SECTION 3. SELF-CERTIFICATION
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-45 · 2026-10-03 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · United States
.01 Written self-certification. A taxpayer may make a written certification to a plan administrator or an IRA trustee that a contribution satisfies the conditions in Section 3.02 of this revenue procedure. This self-certification has the effects described in Section 3.04 of this revenue procedure. Taxpayers may make the certification by using the model language in the appendix on a word-for-word basis or by using language that is substantially similar in all material respects. A copy of the certification should be kept in the taxpayer’s files and be available if requested on audit.
.02 Conditions for self-certification. (1) No prior denial by the IRS . The IRS must not have previously denied a waiver request with respect to a rollover of all or part of the distribution to which the contribution relates.
(2) Reason for missing 60-day dead- line. The taxpayer must have missed the 60-day deadline because of the taxpayer’s inability to complete a rollover due to one or more of the following reasons:
(a) an error was committed by the financial institution receiving the contribution or making the distribution to which the contribution relates;
(b) the distribution, having been made in the form of a check, was misplaced and never cashed;
(c) the distribution was deposited into and remained in an account that the taxpayer mistakenly thought was an eligible retirement plan;
(d) the taxpayer’s principal residence was severely damaged;
(e) a member of the taxpayer’s family died;
(f) the taxpayer or a member of the taxpayer’s family was seriously ill;
(g) the taxpayer was incarcerated; (h) restrictions were imposed by a foreign country;
(i) a postal error occurred; (j) the distribution was made on account of a levy under § 6331 and the proceeds of the levy have been returned to the taxpayer;
(k) the party making the distribution to which the rollover relates delayed providing information that the receiving plan or IRA required to complete the rollover despite the taxpayer’s reasonable efforts to obtain the information; or
(l) the distribution was made to a state unclaimed property fund.
(3) Contribution as soon as practica- ble; 30-day safe harbor. The contribution must be made to the plan or IRA as soon as practicable after the reason or reasons listed in the preceding paragraph no longer prevent the taxpayer from rolling over the amount distributed (which includes any amount withheld for income tax) or a lesser amount if the taxpayer wants to roll over less than the total amount distributed or if part of the amount distributed is ineligible for rollover. This requirement is deemed to be satisfied if the contribution is made within 30 days after the reason or reasons no longer prevent the taxpayer from making the contribution.
.03 Reporting on Form 5498 . An IRA trustee that accepts a rollover contribution after the 60-day deadline reports on Form 5498 that the contribution was accepted after the 60-day deadline.
.04 Effect of self-certification. (1) Only for 60-day deadline. A self-certification under this revenue procedure applies only for purposes of a waiver of the 60-day requirement for a valid rollover; it does not apply for purposes of any other requirement for a valid rollover. For example,
a taxpayer may not roll over a distribution if it is a required minimum distribution or if the taxpayer is a nonspouse beneficiary. In addition, in the case of a distribution from an IRA, (i) a rollover to another IRA is not permitted if the taxpayer has made an IRA rollover of another IRA distribution made in the prior 1-year period, and (ii) any rollover must consist of the same property distributed (for example, if shares of a company are distributed from an IRA, some or all of the shares may be rolled over, but no proceeds from the sale of those shares can be rolled over). The one-rollover-per-year limitation described in the preceding sentence does not apply to trustee-to-trustee transfers or to conversions (that is, rollovers from traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs). See IRS Publication 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) .
(2) Effect on plan administrator or IRA trustee. For purposes of accepting and reporting a rollover contribution into a plan or IRA, a plan administrator or IRA trustee may rely on a taxpayer’s self-certification described in this Section 3 in determining whether the taxpayer has satisfied the conditions for a waiver of the 60-day rollover requirement under § 402(c)(3)(B) or 408(d) (3)(I). However, a plan administrator or an IRA trustee may not rely on the self-certification for other purposes or if the plan administrator or IRA trustee has actual knowledge that is contrary to the self-certification.
(3) Effect on taxpayer. A self-certification is not a waiver by the IRS of the 60-day rollover requirement. However, a taxpayer may report the contribution as a valid rollover unless later informed otherwise by the IRS. The IRS, in the course of an examination, may consider whether a taxpayer’s contribution meets the requirements for a waiver. For example, the IRS may determine that the requirements for a waiver were not met because of a material misstatement in the self-certification, the reason or reasons claimed by the taxpayer for missing the 60-day deadline did not prevent the taxpayer from completing the rollover within 60 days following receipt, or the taxpayer failed to make the contribution as soon as practicable after the reason or reasons no longer prevented the taxpayer from making the contribution. In such a case, the taxpayer may be subject to income and excise taxes, interest, and penalties, such as the penalty for failure
November 2, 2020 996 Bulletin No. 2020–45
to pay the proper amount of tax under § 6651.
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