Monthly Archives: December, 2010

Q: I’m a Federal Employees Retirement System employee and I am confused about what advantages there are to the payroll tax deduction reducing the contribution into Social Security from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent in 2011 as part of a payroll tax holiday. Won’t I still need to pay 6.2 percent at the end of the year when I’m filing my taxes? And will it not also affect my Social Security?    A: No, you won’t have to pay the difference at the end of the year. Right now, Social Security benefits are not indexed to the rate at which you…

Q: Mike Miles answered a recent question about Thrift Savings Plan withdrawal by saying that the person making the withdrawal pays the taxes and penalties when filing a tax return, but that the TSP will withhold 20 percent for future liabilities. I’m not sure what that means: If the taxes and penalties are paid when we complete our tax returns, why does TSP withhold 20 percent, and what happens to that money? What could be a future liability? Do we ever get the 20 percent back? A: The TSP withholding is mandatory; the 20 percent will be deposited with the…

Q: I am retired military, and I want to withdraw the full amount of my Thrift Savings Plan account. Will I pay the tax and penalty immediately, or will I pay when I file my 2011 taxes? I have about $14,000 in my TSP. In other words, will I recieve the full amount or will it be taxed first? A: You won’t actually be required to pay the tax and penalty until you file your return, but the TSP will withhold 20 percent from your payment as a deposit against future liability. You may not reduce this withholding, but you…

Q: I am planning on retiring next month when I turn 50. I would like to take monthly installments based on the IRS life expectancy tables to avoid the 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal. Would I still be able to make a withdrawal for my son’s college fees and still avoid the 10 percent penalty? A: You’re planning to use the life expectancy method for calculating withdrawals that will satisfy the exception to the early withdrawal penalty. This exception is allowed under IRS code section 72(t). One of the requirements for meeting this exception is that exactly the correct…

Q: I plan to retire from a federal law enforcement position at the end of February. I am covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System and will have an outstanding Thrift Savings Plan loan balance when I retire. I assume that there will be some type of “demand for payment” notice sent by TSP, and if I don’t repay the loan by a certain date, the balance will be considered a withdrawal. Will the TSP deduct the 10 percent penalty from my account, or will they bill me? Will the “withdrawal” be taxed along with my regular income on my…

Q: I keep hearing that there is some kind of bill being touted by a congresswoman from New York that would “take” all of our Thrift Savings Plan money and everyone’s 401(k) money and put it into the Social Security system without our consent. Is there any truth to this, and if so, what do you think the chances are of this actually happening? Should we be concerned? A: There has been talk in lawmaking and policy think tanks about this strategy for changing the retirement system. I can’t possibly handicap the odds of such a thing happening, but it…

Q: I have recently left federal service on a deferred retirement. I have about 27 years of service and am 50 years old (49 when I left service). If I withdrawal part of my Thrift Savings Plan account, is there a penalty, or do I simply have to pay income tax on the withdrawn amount? I have some very unexpected bills with the death of my son and do not want to pay monthly payments for a loan. I plan to withdraw about $50,000.  A: It sounds like you’ll be subject to the penalty unless you can meet one of…

Q: I am 75 and still working under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I have two tax shelter plans. One of them is with my Thrift Savings Plan account, and I learned from the TSP website that I do not have to take a required minimum distribution from them until I retire. My other plan started when I worked for Georgia Tech, but is now managed by a brokerage firm. My question is: Must I take an RMD from the plan managed by the brokerage firm if I am still working? I don’t understand why I should have to take such…

Q: I wanted to have my house paid off by the time I retire in 2025. I am over 50, and the yearly payment needed to pay off my house would equal my Thrift Savings Plan catch-up contribution; I can’t do both. Would you recommend paying off the house or paying more into the TSP account? A: It depends upon your assumptions about the future and your circumstances. With what little I know about you (virtually nothing), I can only recommend that you carefully consider keeping the mortgage and making the TSP contributions.

Q: I am a 60-year-old Federal Employees Retirement System employee. Good health holding out, I plan on retiring in 2025. I am saving the maximum allowed in the L 2020 Fund, with the thought that I may have to retire if health does not hold out until 2020. Your article in Federal Times on Dec. 13 said to choose the L Fund that corresponds to your life expectancy, rather than when you want to retire. Should I move my L Fund money to L 2030, or are there other allocations that you would recommend?   A: I can’t responsibly give…