Important Changes

Required distributions.   The IRS announced new rules that simplify the calculation of required distributions. See Required distributions under Tax on Excess Accumulation.

Rollovers to and from qualified retirement plans.   For distributions made after 2001, for rollover purposes, tax-sheltered annuity plans (403(b) plans) and eligible state or local government section 457 deferred compensation plans are qualified retirement plans. See Rollovers.

Hardship distribution rollovers.   A hardship distribution made after 2001 from any retirement plan is not an eligible rollover distribution. See Rollovers.

Time for making rollover.   The 60-day period for completing the rollover of an eligible rollover distribution may be extended for distributions made after 2001 in certain cases of casualty, disaster, or other events beyond your reasonable control. See Rollovers.

Rollover by surviving spouse.   You may be able to roll over a distribution made after 2001 you receive as the surviving spouse of a deceased employee into a qualified retirement plan or a traditional IRA. See Rollovers.

Eligible rollover distribution.   You may be able to roll over the nontaxable part of a retirement plan distribution made after 2001 to another qualified retirement plan or a traditional IRA. See Rollovers.

Section 457 plan early distributions.   The tax on early distributions may apply to certain distributions made from an eligible state or local government section 457 deferred compensation plan after 2001. See Tax on Early Distributions.

Important Reminder

Photographs of missing children.   The Internal Revenue Service is a proud partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Photographs of missing children selected by the Center may appear in this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. You can help bring these children home by looking at the photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.

Introduction

This publication gives you the information you need to determine the tax treatment of distributions you receive from pension and annuity plans and also shows you how to report the income on your federal income tax return. How these distributions are taxed depends on whether they are periodic payments (amounts received as an annuity) that are paid at regular intervals over several years or nonperiodic payments (amounts not received as an annuity).

What is covered in this publication?   Publication 575 contains information that you need to understand the following topics.

• How to figure the tax-free part of periodic payments under a pension or annuity plan, including using a simple worksheet for payments under a qualified plan.
• How to figure the tax-free part of nonperiodic payments from qualified and nonqualified plans, and how to use the optional methods to figure the tax on lump-sum distributions from pension, stock bonus, and profit-sharing plans.
• How to roll over certain distributions from a retirement plan into another retirement plan or IRA.
• How to report disability payments, and how beneficiaries and survivors of employees and retirees must report benefits paid to them.
• When additional taxes on certain distributions may apply (including the tax on early distributions and the tax on excess accumulation).

For additional information on how to report pension or annuity payments on your federal income tax return, be sure to review the instructions on the back of Copies B and C of the Form 1099-R that you received and the instructions for lines 16a and 16b of Form 1040 (lines 12a and 12b of Form 1040A).

What is not covered in this publication?   The following topics are not discussed in this publication.

• The General Rule. This is the method generally used to determine the tax treatment of pension and annuity income from nonqualified plans (including commercial annuities). For a qualified plan, you generally cannot use the General Rule unless your annuity starting date is before November 19, 1996. Although this publication will help you determine whether you can use the General Rule, it will not help you use it to determine the tax treatment of your pension or annuity income. For more information on the General Rule, see Publication 939, General Rule for Pensions and Annuities.
• Individual retirement arrangements (IRAs). Information on the tax treatment of amounts you receive from an IRA is in Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).
• Civil service retirement benefits. If you are retired from the federal government (either regular or disability retirement) or are the survivor or beneficiary of a federal employee or retiree who died, get Publication 721, Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits. Publication 721 covers the tax treatment of federal retirement benefits, primarily those paid under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS).
• Social security and equivalent tier 1 railroad retirement benefits. For information about the tax treatment of these benefits, see Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits. However, this publication (575) covers the tax treatment of nonequivalent tier 1 railroad retirement benefits, tier 2 benefits, vested dual benefits, and supplemental annuity benefits paid by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.
• Tax-sheltered annuity plans (403(b) plans). If you work for a public school or certain tax-exempt organizations, you may be eligible to participate in a 403(b) retirement plan offered by your employer. Although this publication covers the treatment of benefits under 403(b) plans, it does not cover other tax provisions that apply to these plans. For more information on 403(b) plans, see Publication 571, Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b) Plans).

Comments and suggestions.   We welcome your comments about this publication and your suggestions for future editions.

You can e-mail us while visiting our web site at www.irs.gov.

You can write to us at the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Technical Publications Branch
W:CAR:MP:FP:P
1111 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20224

We respond to many letters by telephone. Therefore, it would be helpful if you would include your daytime phone number, including the area code, in your correspondence.

Useful Items You may want to see:

Publication

• 524   Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled
• 525   Taxable and Nontaxable Income
• 560   Retirement Plans for Small Business (SEP, SIMPLE, and Qualified Plans)
• 571   Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b) Plans)
• 590   Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)
• 721   Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits
• 915   Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
• 939   General Rule for Pensions and Annuities

Form (and Instructions)

• W-4P   Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments
• 1099-R   Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc.
• 4972   Tax on Lump-Sum Distributions
• 5329   Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs) and Other Tax-Favored Accounts

See How To Get Tax Help near the end of this publication for information about getting publications and forms.

General Information

Some of the terms used in this publication are defined in the following paragraphs.

• A pension is generally a series of definitely determinable payments made to you after you retire from work. Pension payments are made regularly and are based on certain factors, such as years of service with your employer or your prior compensation.
• An annuity is a series of payments under a contract made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year. They can be either fixed (under which you receive a definite amount) or variable (not fixed). You can buy the contract alone or with the help of your employer.

• A qualified employee plan is an employer's stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan that is for the exclusive benefit of employees or their beneficiaries and that meets Internal Revenue Code requirements. It qualifies for special tax benefits, such as tax deferral for employer contributions and capital gain treatment or the 10-year tax option for lump-sum distributions (if participants qualify). To determine whether your plan is a qualified plan, check with your employer or the plan administrator.
• A qualified employee annuity is a retirement annuity purchased by an employer for an employee under a plan that meets Internal Revenue Code requirements.
• A tax-sheltered annuity plan (often referred to as a 403(b) plan or a tax-deferred annuity plan) is a retirement plan for employees of public schools and certain tax-exempt organizations. Generally, a tax-sheltered annuity plan provides retirement benefits by purchasing annuity contracts for its participants.

  

Types of pensions and annuities.   Pensions and annuities include the following types.

1. Fixed-period annuities. You receive definite amounts at regular intervals for a specified length of time.
2. Annuities for a single life. You receive definite amounts at regular intervals for life. The payments end at death.
3. Joint and survivor annuities. The first annuitant receives a definite amount at regular intervals for life. After he or she dies, a second annuitant receives a definite amount at regular intervals for life. The amount paid to the second annuitant may or may not differ from the amount paid to the first annuitant.
4. Variable annuities. You receive payments that may vary in amount for a specified length of time or for life. The amounts you receive may depend upon such variables as profits earned by the pension or annuity funds, cost-of-living indexes, or earnings from a mutual fund.
5. Disability pensions. You receive disability payments because you retired on disability and have not reached minimum retirement age.

More than one program.   You may receive employee plan benefits from more than one program under a single trust or plan of your employer. If you participate in more than one program, you may have to treat each as a separate contract, depending upon the facts in each case. Also, you may be considered to have received more than one pension or annuity. Your former employer or the plan administrator should be able to tell you if you have more than one pension or annuity contract.

Example.   Your employer set up a noncontributory profit-sharing plan for its employees. The plan provides that the amount held in the account of each participant will be paid when that participant retires. Your employer also set up a contributory defined benefit pension plan for its employees providing for the payment of a lifetime pension to each participant after retirement.

The amount of any distribution from the profit-sharing plan depends on the contributions (including allocated forfeitures) made for the participant and the earnings from those contributions. Under the pension plan, however, a formula determines the amount of the pension benefits. The amount of contributions is the amount necessary to provide that pension.

Each plan is a separate program and a separate contract. If you get benefits from these plans, you must account for each separately, even though the benefits from both may be included in the same check.

Qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).   A spouse or former spouse who receives part of the benefits from a retirement plan under a QDRO reports the payments received as if he or she were a plan participant. The spouse or former spouse is allocated a share of the participant's cost (investment in the contract) equal to the cost times a fraction. The numerator (top part) of the fraction is the present value of the benefits payable to the spouse or former spouse. The denominator (bottom part) is the present value of all benefits payable to the participant.

A distribution that is paid to a child or other dependent under a QDRO is taxed to the plan participant.

What is a QDRO?   A QDRO is a judgment, decree, or order relating to payment of child support, alimony, or marital property rights to a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent. The QDRO must contain certain specific information, such as the name and last known mailing address of the participant and each alternate payee, and the amount or percentage of the participant's benefits to be paid to each alternate payee. A QDRO may not award an amount or form of benefit that is not available under the plan.

Variable Annuities

The tax rules in this publication apply both to annuities that provide fixed payments and to annuities that provide payments that vary in amount based on investment results or other factors. For example, they apply to commercial variable annuity contracts, whether bought by an employee retirement plan for its participants or bought directly from the issuer by an individual investor. Under these contracts, the owner can generally allocate the purchase payments among several types of investment portfolios or mutual funds and the contract value is determined by the performance of those investments. The earnings are not taxed until distributed either in a withdrawal or in annuity payments. The taxable part of a distribution is treated as ordinary income.

For information on the tax treatment of a transfer or exchange of a variable annuity contract, see Transfers of Annuity Contracts under Taxation of Nonperiodic Payments, later.

Withdrawals.   If you withdraw funds before your annuity starting date and your annuity is under a qualified retirement plan, a ratable part of the amount withdrawn is tax free. The tax-free part is based on the ratio of your cost (investment in the contract) to your account balance under the plan.

If your annuity is under a nonqualified plan (including a contract you bought directly from the issuer), the amount withdrawn is allocated first to earnings (the taxable part) and then to your cost (the tax-free part). However, if you bought your annuity contract before August 14, 1982, a different allocation applies to the investment before that date and the earnings on that investment. To the extent the amount withdrawn does not exceed that investment and earnings, it is allocated first to your cost (the tax-free part) and then to earnings (the taxable part).

If you withdraw funds (other than as an annuity) on or after your annuity starting date, the entire amount withdrawn is generally taxable.

The amount you receive in a full surrender of your annuity contract at any time is tax free to the extent of any cost that you have not previously recovered tax free. The rest is taxable.

For more information on the tax treatment of withdrawals, see Taxation of Nonperiodic Payments, later. If you withdraw funds from your annuity before you reach age 59½, also see Tax on Early Distributions under Special Additional Taxes, later.

Annuity payments.   If you receive annuity payments under a variable annuity plan or contract, you recover your cost tax free under either the Simplified Method or the General Rule, as explained under Taxation of Periodic Payments, later. For a variable annuity paid under a qualified plan, you generally must use the Simplified Method. For a variable annuity paid under a nonqualified plan (including a contract you bought directly from the issuer), you must use a special computation under the General Rule. For more information, see Variable annuities in Publication 939 under Computation Under the General Rule.

Death benefits.   If you receive a single-sum distribution from a variable annuity contract because of the death of the owner or annuitant, the distribution is generally taxable only to the extent it is more than the unrecovered cost of the contract. If you choose to receive an annuity, the payments are subject to tax as described above. If the contract provides a joint and survivor annuity and the primary annuitant had received annuity payments before death, you figure the tax-free part of annuity payments you receive as the survivor in the same way the primary annuitant did. See Survivors and Beneficiaries, later.

Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plans

If you work for a state or local government or for a tax-exempt organization, you may be able to participate in a section 457 deferred compensation plan. If your plan is an eligible plan, you are not taxed currently on pay that is deferred under the plan or on any earnings from the plan's investment of the deferred pay. You are taxed on amounts deferred in an eligible state or local government plan only when they are distributed from the plan. You are taxed on amounts deferred in an eligible tax-exempt organization plan when they are distributed or otherwise made available to you.

This publication covers the tax treatment of benefits under eligible section 457 plans, but it does not cover the treatment of deferrals. For information on deferrals under section 457 plans, see Retirement Plan Contributions under Employee Compensation in Publication 525.

Is your plan eligible?   To find out if your plan is an eligible plan, check with your employer. The following plans are not eligible section 457 plans.

1. Bona fide vacation leave, sick leave, compensatory time, severance pay, disability pay, or death benefit plans.
2. Nonelective deferred compensation plans for nonemployees (independent contractors).
3. Deferred compensation plans maintained by churches.
4. Length of service award plans for bona fide volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel. An exception applies if the total amount paid to a volunteer exceeds $3,000 for any year of service.

Disability Pensions

If you retired on disability, you generally must include in income any disability pension you receive under a plan that is paid for by your employer. You must report your taxable disability payments as wages on line 7 of Form 1040 or Form 1040A until you reach minimum retirement age. Minimum retirement age generally is the age at which you can first receive a pension or annuity if you are not disabled.

You may be entitled to a tax credit if you were permanently and totally disabled when you retired. For information on this credit, see Publication 524.

Beginning on the day after you reach minimum retirement age, payments you receive are taxable as a pension or annuity. Report the payments on lines 16a and 16b of Form 1040, or on lines 12a and 12b of Form 1040A.

For tax years ending after September 10, 2001, disability payments for injuries incurred as a direct result of a terrorist attack directed against the United States (or its allies), whether outside or within the United States, are not included in income. For more information about payments to survivors of terrorists attacks, see Publication 3920, Tax Relief for Victims of Terrorist Attacks..

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