Thread: Survivor tax query

My wife died and left me her TSP which I transferred into a regular IRA. The notice I got from the National Finance Center said, “See the enclosed notice for detailed tax information, including information pertaining to the $5000 death benefit exclusion.” A form TSP-583 was listed as an enclosure at the end of the letter. That was 15 years ago and I’m now 59 ½ and wish to withdraw the funds from the IRA. I can’t find the enclosure so I printed the TSP-583 (revised 11/2009, previous editions obsolete) from the TSP website. It nowhere mentions the $5000 death benefit exclusion. Anyone know if I can exclude $5000 from taxable income? If so, here is an embarrassing follow-up: I originally received $20,000 but in the care of my broker brother-in-law the IRA is now worth $300. Would I now only receive a $300 exclusion?