What Can You Withdraw From an IRA Without Penalty?
Typically, withdrawing funds from an IRA before reaching age 59 1/2 requires regular income taxes as well as a 10% penalty; however, exceptions exist for medical expenses (up to 7.5% of adjusted gross income), first-time home purchases and more.
Your QEPT plan allows for penalty-free withdrawals that are calculated based on your life expectancy.
Tax-Free Withdrawals
Idealistically, any retirement funds saved in an IRA should remain there until it comes time for you to retire. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go according to plan; early withdrawal could become necessary. That is why having a trusted tax preparer help with planning is important.
If you are under 59 1/2, withdrawing early from a traditional or Roth IRA usually incurs a 10% penalty; however, Vanguard states there may be certain situations in which this fee doesn’t apply.
First exception is for medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of your adjusted gross income; secondly for qualified higher education expenses for yourself, spouse, children or grandchildren; finally withdrawals can help assist first-time home purchases of up to $10,000 that meet certain criteria in the year of withdrawal.
Hardship Withdrawals
The IRS permits penalty-free withdrawals from traditional and Roth IRAs for purposes that don’t constitute financial emergencies, including paying health insurance premiums for yourself, your spouse and/or children and buying/rebuilding a home. When withdrawing money from traditional or Roth IRAs for these non-emergency reasons, be sure to document each expense with receipts, invoices or legal documents and submit them directly to your plan administrator or IRS as proof.
These withdrawals may be difficult and delicate,” according to CFP professional Joe Gordon of Gordon Asset Management in Durham, North Carolina. Furthermore, they don’t provide as much flexibility than 401(k) loans which can be used as down payments without incurring the 10% penalty fee.
COVID-19 hardship withdrawals may be available if your expenses meet specific categories, such as costs related to buying or building a new home, relocation expenses due to job changes and income lost from being quarantined due to company response efforts related to a pandemic. Withdrawals subject to regular income taxes as well as any applicable early withdrawal penalties; withdrawals made prior to age 59 1/2 will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 10%.
Qualified Distributions
An Individual Retirement Account, or IRA, allows you to save for retirement in various forms. Choose between traditional, SEP, SIMPLE or rollover IRAs when opening one; rollover IRAs allow money from another retirement account such as former employers’ 401(k) plans or pension plans to rollover directly into it.
If you withdraw funds from an IRA before reaching age 59 1/2, an IRS penalty tax of 10% will apply as part of its efforts to encourage retirement savings and discourage misuse of these accounts.
However, the IRS makes exceptions for qualified distributions: withdrawals that meet specific IRS rules and avoid incurring the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Examples of qualified distributions include withdrawals made to purchase, build or rebuild your first home as well as unreimbursed medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of adjusted gross income and qualified education expenses of yourself, your spouse and children.
Roth Withdrawals
At any time after converting principal to a Roth IRA, your earnings can be withdrawn free of penalty without incurring an early withdrawal penalty. This rule also applies to conversion principal.
You won’t incur a penalty if you withdraw funds from your Roth account to cover health insurance premiums for yourself, your spouse and dependents should you become unemployed and are no longer receiving pay, provided it occurs either during or immediately following the year in which unemployment compensation payments begin being distributed to you.
Roth IRA funds can also be withdrawn without penalty if used for certain higher education expenses, including tuition and fees, first-time home purchases and inheritance from someone who has died – although you will owe income taxes on their distribution.
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