At some point, there may be a need to take out money early from a Individual Retirement Account or retirement plan. Doing so, however, can trigger an additional tax on early withdrawals. And you would owe this tax on top of other income tax you may have to pay. Here are a few key points to know:
- Early withdrawals. An early withdrawal is taking a distribution from an IRA or retirement plan before reaching age 59½.
- Additional tax. Taxpayers who took early withdrawals from an IRA or retirement plan must report them when they file their tax return. They may owe income tax on the amount plus an additional 10 percent tax if it was an early withdrawal.
- Nontaxable withdrawals. The additional 10 percent tax doesn’t apply to nontaxable withdrawals, such as contributions that taxpayers paid tax on before they put them into the plan.
- Rollover. A rollover happens when someone takes cash or other assets from one plan and puts it in another plan. They normally have 60 days to complete a rollover to make it tax-free.
- Exceptions. There are many exceptions to the additional 10-percent tax. Some of the rules for retirement plans are different from the rules for IRAs.
- Disaster Relief. Participants in certain disaster areas may have relief from the 10-percent early withdrawal tax on early withdrawals from their retirement accounts.
Early withdrawal rules can be complex. Give us a call before you make a withdrawal. We are here to answer your questions.
