Decision 3 · Week 3 · Wed Nov 18
What happens to my IRA or 401(k) if I move abroad?
SHORT ANSWERThe accounts and their tax rules move with you, but your broker may not. Some US firms limit what you can buy, or restrict accounts, once you have a foreign address.
Required minimum distributions still apply: at 73 if born 1951 through 1958, and at 75 if born 1960 or later. Final IRS rules for people born in 1959 were still pending.
Fidelity, for example, says customers who move abroad may not be able to make new deposits or buy more securities, and mutual fund purchases are restricted for non-US residents. Ask your broker before you move.
Funds based outside the US usually count as PFICs under US tax law. In a regular taxable account they bring heavy US tax and extra filing on Form 8621. The IRS does not apply those rules to PFICs held inside an IRA.
Week 3 checks how your money travels before you choose a place.
Sources
- Required Minimum Distributions (final regulations) · Federal Register, Treasury and IRS
- 6 tips for retiring overseas · Fidelity
- Instructions for Form 8621 · IRS
Written and reviewed by Todd Allyn, Founding Director, Sovereo Intelligence
Facts checked Oct 6, 2026 · Next review by Jan 15, 2027
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