Q. I will be taking voluntary early retirement July 31. I have plans to take my money out of TSP to pay off bills and buy a home. Would it be better to wait until next year to pull out since I will be in a lower tax bracket? A. While it’s nice to reduce the tax liability on your withdrawals, the size of any advantage you’ll enjoy from waiting will depend on how much income is ultimately exposed to lower tax rates. Once the potential tax benefit from delaying the withdrawal is determined, it needs to be weighed against…
Browsing: TSP withdrawal
Q. I am 59 years old and will have 38 years civil service (FERS) in October. I hope to work until age 62. We went to a financial adviser when my husband retired two years ago, and he invested his 403 in an insurance fund and another fund recommended by this adviser. It has earned around 5 percent. The adviser now wants me to withdraw most of my Thrift Savings Plan at 59½ and invest with him. I know 5 percent is pretty good, but it will be locked in for several years. He also recommended I purchase whole life instead of…
Q. I plan to retire next month at age 62 and withdraw my entire Thrift Savings Plan account. I know that they will withhold 20 percent for federal taxes, but how can I keep from being taxed on that amount as income in the same calendar year? With my current rate of pay, adding some $300,000 to $400,000 in the TSP withdrawal will surely kill me in taxes. A. Assuming that you are determined to withdraw your entire account balance at once (why would you do this?), you can roll over part of your withdrawal to an IRA.
Q. I have an outstanding Thrift Savings Plan loan, and I just turned 59. I plan to continue to work for some time. After age 59½, can I pay off this TSP loan from other personal funds, then immediately withdraw those funds from the TSP without penalty if I need them for other purposes? With no loan balance remaining, would I then be eligible to take out another TSP loan? A. You may repay the loan, take a distribution and then take another loan, but 60 days must elapse between the two loans.
Q. I have been working for the federal government for 10 years. I have contributed the max for most of that time to the Thrift Savings Plan/FERS. After a divorce, I have been battling debt in the form of school loans, credit cards, etc. In an attempt to pay off the debt, I pay approximately $700 per month. I have attempted and requested to decrease the annual percentage rate on some items, with little success. I have a fair amount in my TSP. I am debating whether to withdraw just the amount I need to pay off the debt (20…
Q. My husband and I are federal retirees (both 65). We are buying a second home. We are contemplating withdrawing our down payment (50 percent; $130,000) from our Thrift Savings Plans. We are trying to determine the best way to handle the tax issue. Does it make more sense taxwise to withdraw a large amount (130,000) and incur the 20 percent tax hit, or make a lower down payment (20 percent; $52,000) and request an annuity of $1,000 per month, thereby reducing our yearly tax liability? We are currently in the 25percent tax bracket. A. The only way to answer this question responsibly…
Q. I am 67, retired, and I am considering withdrawing $21,000 from my Thrift Savings Plan to pay off my home mortgage payments of $500 a month. I’m helping two grandchildren with college and the $500 a month is rough. What would my tax liability be on $21,000? A. The only way to answer this question is to prepare your tax return for the year of the withdrawal.
Q. I worked for DoDDS schools from 1987 to 1990. At that time, vesting was five years with FERS. When I resigned, I believe I had to forfeit my retirement and was made to withdraw my Thrift Savings Plan. Would this have been correct for that time period with FERS? And DoDDS? I came back to work for DoDEA in January 2001. I called to make certain that I was going to get credit for those three years. I wanted to redeposit my TSP money but was not allowed to, and was told there was no provision for repayment. It…
Q. I left federal service and have $4,019.42 in my TSP account. I requested a full withdrawal. Will I get the full amount less the 10 to 20 percent that is with held for taxes? A. Your payment will be subject to 20 percent mandatory tax withholding.
Q. A friend of mine in the office (Federal, CSRS) recently passed away. His wife, in looking through his TSP account, discovered that he had withdrawn $70,000, but she cannot figure out where that money went because she finds no records other than the withdrawal itself. If you have any ideas of how I might help her track it (or anyone involved in federal service TSP), or discover what happened to it, it would be extremely helpful. A. If the TSP made the check payable to him, then the answer can only be found in his records, and not in…