Retirement gotchas that hide in averages.

These are the caveats RetireRebel keeps visible when a plan touches them. They are not recommendations; they are places where the math can surprise you.

QCDs are not household spending cashA qualified charitable distribution can satisfy part of an RMD, but it leaves the plan as a charitable transfer rather than money available for lifestyle spending.Source: IRS Publication 590-B qualified charitable distribution treatment.

Home-sale exclusion depends on eligibilityThe model uses an explicit Section 121 status when provided; otherwise a legacy move-plus-three-years assumption can stop applying after a delayed sale.Source: Internal home-sale tax model, Section 121 eligibility flag.

Roth conversions can collide with a taxable home-sale yearA taxable sale can raise MAGI and capital-gain brackets; a conversion blackout year keeps that interaction visible instead of hiding it inside a single annual tax number.Source: RetireRebel Roth schedule and home-sale tax projection.

Survivor years need their own income floorA married plan can look fine while both spouses are alive and still leave a later survivor year short on guaranteed income or spending floor.Source: RetireRebel survivor projection rows.

Annuity rider fees may use different basesCore asset charges, guaranteed-withdrawal rider charges, and death-benefit charges are modeled on their own bases when those bases are provided.Source: RetireRebel annuity contract fee helpers.

Medicaid long-term-care transfers can create a lookback issueMedicaid long-term-care eligibility generally reviews transfers during a lookback period; the app does not treat gifts or trusts as automatically safe.Source: Resource guide: Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care.

IRMAA uses a two-year income lookbackA sale or Roth conversion can raise Medicare surcharges two years later, so the model keeps IRMAA separate from ordinary tax.Source: CMS IRMAA two-year lookback; RetireRebel tax registry.

HSA contributions stop once Medicare startsThe projection spends HSA dollars tax-free on health costs, but does not continue HSA contributions after Medicare age.Source: IRS HSA/Medicare eligibility rules; RetireRebel HSA engine behavior.

Early Social Security can be withheld if earnings continueBefore full retirement age, wage or self-employment income can temporarily withhold benefits under the earnings test.Source: SSA retirement earnings test; RetireRebel Social Security engine.

RMDs can override your preferred withdrawal orderRequired minimum distributions are modeled before discretionary account-order choices, so a pre-tax distribution may appear even under a taxable-first policy.Source: SECURE 2.0 RMD ages; RetireRebel withdrawal engine.

Inherited IRA treatment depends on heir assumptionsHeir-specific after-tax legacy results stay locked until inherited-account assumptions are confirmed.Source: RetireRebel legacy V1 confirmed-assumptions gate.

LTC insurance may not pay immediatelyIf an LTC policy has an elimination period, early care months can still be funded from cash flow, reserve, or portfolio assets.Source: User-entered LTC insurance policy terms.

Annuity surrender charges and MVAs need contract termsSurrender charges are modeled when supplied; market-value adjustments remain unresolved unless the contract term makes them calculable.Source: User-entered annuity contract terms.

A survivor can face single tax bracketsAfter the modeled first death, the plan switches to survivor-year filing mechanics and can show different taxes and Medicare surcharges.Source: RetireRebel survivor projection rows.