Taxpayers born before July 1, 1948, generally must receive Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) payments from their Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) and workplace retirement plans (including Section 401(k) , 403(b) , and 457(b) plans) by Dec. 31, 2018. A special rule allows those who reached age 70 1/2 during 2018 to wait until as late as April 1, 2019, to receive their first RMD. The special April 1 deadline applies only to the RMD for the first year; subsequent RMDs must be received each year by Dec. 31. Consequently, deferring the first-year payment into 2019 will result in the taxpayer having two taxable distributions that year.
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