Banking 101: What Are IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) Early Withdrawal Penalties?

Early withdrawal penalties can be a major drain on your individual retirement account (IRA), 401(k) or other tax-advantaged retirement funds. However, there are times when an emergency or difficult life circumstances makes it necessary to withdraw money from your retirement accounts. Early withdrawal penalties vary depending on the account type, your age and your circumstances. Read on to see how much you might be on the hook for when making an early withdrawal.

Traditional IRA early withdrawal penalties

If you withdraw money from your traditional individual retirement account (IRA) prior to age 59½, the IRS charges a 10% early withdrawal penalty. This penalty is in addition to any regular income tax you owe on the distribution. Note that the rules are different if you have a Roth IRA (more on that later).

Traditional IRA early withdrawal exceptions

There are exceptions to the rules for early withdrawals from a traditional IRA. Those exceptions include withdrawals taken:

• After the death of the account holder
• Due to the total and permanent disability of the account holder
• To pay for qualified higher education expenses
• As a series of sequentially equal periodic payments
• To purchase your first home — but only up to $10,000
• Because of an IRS levy of the plan
• To pay for unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income
• To pay health insurance expenses while you’re unemployed
• By qualified military reservists called to active duty
• For a rollover into another eligible retirement plan or IRA (within 60 days)

Given the 10% early withdrawal penalty on traditional IRAs, taking out money can be an expensive proposition. If you don’t have any other savings available, check to see if you qualify for one of these exceptions.

What are Roth IRA early withdrawal penalties?

Contributions to a Roth IRA aren’t tax-deductible — but since they are made after you pay income tax, distributions are tax free. That gives you a little more flexibility when it comes to taking early withdrawals from a Roth IRA.

If you’re under the age of 59½, you can withdraw contributions made to your Roth IRA at any time, free of any taxes or withdrawal penalties. You may have to pay taxes and a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you withdraw earnings from your Roth IRA, depending on how long you’ve had the account.

Roth IRA early withdrawal exceptions

If you’re under the age of 59½ and you’ve owned a Roth IRA account for less than five years, you can avoid paying an early withdrawal penalty on earnings if:

• You withdraw up to $10,000 to pay for your first home
• The money is used to pay for qualified higher education expenses
• You become disabled or pass away
• The money is used to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses or health insurance premiums while unemployed
• The distribution is made as a series of substantially equal periodic payments

Note that you may still have to pay income taxes on withdrawn earnings if you’re under the age of 59½ and you’ve owned a Roth IRA account for less than five years, even if you qualify for any of the exceptions above and avoid paying an early withdrawal penalty. The taxes owed would depend on your overall income for the year.

If you’re under the age of 59½ and you’ve had the Roth IRA account for five years or more, you avoid paying penalties and income taxes on the withdrawn earnings if you qualify for one of the exceptions listed above.

Over the age of 59½, there are no penalties at all on any Roth IRA withdrawals. However, you may still have to pay income taxes on withdrawals of earnings if you’ve owned the Roth IRA for less than five years.

What are 401(k) early withdrawal penalties?

If you have an employer-sponsored 401(k) plan at work, tapping the balance may seem like an easy way to solve a short-term cash crunch. However, you’ll be charged a 10% early withdrawal penalty on the amount withdrawn if you’re under the age of 59½, plus any applicable income taxes, depending on your overall income for the year.

401(k) early withdrawal exceptions

There are a few exceptions to the 401(k) early withdrawal penalty. You can avoid the penalty in the following circumstances:

• You take a corrective distribution of excess contributions
• After the death of the plan’s owner
• Due to permanent and total disability of the plan’s owner
• The distribution was paid to an alternate payee under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (i.e., required under the terms of a divorce)
• The distribution was taken as part of a series of substantially equal periodic payments
• The distribution was a dividend passed through from an Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• Because of an IRS levy of the plan
• To pay for unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income
• The distribution was made to a qualified military reservist called to active duty
• As part of a rollover into another retirement plan or IRA within 60 days
• You retired during or after the year the employee reaches age 55 (age 50 for public safety employees)

401(k) loans and early withdrawal fees

If you don’t qualify for one of the exceptions above, you may also consider taking a loan from your 401(k) instead of a withdrawal. While not all 401(k) plans permit loans, some do. Most allow you to repay your loan via regular deductions from your paycheck. What’s more, the interest you’ll pay on a 401(k) loan doesn’t go to your employer or the financial institution holding your funds, but into your own retirement account.

However, before you take out a 401(k) loan, remember there are some downsides to borrowing from your retirement savings. The money you withdraw won’t grow while it isn’t invested, and you may have to pay a hefty fee to arrange the loan. Plus, if you leave your job while you have an outstanding loan balance, you have a limited window of time to repay your loan. If you miss that window, the outstanding loan balance is treated like an early distribution, subject to taxes and an early withdrawal penalty.

You have until the due date for filing your return for the year you leave your job (including extensions) to either pay off the outstanding loan balance or roll the loan into an IRA to avoid having the loan treated as a distribution.

What are 403(b) early withdrawal penalties?

A 403(b) plan is similar to a 401(k), but for employees of public schools and certain nonprofit organizations. The consequences of taking an early 403(b) withdrawal are the same as those for a 401(k): You’ll pay income taxes on the amount withdrawn, plus an additional 10% penalty.

403(b) early withdrawal exceptions

The penalty exceptions for a 403(b) early withdrawal are also the same as those for a 401(k). If you’re thinking of taking a withdrawal before the age of 59½, consider whether you qualify for one of the early withdrawal exceptions noted above.

If you take an early withdrawal from a traditional or Roth IRA, 401(k) or any other retirement account, you’ll need to calculate your early withdrawal penalty on Form 5329 and file it with your individual tax return, Form 1040.

What about a CD early withdrawal penalty? 

A certificate of deposit (CD) is similar to a savings account, but you agree to invest your money for a fixed period of time, such as six months, one year or five years. In exchange, the issuing financial institution pays you a fixed rate of interest.

If you withdraw funds before reaching the agreed-upon maturity date, the institution may charge a penalty for withdrawing from the CD early. The penalty you’ll pay for an early withdrawal varies by the financial institution, so you should find out what the penalty is before you purchase a CD. To avoid paying an early withdrawal penalty, select your CD’s maturity date based on your expected cash needs.

You can use our calculator to estimate early withdrawal penalties applied in different CD products.

Helpful retirement withdrawal calculators 

If you’re considering making an early withdrawal from a retirement account, it’s important to understand the potential impact of your decision.

Early withdrawal calculators can help you estimate the impact of taking an early withdrawal from your IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k) or 403(b). These calculators take into account tax consequences, penalties and lost asset growth.

Here are a few early withdrawal calculators you might want to play around with before taking a distribution from your retirement savings:

• TIAA Early Withdrawal Calculator
• AIER Retirement Withdrawal Calculator
• American Century Investments Cash Out Calculator
• John Hancock Cash Out Calculator
• Wells Fargo 401(k) Early Distribution Cost Calculator