If You Have An Outstanding 401k Loan
Did you borrow any money from your 401? If you did and youre leaving the company, voluntarily or otherwise, you have the option to repay the loan to an IRA and you have until your personal tax return deadline of the following year to contribute that repayment amount to an IRA explains Mat Sorensen, CEO of Directed IRA and Directed Trust Company, thanks to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
If you cant pay the loan back in the allotted time, the plan will reduce your vested account balance in order to recoup the unpaid amount, says Ian Berger, IRA Analyst with IRAHelp.com and a colleague of Ed Slott, author of The New Retirement Savings Time Bomb.This is called a loan offset.
I think that many people forget that if they have a loan outstanding, it has to be paid, says Wayne Bogosian, co-author of The Complete Idiots Guide to 401 Plans.
Fail to repay it and the loan amount will count as income, potentially subject to tax, plus youll pay an additional penalty equal to 10 percent of the sum you borrowed if youre younger than age 59 ½, he says.
Taking a loan from your 401 is in reality, borrowing from yourself and may be an appropriate decision for some people who are unemployed with no income source, need money for medical expenses, or are purchasing their first home. However there are many things to consider before doing so.
If you cant pay the loan back to your 401, other than the potential tax implications listed above, the options below still apply.
What To Do With Your Old 401
Many 401k plans offer the ability to move money from a former employers 401 into a new plan. If you like your new employers plan, it makes sense to combine accounts and reduce your total amount of investments and fees.
Moving Your Old 401 to the New PlanThe information on how to move the former 401 should be included in your new plans sign-up package, or you can ask the plan sponsor directly. Once you cash out of one plan, you only have 90 days or less to get it the assets into the new plan, otherwise it will be considered a taxable distribution.
The funds should ideally be transferred directly from one company to the next. If you get a check mailed to you personally, do not cash it. Contact the new plan manager to find out how to transfer the assets correctly.
If you dont particularly like the new employers plan, its still worth saving there to get the opportunity to invest pre-tax dollars and take advantage of the employer matching funds.
Move Your Old 401 to a Rollover IRABut your old 401 doesnt have to be part of the new plan. Instead, you can move the money into a rollover individual retirement account . Think of a rollover IRA as a catch-all account that combines all the assets from the 401s you leave behind. With a rollover IRA, you can choose from a huge selection of investments, and the money continues to grow tax-deferred until retirement.
That takes care of the 401. Now to find the good lunch places in your new office neighborhood.
You Have $5000 Or More In Your 401
If your 401 account balance is at least $5000, your former employer may allow you to stay vested in their plan indefinitely. Usually, the employer is required to continue holding your 401 money in their retirement plan until you provide further instructions on what to do with your retirement savings.
However, employers only consider the amount you have contributed to the 401 plan. This excludes retirement savings rolled over from previous employersâ 401 plans. For example, if you have a $10,000 401 balance, and $7,000 was rolled over into the plan, it means you only contributed $3,000. This amount falls below $5000, and the savings may be moved to a forced-transfer IRA, even if your total account balance is above $10,000.
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Blog: Changing Jobs Dont Forget About Your 401
One of the most important questions you face when changing job is what to do with the money in your 401 because making the wrong move could cost you thousands of dollars or more in taxes and lower returns.
Lets say you put in five years at your current job. For most of those years, youve had the company take a set percentage of your pretax salary and put it into your 401 plan.
Now that youre leaving, what should you do? The first rule of thumb is to leave it alone. You have 60 days to decide whether to roll it over or leave it in the account. Resist the temptation to cash out. The worst thing an employee can do when leaving a job is to withdraw the money from their 401 plans and put it in his or her bank account. Heres why:
If you decide to have your distribution paid to you, the plan administrator will withhold 20 percent of your total for federal income taxes, so if you had $100,000 in your account and you wanted to cash it out, youre already down to $80,000.
Furthermore, if youre younger than 59 1/2, youll face a 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal come tax time. Now youre down another 10 percent from the top line to $70,000.
If you separate from service during or after the year you reach age 55 , there is an exception to the 10 percent early withdrawal tax penalty. This applies to 401 plans only. IRA, SEP, SIMPLE IRA, and SARSEP Plans do not qualify for the exception.
Leave The Money Where It Is
If allowed, you could keep the money in your former employer’s plan. Some employers will allow that if you have a certain balance, generally $5,000 or more.
You might choose to leave your retirement money with a previous employer, simply because you’re familiar with the investment options, or they have lower fees.
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Roll The Money Into An Individual Retirement Account
Another option is to open what is known as a rollover IRA, a retirement account that exists to consolidate other retirement accounts in one place. Its like a basket into which you can throw all of your old 401s. Money moved into a rollover IRA remains tax-deferred for retirement, and you can invest it in any way you choose.
You can only complete one IRA rollover in a one-year period, per IRS regulations.
Within a rollover IRA, savers have access to countless investment options, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate investment trusts. If that sounds overwhelming, you could instead opt for a lifecycle fund that chooses investments for you according to your target retirement date.
Things You Can Do With 401 After Leaving Your Job
Many employers offer 401s as a way to help employees save for retirement. When you leave your job, you’ll need to decide what to do with your 401. Depending on what you do once you leave your job, you have several options. In this article, we describe four options you have when deciding what to do with 401 when you leave a job.
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Rolling Over A 401 To Your New Employers Plan
The process of rolling over a 401 might seem intimidating or inconvenient at first, especially if youre moving onto your second job and this is the first time youll be rolling over a 401. In actuality, the actual process of rolling over a 401 isnt too complicated once youve decided where your existing funds are going to go.
What Happens To Your 401 When You Switch Jobs
What happens to your 401 balance when you leave your job? In part, that depends on how much money is in your account. Regardless of the amount, you’ll keep all the contributions you’ve made to the plan, plus the portion of your employer match that’s vested.
Money withdrawn from a 401 is called a distribution. The plan’s administrator is required by law to give you a written explanation of your distribution options, including the ability to have the money transferred directly to another 401 plan or to an individual retirement account .
In most cases, you can also leave your 401 money in your former employer’s plan. However, if your plan balance is $1,000 to $5,000, the plan administrator may deposit the money into an IRA for you if you don’t cash it out or roll it over into another retirement account. If your balance is less than $1,000, your plan administrator may automatically cash it out and send you a check. In this case, quite a bit of tax will be withheld. To keep your plan administrator from making a decision for you, contact them as soon as you know you’re leaving your job to go over your options.
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Rollover Your Old 401k Money Into A New Ira
Known as a rollover IRA, this type of IRA is designed to accept the transfer of assets from a former employers 401k. If your new employer doesnt offer a 401k or youre not pleased with the plans costs or investment options, this is probably your best option because it will give you the most flexibility and control to stay on track with your retirement savings goals. In fact, this is what we generally recommend to our clients who have old 401ks. IRAs generally have more investment options, no plan fees, and greater withdrawal flexibility.
In order to execute a rollover IRA, your first step is to open a new IRA with an investment advisor or financial institution. The rollover process is similar to the one described above except that you will instruct the administrator of your former employers 401k to transfer plan assets directly into your new rollover IRA.
Conversely, you can have a check sent directly to you, but make sure that the check is made payable to your IRA custodian for benefit of your name. The former plan administrator will withhold 20% of the amount for the payment of taxes and you will have 60 days to deposit the full balance, including the 20% withheld, into your rollover IRA. Failure to deposit the entire amount into your new IRA could result in current tax liabilities plus a 10 percent penalty if youre under age 59½.
Roll It Over Into Your New 401
If you start a new job and the employer offers a 401, look at the investment options and the fees in the new plan. Some fees are really low in 401 plans, so you may want to roll your old 401 into your new one.
Having everything in one account, instead of having multiple 401 plans from different jobs, helps keep your retirement savings streamlined, Berra said.
To start the process, speak to your new human resources department to make sure your new plan accepts rollovers. Then, you’ll have to fill out paperwork form your new plan, as well as a transfer form from your old employer.
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Will You Owe Taxes No
There are no real tax implications for leaving your 401 funds parked in your old employers plan. Your money remains and grows tax-exempt until you withdraw it.
The plan is not required to let you stay if your account balance is relatively small , but the company that manages the plan assets generally allows participants to roll the 401 plan assets into a comparable IRA that it offers.
However, you wont be able to make additional contributions to the plan. And because you are no longer an employee plan participant, you may not receive important information about material changes to the plan or its investment choices.
Also, if you elect to leave your funds with your old plan, then later attempt to move them, it may be difficult to get your old employer to release the funds in a timely manner.
Roll Your Money Into Your New Employer’s 401 Plan
Almost all 401 plans now accept rollovers from other retirement plans. You should certainly contribute to your new plan. But should you transfer your old account into it?
Advantages
- Consolidating your retirement money makes it easier to manage. When you’ve left a retirement account at a company you no longer work for, you may pay less attention to its performance or downplay its importance in your overall asset allocation.
- The new plan may offer more attractive investment options than the old one, as well as additional services, such as financial-planning advice.
Disadvantages
- The new plan may offer fewer investment options or investments that dont meet your needs.
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Before You Leave Your Current Job:
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Find out when your insurance coverage ends. Know how long youll have insurance coverage with your soon-to-be former employer. If health coverage ends before it starts up again with your new company, be sure to talk to your employer about your options through COBRA. Although COBRA may be pricey, consider the trade-offs if you were to need medical care during your transition time. Also check out coverage options through federal and state exchanges at healthcare.gov.
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Identify any benefits that will follow you. Some benefitslike a health savings planwill follow you wherever you go, so be sure you know which benefits will come with you and how to continue to access them once you leave.
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Calculate pay thats due to you when you leave. Understand how much unused vacation pay, sick pay, and other compensation should be paid out to you upon leaving. If you have stock options, make sure you know how long you have to exercise them before they expire.
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Know the pros and cons of leaving the money in your current 401 plan versus rolling it over into an IRA or into your new companys 401. Then, decide which option is best for you. Get more information on 401 options here.
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Create a budget for your time between paychecks. Develop a budget that will cover your expenses while youre not receiving a paycheck between jobs. Your goal should be to get by with the money you have rather than going into debt to cover essential purchases.
Cashing Out Your 401 After Leaving A Job
Based on the amount of money in your 401 account, your employer may allow you to leave the account with them. However, you will not be able to contribute any more to your old account.
Leaving your account with the old employer may not be prudentespecially when you have access to more flexible Individual Retirement Account plans from most brokers. You may roll over your 401 account to your new employer or transfer the funds into an IRA. If you meet the age criteria, you may start taking distributions without having to pay any penalty for early withdrawal.
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You Might Be Missing Out On Better Investments
401 accounts grow at different rates depending on which assets you invest in. If the retirement savings plan at your new companyor an individual retirement plan offers a selection of stocks and bonds that better aligns with your financial goals, it might be time to initiate a rollover.
The money thats sitting in your old 401 could potentially grow at a faster rate if you roll it over into a new plan or into an IRAits certainly worth investigating the growth rates of each. Keep in mind that investors can lose money when investing, too, so it always makes sense to consider your personal risk tolerance when deciding how to invest your retirement accounts.
Rolling Over A 401 Into An Ira
If you choose to roll your 401 funds into an IRA thats not employer-sponsored, a direct rollover is the method that takes most of the guesswork out of the transfer. This means that the funds will be taken from your previous account and rolled directly into the new account.
Doing it this way should avoid your previous lender sending you a check and resulting in any unforeseen early withdrawal tax situations.
Opening a new retirement account online is fairly straightforward, but there are some steps to opening an IRA that might be worth reviewing before you start. Once your funds are rolled over, youll be able to choose the investments that work for your retirement goals.
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Roll It Over Into An Ira
If you’re not moving to a new employer, or your new employer doesn’t offer a retirement plan, you still have a good option. You can roll your old 401 into an IRA.
You’ll be opening the account on your own, through the financial institution of your choice. The possibilities are pretty much limitless. That is, you’re no longer restricted to the options made available by an employer.
The biggest advantage of rolling a 401 into an IRA is the freedom to invest how you want, where you want, and in what you want, says John J. Riley, AIF, founder and chief investment strategist for Cornerstone Investment Services LLC, Providence, Rhode Island. There are few limits on an IRA rollover.
One item you might want to consider is that in some states, such as California, if you are in the middle of a lawsuit or think there is the potential for a future claim against you, you may want to leave your money in a 401 instead of rolling it into an IRA, says financial advisor Jarrett B. Topel, CFP, Topel & DiStasi Wealth Management LLC, Berkeley, California. There is more creditor protection in California with 401s than there is with IRAs. In other words, it is harder for creditors/plaintiffs to get at the money in your 401 than it is to get at the money in your IRA.
