Form 5305

(Rev. April 2017)

Department of the Treasury 

Internal Revenue Service

Traditional Individual Retirement Trust Account

(Under section 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code)

Do not file

with the Internal

Revenue Service

Name of grantor Date of birth of grantor Account number

Address of grantor

Check if amendment . . . ▶

Name of trustee Address or principal place of business of trustee

The grantor named above is establishing a traditional individual retirement account under section 408(a) to provide for his or her retirement and for 

the support of his or her beneficiaries after death.

The trustee named above has given the grantor the disclosure statement required by Regulations section 1.408-6.

The grantor has assigned the trust dollars ($ ) in cash.

The grantor and the trustee make the following agreement.

Article I

Except in the case of a rollover contribution described in section 402(c), 403(a)(4), 403(b)(8), 408(d)(3), or 457(e)(16), an employer contribution to a 

simplified employee pension plan as described in section 408(k) or a recharacterized contribution described in section 408A(d)(6), the trustee will 

accept only cash contributions up to $5,500 per year for 2013 through 2017. For individuals who have reached the age of 50 by the end of the year, the 

contribution limit is increased to $6,500 per year for 2013 through 2017. For years after 2017, these limits will be increased to reflect a cost-of-living 

adjustment, if any.

Article II

The grantor’s interest in the balance in the trust account is nonforfeitable.

Article III

1. No part of the trust account funds may be invested in life insurance contracts, nor may the assets of the trust account be commingled with other 

property except in a common trust fund or common investment fund (within the meaning of section 408(a)(5)).

2. No part of the trust account funds may be invested in collectibles (within the meaning of section 408(m)) except as otherwise permitted by section 

408(m)(3), which provides an exception for certain gold, silver, and platinum coins, coins issued under the laws of any state, and certain bullion.

Article IV

1. Notwithstanding any provision of this agreement to the contrary, the distribution of the grantor’s interest in the trust account shall be made in 

accordance with the following requirements and shall otherwise comply with section 408(a)(6) and the regulations thereunder, the provisions of which 

are herein incorporated by reference.

2. The grantor’s entire interest in the trust account must be, or begin to be, distributed not later than the grantor’s required beginning date, April 1 

following the calendar year in which the grantor reaches age 701⁄2. By that date, the grantor may elect, in a manner acceptable to the trustee, to have 

the balance in the trust account distributed in:

(a) A single sum or

(b) Payments over a period not longer than the life of the grantor or the joint lives of the grantor and his or her designated beneficiary.

3. If the grantor dies before his or her entire interest is distributed to him or her, the remaining interest will be distributed as follows:

(a) If the grantor dies on or after the required beginning date and:

(i) The designated beneficiary is the grantor’s surviving spouse, the remaining interest will be distributed over the surviving spouse’s life

expectancy, as determined each year until such spouse’s death, or over the period in paragraph (a)(iii) below if longer. Any interest remaining after the 

spouse’s death will be distributed over such spouse’s remaining life expectancy as determined in the year of the spouse’s death and reduced by 1 for 

each subsequent year, or, if distributions are being made over the period in paragraph (a)(iii) below, over such period.

(ii) The designated beneficiary is not the grantor’s surviving spouse, the remaining interest will be distributed over the beneficiary’s remaining life 

expectancy as determined in the year following the death of the grantor and reduced by 1 for each subsequent year, or over the period in paragraph 

(a)(iii) below if longer.

(iii) There is no designated beneficiary, the remaining interest will be distributed over the remaining life expectancy of the grantor as determined 

in the year of the grantor’s death and reduced by 1 for each subsequent year.

(b) If the grantor dies before the required beginning date, the remaining interest will be distributed in accordance with paragraph (i) below or, if 

elected or there is no designated beneficiary, in accordance with paragraph (ii) below:

4. If the grantor dies before his or her entire interest has been distributed and if the designated beneficiary is not the grantor’s surviving spouse, no 

additional contributions may be accepted in the account.

(i) The remaining interest will be distributed in accordance with paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) above (but not over the period in paragraph (a)(iii), 

even if longer), starting by the end of the calendar year following the year of the grantor’s death. If, however, the designated beneficiary is the grantor’s 

surviving spouse, then this distribution is not required to begin before the end of the calendar year in which the grantor would have reached age 701⁄2. 

But, in such case, if the grantor’s surviving spouse dies before distributions are required to begin, then the remaining interest will be distributed in 

accordance with paragraph (a)(ii) above (but not over the period in paragraph (a)(iii), even if longer), over such spouse’s designated beneficiary’s life 

expectancy, or in accordance with paragraph (ii) below if there is no such designated beneficiary.

(ii) The remaining interest will be distributed by the end of the calendar year containing the fifth anniversary of the grantor’s death.

5. The minimum amount that must be distributed each year, beginning with the year containing the grantor’s required beginning date, is known as 

the “required minimum distribution” and is determined as follows.

Cat. No. 11810K Form 5305 (Rev. 4-2017)
Version A, Cycle 2

Form 5305 (Rev. 4-2017) Page 2

(a) The required minimum distribution under paragraph 2(b) for any year, beginning with the year the grantor reaches age 701⁄2, is the grantor’s

account value at the close of business on December 31 of the preceding year divided by the distribution period in the uniform lifetime table in

Regulations section 1.401(a)(9)-9. However, if the grantor’s designated beneficiary is his or her surviving spouse, the required minimum distribution for 

a year shall not be more than the grantor’s account value at the close of business on December 31 of the preceding year divided by the number in the 

joint and last survivor table in Regulations section 1.401(a)(9)-9. The required minimum distribution for a year under this paragraph (a) is determined 

using the grantor’s (or, if applicable, the grantor and spouse’s) attained age (or ages) in the year.

(b) The required minimum distribution under paragraphs 3(a) and 3(b)(i) for a year, beginning with the year following the year of the grantor’s death 

(or the year the grantor would have reached age 701⁄2, if applicable under paragraph 3(b)(i)) is the account value at the close of business on December 

31 of the preceding year divided by the life expectancy (in the single life table in Regulations section 1.401(a)(9)-9) of the individual specified in such 

paragraphs 3(a) and 3(b)(i).

(c) The required minimum distribution for the year the grantor reaches age 701⁄2 can be made as late as April 1 of the following year. The required 

minimum distribution for any other year must be made by the end of such year.

6. The owner of two or more traditional IRAs may satisfy the minimum distribution requirements described above by taking from one traditional IRA 

the amount required to satisfy the requirement for another in accordance with the regulations under section 408(a)(6).

Article V

1. The grantor agrees to provide the trustee with all information necessary to prepare any reports required by section 408(i) and Regulations sections 

1.408-5 and 1.408-6.

2. The trustee agrees to submit to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and grantor the reports prescribed by the IRS.

Article VI

Notwithstanding any other articles which may be added or incorporated, the provisions of Articles I through III and this sentence will be controlling. 

Any additional articles inconsistent with section 408(a) and the related regulations will be invalid.

Article VII

This agreement will be amended as necessary to comply with the provisions of the Code and the related regulations. Other amendments may be 

made with the consent of the persons whose signatures appear below.

Article VIII

Article VIII may be used for any additional provisions. If no other provisions will be added, draw a line through this space. If provisions are added, 

they must comply with applicable requirements of state law and the Internal Revenue Code and may not imply that they have been reviewed or preapproved by the IRS.

Grantor’s signature Date

Trustee’s signature Date

Witness’ signature

(Use only if signature of the grantor or the trustee is required to be witnessed.)

Date

General Instructions

Section references are to the Internal Revenue 

Code unless otherwise noted.

Purpose of Form

Form 5305 is a model trust account 

agreement that meets the requirements of 

section 408(a). However, only Articles I 

through VII have been reviewed by the IRS. A 

traditional individual retirement account 

(traditional IRA) is established after the form is 

fully executed by both the individual (grantor) 

and the trustee. To make a regular 

contribution to a traditional IRA for a year, the 

IRA must be established no later than the due 

date (excluding extensions) of the individual’s 

income tax return for the year. This account 

must be created in the United States for the 

exclusive benefit of the grantor and his or her 

beneficiaries.

Do not file Form 5305 with the IRS. Instead, 

keep it with your records.

For more information on IRAs, including the 

required disclosures the trustee must give the 

grantor, see Pub. 590-A, Contributions to 

Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), 

and Pub. 590-B, Distributions from Individual 

Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

Definitions

Trustee. The trustee must be a bank or

savings and loan association, as defined in

section 408(n), or any person who has the

approval of the IRS to act as trustee.

Grantor. The grantor is the person who

establishes the trust account.

Traditional IRA for Nonworking 

Spouse

Form 5305 may be used to establish the IRA 

trust for a nonworking spouse.

Contributions to an IRA trust account for a 

nonworking spouse must be made to a

separate IRA trust account established by the 

nonworking spouse.

Specific Instructions

Article IV. Distributions made under this

article may be made in a single sum, periodic

payment, or a combination of both. The

distribution option should be reviewed in the

year the grantor reaches age 701⁄2 to ensure

that the requirements of section 408(a)(6)

have been met.

Article VIII. Article VIII and any that follow it

may incorporate additional provisions that are

agreed to by the grantor and trustee to

complete the agreement. They may include,

for example, definitions, investment powers,

voting rights, exculpatory provisions,

amendment and termination, removal of the

trustee, trustee’s fees, state law requirements, 

beginning date of distributions, accepting only 

cash, treatment of excess contributions, 

prohibited transactions with the grantor, etc. 

Attach additional pages if necessary.

Form 5305 (Rev. 4-2017)