If you withdraw funds from a 401(k) before age 59½, you could be subject to a 10% penalty tax and lose some tax advantages. There are exceptions (see below). Between ages 73 and 75, depending on your birth year, you must start taking distributions from your 401(k).
Deferring Social Security payments, rolling over old 401(k)s, setting up IRAs to avoid the mandatory 20% federal income tax, and keeping your capital gains taxes low are among the best strategies for reducing taxes on your 401(k) withdrawal.
The IRS recently issued guidance in Notice 2024-55 on the application of two new exceptions to the 10% additional tax under Code section 72(t) for early withdrawals from a qualified plan or IRA, which were added by Sections 115 and 314 of SECURE 2.0 effective January 1, 2024.
Generally, you'll need to complete some paperwork, and describe why you need early access to your retirement funds. Unless you're 59 ½ or older, the IRS will tax your traditional 401(k) withdrawal at your ordinary income rate (based on your tax bracket) plus a 10 percent penalty.
Generally, you'll need to complete some paperwork, and describe why you need early access to your retirement funds. Unless you're 59 ½ or older, the IRS will tax your traditional 401(k) withdrawal at your ordinary income rate (based on your tax bracket) plus a 10 percent penalty.
Once you start withdrawing from your traditional 401(k), your withdrawals are usually taxed as ordinary taxable income. That said, you'll report the taxable part of your distribution directly on your Form 1040 for any tax year that you make a distribution.
The 4% rule is a strategy that says you should withdraw 4% of your retirement savings in your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, tack on an additional 2% to adjust for inflation. For example, if you have $1 million saved under this strategy, you would withdraw $40,000 during your first year in retirement.