The way the original post was worded makes it unclear if the 2024 RMD notice was to be the first distribution. We know only that the 2024 RMD wasn't taken, so we don't know if RMDs were required in years prior to that or if the deceased husband passed away before, on, or after the required distribution date. The original post also didn't include age of deceased husband to know if the wife was not more than 10 years younger. In addition to what TexTaxToo posted above, these facts will also affect wife's options going forward: whether she can treat account as her own, when distributions must start, and which life expectancy table to use . All of that information is in pub 590-B.