Q. I am a CSRS Postal Service employee and plan to retire at the end of 2014, when I will be 55 years old with 38 years of service (including sick leave). After reading other answers, I understand that I can immediately withdraw funds from my Thrift Savings Plan without penalty but would like advice regarding those withdrawals. Considering that TSP withdrawals are subject to regular income taxation, is it beneficial to move the funds to an IRA? Would I avoid any tax? Other than future growth potential and smaller tax rate, is there any benefit to delaying withdrawals until later in life?
A. You may roll over your TSP withdrawals that are not required to an IRA and continue to defer the tax to a later time. I can’t tell you whether this will be beneficial since I don’t know enough about you and your circumstances to make that determination. Better investment performance and tax management are the only reasons I can think of for delaying your TSP withdrawals. What more reason do you need?
