Q. My understanding is if I withdraw using a loan from my Thrift Savings Plan (say a residential loan) shortly before I retire and under 59½ years old, and then I retire or turn 59½, I get a 10 percent tax penalty because the loan was taken when I wasn’t eligible for a withdrawal without penalty. It seems a little contradictory because I could pay off the outstanding amount and then take an unpenalized withdrawal after retirement or 59½. Am I reading this rule correctly?
A. No. If your unrepaid loan balance is declared a taxable distribution, it is counted as a distribution during the year it in which it is declared, not retroactively to the year in which you took the loan.
