Q. My husband happens to be one of the 800,000 who got furloughed. I have an IRA of $3,400. Would I be able to cash that in without a penalty to get us by for, say, a month or so, depending on how long the furlough lasts?
A. There is no exception to the early withdrawal penalty for a government furlough. You will be subject to the penalty unless you are age 59½ or meet one of the other exceptions to the penalty described in Internal Revenue Service Publication 590.
