited IRA.” You could immediately cash out traditional or Roth IRAs through a lump sum distribution. With traditional IRAs, withdrawals are taxable income. However, withdrawals from Roth IRAs (as long as the account was open for at least five years) are tax-free.

When do I have to withdraw from my inherited Roth IRA?

Under the Five-Year Method, the assets are transferred to an Inherited Roth IRA in your name. You can spread out the distributions, but you must withdraw all the assets from the account by Dec. 31 of the fifth year following the year of death 6 6

Can a non spouse beneficiary cash out a traditional IRA?

Your Options as a Non-Spouse Beneficiary. You can immediately cash out traditional or Roth IRAs. This is known as a lump sum distribution. With traditional IRAs, the withdrawal is considered taxable income, but with Roth IRAs, as long as the account was open at least five years, the beneficiary can withdraw it tax-free.