Tax Preparation Help  
Pub. 575, Pension and Annuity Income 2006 Tax Year

Publication 575 - Introductory Material

This is archived information that pertains only to the 2006 Tax Year. If you
are looking for information for the current tax year, go to the Tax Prep Help Area.

Designated Roth accounts. For tax years beginning after 2005, a 401(k) or 403(b) plan can include a qualified Roth contribution program. Under that program, designated Roth contributions are treated as elective deferrals, except that the contributions are included in income. A qualified distribution from a Roth account is not includible in income. Generally, you cannot have a qualified distribution within the 5-tax-year period beginning with the first tax year for which the participant made a designated Roth contribution to the plan. Therefore, for designated Roth contributions made in 2006, the first year for which a qualified distribution can be made is 2011.

Qualified reservist distributions. The additional 10% tax on early distributions does not apply to a qualified reservist distribution. See Qualified reservist distributions under Tax on Early Distributions, for more information.

Public safety employees. After August 17, 2006, the additional 10% tax on early distributions does not apply to distributions from qualified governmental plans, if you were a public safety employee who separated from service after you reached age 50. See Qualified public safety employees under Tax on Early Distributions, for more information.

Rollovers by nonspouse beneficiary. For distributions after 2006, a nonspouse designated beneficiary may have a distribution from an eligible retirement plan of a deceased employee directly transferred (trustee-to-trustee) to his or her own IRA set up to receive the distribution. The transfer will be treated as an eligible rollover distribution and the receiving plan will be treated as an inherited IRA. See Rollovers by nonspouse beneficiary under Rollovers, for more information.

Retired public safety officers. For distributions after 2006, an eligible retired public safety officer can elect to exclude from income distributions of up to $3,000 made directly from an eligible retirement plan to the provider of accident, health, or long-term care insurance. See Insurance Premiums for Public Safety Officers under General Information, for more information.

Hurricane tax relief. Special rules apply to the use of retirement funds by qualified individuals who suffered an economic loss as a result of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, or Wilma. See Hurricane-Related Relief, for information on these special rules.

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.

This publication discusses 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.

  • How to report railroad retirement benefits.

  • When additional taxes on certain distributions may apply (including the tax on early distributions and the tax on excess accumulation).

Tip
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 Form 1040, lines 16a and 16b (Form 1040A, lines 12a and 12b or Form 1040NR, lines 17a and 17b).

Caution
A “corrected” Form 1099-R replaces the corresponding original Form 1099-R. Make sure you use the amounts shown on the corrected Form 1099-R when reporting information on your tax return.

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). It also covers benefits paid from the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

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 write to us at the following address:


Internal Revenue Service
Individual Forms and Publications Branch
SE:W:CAR:MP:T:I
1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6406
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.

  You can email us at *[email protected]. (The asterisk must be included in the address.) Please put “Publications Comment” on the subject line. Although we cannot respond individually to each email, we do appreciate your feedback and will consider your comments as we revise our tax products.

Ordering forms and publications.   Visit
www.irs.gov/formspubs to download forms and publications, call 1-800-829-3676, or write to the address below and receive a response within 10 business days after your request is received.


National Distribution Center
P.O. Box 8903
Bloomington, IL 61702-8903

Tax questions.   If you have a tax question, visit
www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-1040. We cannot answer tax questions sent to either of the above addresses.

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

  • 4492 Information for Taxpayers Affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma

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.

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