How Much Can Be Borrowed From A 401 Loan
It depends on how much you have in your account. You can borrow up to 50% of your vested account balance, but you cant borrow more than $50,000. Even if you have a balance of $200,000, the IRS wont let you touch more than $50,000 of it.
The only time you can borrow more than 50% is when you have a balance of less than $20,000. In that case, you can borrow up to $10,000, even if you only have $10,000 stashed away.
Should I Pay Off My 401k Loan Or Reinvest The Funds Elsewhere
I have a loan out on my employer 401k plan for $50k, which I took out for the purchase of a home . The interest rate is 4%, which I’m paying into the account, and the term of the loan is 15 years.
I can pay the loan back in full at anytime. My previous home just sold so now I have the money to pay the loan back .
I am leaning towards just paying the loan back fully but was wondering if I should consider investing it into other investment vehicles such as an IRA or even index funds. I do not currently have an IRA, and before I took out the 401k loan, I had just started investing the maximum allowed per year in the 401k .
Would there be any benefit to this? Or should I just repay the 401k?
Pay the 401 loan back as soon as possible.
To be clear, the money from your 401 loan is no longer invested and working for you. It doesn’t make sense to pull money out of your 401 investments and then invest it in something else. If you want to invest for retirement, pay back the loan and invest that money inside your 401.
If you leave your job, the 401 loan needs to be paid back in full, or else taxes and penalties will apply. If you have put the funds in an IRA, they won’t be available to you should you need to pay back the loan early.
Instead of making a monthly payment to the 401 loan, pay off the loan and then make a monthly investment to an IRA.
Bring Your Lunch Into Work
Sure, bringing an egg salad sandwich to work every day isnt as fun as going to a restaurant with your coworkers. But trading lunch out for eating in can make you a lean, mean, mortgage-free machine.
Suppose packing your lunch frees up $100 to use toward your mortgage every month. Based on our example above of the $220,000 loan, that $100 in lunch money will help you pay off your mortgage four years ahead of schedule and save you nearly $27,000 in interest!
Cant quite spare a whole $100 from your food budget? No worries. Even small sacrifices can go a long way to help pay off your mortgage early. Put Andrew Jackson to work for you by adding just $20 to your mortgage payment each month. Based on our example, youll pay your mortgage off a year early, saving over $6,000 in the process.
Read Also: How To Change 401k Investments
Temporary Borrowing From A 401 For A Home Addition
Specific rules regarding 401 loans vary by plan administrator. However, many plans do allow participants to take more than one loan out at a time, if you did not take your maximum allowable amount out with the first loan. Total 401 loan limits must not exceed the IRS loan limits that apply to all retirement plans.
Withdrawals From A 401
-
401 hardship withdrawals If you find yourself facing dire financial concerns and need cash urgently, your 401 plan may offer a hardship withdrawal option. Unlike a 401 loan, you wont have to repay the money you take out, but you will owe taxes and potentially a premature distribution penalty on the amount that you withdraw. In addition, IRS 401 hardship withdrawal rules state that you may not take out more money than what is needed to cover your hardship situation. In order to qualify for a 401 hardship withdrawal, your plan administrator must offer this option and you must be facing an immediate and heavy financial need. According to the IRS, approved 401 hardship withdrawal reasons include:
- Postsecondary tuition for you or your family
- Medical or funeral expenses for you or your family
- Certain costs related to buying, or repairing damage to, your primary residence
- Preventing your immediate eviction from or foreclosure of your primary residence
If you experience a financial hardship from a circumstance not on this list, you may still be able to qualify for a hardship withdrawal, so check with your plan administrator.
- In-service, non-hardship withdrawals
This type of withdrawal is only allowed under certain plans and is mainly used by those who would like to explore other investment options. Learn more about in-service distributions. An Ameriprise financial advisor can provide more detailed information on in-service 401 distributions.
Recommended Reading: How Much Can You Invest In 401k
Consequences Of Not Paying A 401 Loan
If you stop paying your 401 loan, you could face the following consequences:
You will owe taxes
When your 401 loan is considered to be in default, the plan sponsor will send you Form 1099 showing the distribution amount and the amount of taxes you owe. You will have to pay income taxes on the lump-sum distribution at your tax bracket rate. If the “distribution” occurs in a year of high earnings, you will be pushed to a higher tax rate, and you will owe more taxes.
Early withdrawal penalty
If you are below 59 ½, or you left your job when you were younger than 55, the distribution will be subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty. However, if you left your job at 55, you will only pay income taxes on the distribution.
Lost appreciation opportunities
Once you default on a 401 loan, the unpaid amount is considered to be a deemed distribution, which is deducted from your account balance. This takes a sizable chunk of money out of the 401 account, and you will never be able to get the money back to the retirement account. This denies the funds an opportunity to grow tax-deferred, and this money can’t be replaced once it is withdrawn. After taking a 401 loan, the 401 plan may limit how much you can contribute to the plan, making it impossible to return the money back to its tax-preferred status.
How To Borrow From Your 401k
If you’ve decided that borrowing from your retirement plan is right for you, here’s how to get money from a 401 loan.
Read Also: Can You Roll A 401k Into A Self Directed Ira
Taking A 401 Withdrawal
Taking a 401 withdrawal involves taking money out of your retirement account without the intent to put it back. While this method might seem like an easy way to become debt-free, it does come with some tax considerations.
According to current IRS guidelines, if youre under the age of 59 ½, youre obligated to pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty on any money you take out of your 401. Unfortunately, that penalty is on top of getting taxed on the amount that you withdraw, which will be treated as regular income.
Can A Loan Offset Be Rolled Over
A 401 plan may require that, if an employee quits the company, any outstanding 401 loan be offset against their 401 balance. In this case, the plan loan offset is the unpaid loan balance that reduces your retirement savings. The IRS treats loan offsets as an actual distribution for tax purposes, and you may be able to rollover the loan offset to a new employer’s 401 or another qualified retirement plan.
Before 2018, the IRS required 401 participants to rollover any loan offsets within 60 days. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act extended this period to the tax due date for federal tax returns. You can avoid paying tax on the loan offset amount by rolling over to an IRA or Solo 401 before the tax due date. The rollover should be funded from your other assets to extinguish the tax liability.
Recommended Reading: How To Select 401k Investments
Ready To Refinance Your Mortgage
If you want to refinance to a mortgage you can pay off fast, talk to our friends at Churchill Mortgage. The home loan specialists at Churchill Mortgage show you the true costand savingsof each loan option. They coach you to make the best decision based on your budget and goals.
About the author
Ramsey Solutions
Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners.
Next Steps To Consider
This information is intended to be educational and is not tailored to the investment needs of any specific investor.
Fidelity does not provide legal or tax advice. The information herein is general in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific situation.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, Member NYSE, SIPC, 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI 02917
Recommended Reading: How To Cash Out 401k After Leaving Job
Make Snowball Debt Payments
This method applies to all debt, car loan payments included. Take your debt with the lowest balance and put any extra money in your budget toward that debt. Then take the money you were paying on that debt and apply it to the debt with the next lowest balance. Once that one is paid off, use the full amount you were paying towards your next debt until all of your debt is gone.
Snowball debt payments work beautifully. Some people prefer to start with the highest interest debt instead of the lowest balance. Either way, it will work to pay off your debt as long as you aren’t adding to your debt while you’re trying to pay it off.
What Happens When A 401 Loan Defaults
A 401 loan is considered to be in default when loan payments are not made on time. Most 401 plans allow a cure period after the last day when a loan was due, which can extend until the last day of the next quarter. If you don’t pay the outstanding loan within the cure period, the unpaid loan will be treated as a withdrawal, and you will owe taxes. Since 401 plans allow participants to borrow up to 50% of their account balance, it means that the account has enough money to cover the loss. Therefore, the unpaid loan will be considered to be a deemed distribution, which is subject to income taxes, and a penalty tax if you are below 59 ½.
Don’t Miss: Why Is Roth Ira Better Than 401k
Factors That Determine How Much Interest You Will Have To Pay:
Principal: This is the amount you are going to borrow .
Loan Term: This is the duration in which the loan amount, including interest, has to be paid back. Depending on the budgeting style, it can be weekly, monthly, fortnightly or yearly.
Repayment Amount: For a borrower, it is always good to be aware of the calculations of the amount that will go into repayments. This is because a certain amount goes in paying off the interest first and then the repayment of the principal starts. Again the interest amount is calculated on the principal you are going to borrow.
Rate of interest: The actual amount to be repaid largely depends on the rate of interest. The breakdown of your monthly interest payments are affected by how high or low your annual rate of interest is.
How To Stop Paying 401 Loan Payments
Many workers contribute money to their 401 plans as they prepare for their retirement. Sometimes these workers find themselves in a financial crisis. They need money to finance a vehicle purchase or to pay for a home repair. When these workers lack the funds to pay for these expenses, they might borrow the money against their 401. 401 loans offer these employees the chance to borrow from themselves at a reduced interest rate. The employer deducts the loan payments from the employees paycheck. If the employee wants to stop making these payments, she needs to pay it off. This requires several steps.
Review the loan balance. Before you consider paying off the loan, you need to know how much you owe. Many 401 providers maintain a website where participants can access their account information. Log into your providers website. Review your account information. Detailed information regarding your loan should appear on this site, including current balance and the term of the loan.
Acquire money. Once you know how much you owe, you need to obtain the funds to pay off the balance. Save some money out of each paycheck. If you receive an income-tax refund, a bonus paycheck or an inheritance, include this money with your savings.
Send in the payoff amount. Go to the bank and withdraw the amount needed to pay off your 401 loan. Ask the bank teller to give you a cashiers check for the total. Mail the cashiers check to the provider using certified mail.
Warnings
References
Read Also: How To Find Out If Someone Has A 401k
Leaving Work With An Unpaid Loan
Suppose you take a plan loan and then lose your job. You will have to repay the loan in full. If you don’t, the full unpaid loan balance will be considered a taxable distribution, and you could also face a 10% federal tax penalty on the unpaid balance if you are under age 59½. While this scenario is an accurate description of tax law, it doesn’t always reflect reality.
At retirement or separation from employment, many people often choose to take part of their 401 money as a taxable distribution, especially if they are cash-strapped. Having an unpaid loan balance has similar tax consequences to making this choice. Most plans do not require plan distributions at retirement or separation from service.
People who want to avoid negative tax consequences can tap other sources to repay their 401 loans before taking a distribution. If they do so, the full plan balance can qualify for a tax-advantaged transfer or rollover. If an unpaid loan balance is included in the participant’s taxable income and the loan is subsequently repaid, the 10% penalty does not apply.
The more serious problem is to take 401 loans while working without having the intent or ability to repay them on schedule. In this case, the unpaid loan balance is treated similarly to a hardship withdrawal, with negative tax consequences and perhaps also an unfavorable impact on plan participation rights.
Make Biweekly Mortgage Payments
While you can choose to pay any amount over your minimum mortgage payment each month, you can also opt for biweekly mortgage payments instead of paying monthly. With biweekly payments, youll wind up making 26 half-payments toward your mortgage over the course of a year, versus the 12 full payments you would normally make which is the equivalent of only 24 half-payments.
Since a calendar year is technically made up of 52 weeks and not 48 weeks, you end up making two extra half-payments each year using this strategy. Thats equivalent to one full extra mortgage payment each year, which can help you reduce interest payments and own your home faster.
Based on this example, an extra mortgage payment would ultimately save you $21,418 in mortgage interest and shave three years and six months off your mortgage repayment timeline.
Just make sure you do not pay a fee to your mortgage company in order to make biweekly payments. If your mortgage servicer doesnt offer this option, you can roughly accomplish the same goal by mailing in one extra mortgage payment each year, or by taking the principal and interest of your mortgage payment, dividing it by 12, and adding that amount to your monthly payment.
So, in the example above, you would divide $1,264 by 12, which equals $105, and add that amount as an overage toward your principal balance each month. Its not exactly the same result as making biweekly payments, but its very similar.
Read Also: How To Start My 401k
What Is A 401 Loan
A 401 loan is a loan you take out from your own 401 account. They work like normal loansyou pay origination fees and interestonly youre borrowing money from yourself. According to Vanguard, 78% of 401 plans permit participants to take out 401 loans, and about 13% of plan participants have an outstanding 401 loan.
If you need money, you might consider taking a loan from your 401 if:
You want a lower interest rate. 401 loans still charge interest. But the amount you pay may be less than on a loan you take out with someone else. 401 loan interest rates are based on the prime rate, an interest rate adapted from Federal Reserve loaning guidelines. 401 loans will normally be a percentage point or two above this rate, which may be lower than the rate you could get at a bank.
Youd prefer to pay interest to yourself. No one likes paying banks and credit card companies interest. While youre still on the hook for interest payments with a 401 loan, you get to pay it back to yourself instead of someone else.
You want looser credit requirements. If your credit score prevents you from getting the best rates on loans, you may opt for a 401 loan. Depending on your employer, you may not even need a credit check to borrow from your 401.
You might want to avoid a 401 loan if:
