Inherited T. Rowe Price 401(k): Claim Guide
T. Rowe Price splits workplace-plan and personal-investor servicing, and death claims route differently on each side — start with the retirement-plan line for a 401(k).
This page covers the claim sequence, the transfer language that preserves tax deferral, and the distribution deadlines the IRS began enforcing in 2025.
The one mistake that cannot be undone
A non-spouse beneficiary has NO 60-day rollover. If the plan cuts a check in your name and you deposit it, the entire account becomes taxable income that year — there is no Rev. Proc. self-certification, no IRS letter, no fix. The ONLY safe move is a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer into a properly titled inherited IRA. If anyone offers to "just send you a check," stop the call and get help first.
Full rules: what non-spouse beneficiaries can and cannot do →
What to expect from T. Rowe Price
Beneficiary services: 1-800-922-9945 (Retirement Plan Services); 1-800-225-5132 (Personal Investor) · Mon-Fri 7am-10pm ET
Ordinary transfer processing: 5-7 business days (ACATS if available); 10-14 days for paper — death claims add a document-review stage on top, so budget extra weeks beyond that.
Online: https://www.troweprice.com
T. Rowe Price quirks that also bite beneficiary transfers:
- Two different sides of T. Rowe Price — 'Retirement Plan Services' (employer 401(k)) and 'Personal Investor' (brokerage / IRA). The phone numbers and forms are DIFFERENT. Find your account on your statement to know which side you're on.
- T. Rowe Price will often let you complete the rollover entirely online if your destination custodian is on their preferred network (Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, E*TRADE). Try the online wizard first — saves a week vs paper.
- If you have employer match still vesting at the time of distribution, T. Rowe will forfeit the unvested portion. Confirm your vested balance in the participant portal BEFORE you initiate — sometimes waiting a few weeks vests another tranche.
How to claim, step by step
- 1
Order 3–5 certified copies of the death certificate — T. Rowe Price and every other institution will each want one.
- 2
Call T. Rowe Price's beneficiary-services line and ask for the "death claim" or "beneficiary distribution" package for the specific plan. Have the deceased's SSN, date of death, and your ID ready.
- 3
Ask T. Rowe Price to CONFIRM you are the beneficiary of record before discussing options — plan documents control, not the will.
- 4
Before signing anything, decide the destination: a properly titled inherited IRA (e.g., “Jane Doe, deceased, FBO John Doe, beneficiary”). Titling errors are treated as full distributions.
- 5
Insist on a DIRECT trustee-to-trustee transfer into the inherited IRA. Decline any option that mails you a check payable to you personally.
- 6
Get the transfer confirmation in writing, then calendar your RMD obligations for the current year — the deceased's year-of-death RMD may still be due.
Your distribution clock (2026 rules)
- Most non-spouse beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years of the death — and if the owner had already started RMDs, annual withdrawals are required in years 1–9 (enforced since 2025, with a 25% excise tax behind them).
- The deceased's year-of-death RMD may still be due on YOUR calendar while the claim processes.
Full 10-year-rule breakdown with a worked year-by-year example →
Common questions
Which side of T. Rowe Price handles a 401(k) death claim?
Retirement Plan Services — not the personal-investing side. The two run separate systems and phone trees, and calling the wrong one adds a transfer-and-repeat loop to an already slow process. If the deceased also held T. Rowe Price IRAs or brokerage accounts, those claims run separately on the personal side.
What slows T. Rowe Price claims down?
Employer confirmation. If the deceased was still employed or recently separated, the plan sponsor may need to confirm vesting and eligibility before the claim moves — budget extra weeks for that leg and start the paperwork early rather than sequentially.
Questions about your situation?
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Educational information, current to the July 2024 final regulations as enforced in 2026 — not tax, legal, or financial advice. Beneficiary elections are frequently irreversible; verify with your own CPA or estate attorney before acting. Estate deadlines (including the 9-month federal estate-tax election window) exist — consult the estate's attorney.