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Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions): IRA Withdrawals (2025 IRS Guide)

This guide covers “Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions)” within ira withdrawals. The following material presents the IRS treatment of this topic, including the qualifications, exceptions, and examples in the source section. Read the rules alongside the facts of your own situation before deciding what to report, deduct, or document.

Adapted from Publication 590-B (2025), Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), published by the Internal Revenue Service. This guide retains the source edition’s years, amounts, deadlines, and examples. It is guidance for that edition, not a statement that the same figures apply to every tax year.

Context for these rules

The tax advantages of using traditional IRAs for retirement savings can be offset by additional taxes and penalties if you don't follow the rules. There are additions to the regular tax for using your IRA funds in prohibited transactions. There are also additional taxes for the following activities.

  • Investing in collectibles.

  • Having unrelated business income.

  • Taking early distributions.

  • Allowing excess amounts to accumulate (failing to take required distributions).

  • Making excess contributions.

There are penalties for overstating the amount of nondeductible contributions and for failure to file Form 8606, if required.

This chapter discusses those acts (relating to distributions) that you should avoid and the additional taxes and other costs, including loss of IRA status, that apply if you don't avoid those acts.

Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions)

You can't keep amounts in your traditional IRA (including SEP and SIMPLE IRAs) indefinitely. Generally, you must begin receiving distributions by April 1 of the year following the year in which you reach age 73. The required minimum distribution for any year after the year in which you reach age 73 must be made by December 31 of that later year. See Your required beginning date for more information.

Tax on excess accumulations.

If distributions are less than the required minimum distribution for the year, discussed earlier under When Must You Withdraw Assets? (Required Minimum Distributions), you may have to pay a 25% excise tax for that year on the amount not distributed as required.

Reduced additional tax rate for excess accumulations.

You may be subject to a reduced additional tax rate of 10% of the amount not distributed, if, during the correction window, you take a distribution of the amount on which the tax is due (the excess accumulation) and submit a tax return reflecting this additional tax.

The “correction window” ends on the earliest of the following dates:

  • The date of mailing the deficiency notice with respect to the imposition of this tax,

  • The date the tax is assessed, or

  • The last day of the second taxable year that begins after the end of the taxable year in which the additional tax is imposed.

Reporting the tax.

Use Form 5329 to report the tax on excess accumulations. See the discussion of Form 5329, later, under Reporting Additional Taxes for more information on filing the form.

Request to waive the tax.

If the excess accumulation is due to reasonable error, and you have taken, or are taking, steps to remedy the insufficient distribution, you can request that the tax be waived. If you believe you qualify for this relief, attach a statement of explanation and complete Form 5329 as instructed under Waiver of tax for reasonable cause in the Instructions for Form 5329.

Exemption from tax.

If you are unable to take required distributions because you have a traditional IRA invested in a contract issued by an insurance company that is in state insurer delinquency proceedings, the 25% excise tax doesn't apply if the conditions and requirements of Revenue Procedure 92-10 are satisfied. Those conditions and requirements are summarized below. Revenue Procedure 92-10 is in Cumulative Bulletin 1992-1. You can read the revenue procedure at most IRS offices, at many public libraries, and online at IRS.gov.

Conditions.

To qualify for exemption from the tax, the assets in your traditional IRA must include an affected investment. Also, the amount of your required distribution must be determined as discussed earlier under When Must You Withdraw Assets? (Required Minimum Distributions).

Affected investment defined.

Affected investment means an annuity contract or a guaranteed investment contract (with an insurance company) for which payments under the terms of the contract have been reduced or suspended because of state insurer delinquency proceedings against the contracting insurance company.

Requirements.

If your traditional IRA (or IRAs) includes assets other than your affected investment, all traditional IRA assets, including the available portion of your affected investment, must be used to satisfy as much as possible of your IRA distribution requirement. If the affected investment is the only asset in your IRA, as much of the required distribution as possible must come from the available portion, if any, of your affected investment.

Available portion.

The available portion of your affected investment is the amount of payments remaining after they have been reduced or suspended because of state insurer delinquency proceedings.

Make up of shortfall in distribution.

If the payments to you under the contract increase because all or part of the reduction or suspension is canceled, you must make up the amount of any shortfall in a prior distribution because of the proceedings. You make up (reduce or eliminate) the shortfall with the increased payments you receive.

You must make up the shortfall by December 31 of the calendar year following the year that you receive increased payments.

Using the guidance

Keep the documents that establish the dates, amounts, and circumstances described above. References to other chapters, forms, worksheets, or earlier and later sections refer to the linked IRS publication. Check the full publication and its updates before relying on a rule for a different tax year or a situation not addressed here.

Sources and further reading

The cited U.S. government text is in the public domain. Source accessed October 28, 2026. Fynoptic has organized this material for educational use and is independent of, and not endorsed by, the IRS.

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