Q. I recently left federal service after three years to pursue grad school in the fall. I am 23, with a little over $15,000 in a Thrift Savings Plan account. I am wondering if I should make an out-of-service withdrawal and transfer the funds to an IRA? Then, once the funds were in an IRA, I could withdraw the funds for education costs without the penalty or 10 percent tax and only face federal income tax, since my state doesn’t have an income tax. I am not receiving financial aid for grad school because of my federal government salary, and…
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Q. I will be 59½ in August. I would like to make an in-service withdrawal from my Thrift Savings Plan. At this time, I have a loan out on my account. Do I need to repay this loan before I take an in-service withdrawal for the total amount in my account, and how much tax will I be charged for this withdrawal? A. You do not need to repay the loan before taking an age-based in-service withdrawal. The automatic tax withholding rate on these withdrawals is 20 percent unless you transfer your payment to another retirement plan or account.
Q. I am 62, retiring from the Postal Service after 45 years of government service and wish to take a set amount of money from my Thrift Savings Plan account on a monthly basis. If I should I pass away prior to my wife becoming age 59½ years of age, would she have to pay the 10 percent penalty? A. No, the penalty does not apply to distributions made on account of the death of the account holder.
Q. Should I consider paying off the balance of my mortgage (approximately $300,000) using a full withdrawal of my Thrift Savings Plan upon retirement if the mortgage payment is more than the TSP annuity anticipated and the balance is adequate to make the payoff? A. I can’t tell you if you should, but if I were responsible for managing your retirement plan, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Q. My mom, who doesn’t know English, turned 70½ on Aug. 4, 2011. She has IRAs at two different places: Vanguard and Bank of America. My mom has already satisfied her 2011 Vanguard required minimum distribution before April 1, 2012, because it was her first RMD. The Vanguard 2011 RMD was calculated by Vanguard and mailed to my mom, by the way. Was she also required to take a Bank of America RMD? If so, oh no! What’s the best way to proceed? A. In general, an RMD must be calculated for each IRA, and the total RMD for all…
Q. I have about 10 percent of my TSP invested in the International Fund and about 90 percent invested in the G fund. I do not want to take payments for the International Fund because it is down so much. Can I just take payments from the G fund and wait until the International Fund recovers, or do I have to take a proportional amount form each fund? A. Any distributions will come from your investment funds proportionally. You may rebalance after the withdrawal is made, however.
Q. I am planning on retiring in December, but I will still have outstanding balances owed on my Thrift Savings Plan loans. Will they take that remainder out of my TSP money when I withdraw it? A. If you retire with an outstanding loan balance, the unpaid balance, plus interest, will be declared a taxable distribution. This money has already been deducted from your TSP balance, so it won’t be available for withdrawal if it has not been repaid.
Q. I will be taking the early-out in July. I have been a postmaster for 24 years, and I am 55½ years old. I have plans to withdraw my Thrift Savings Plan. Will there be any penalties, and will taxes be taken out? A. There will be penalty for early withdrawal. You’ll find the tax withholding requirements on Page 3 of this notice: https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tsp-536.pdf.
Q. Are there any competent financial advisers in the Washington, D.C., metro area who are experts on rolling Thrift Savings Plan money into an Individual Retirement Account and withdrawing it under Internal Revenue Service Rule 72(t) before age 59½? A. If all you want is 72(t) support, the best option is to engage a CPA to do your taxes and have them provide you with the support. That way, they’re responsible for defending the return if it is questioned. The 72(t) rules are strict, so you shouldn’t cut corners in this area. Any good adviser who isn’t preparing your tax…
Q. I am retiring under FERS with 23 years of service at age 66. Can I set up with TSP to draw an amount from my account on a yearly basis? Do I have to pay taxes on the amount that I withdraw? Is there an age limit where I do not have to pay taxes on the withdrawal amount? A. You may only set up automatic distributions from your TSP on a monthly basis. Every dollar you withdraw during the year will be counted as taxable income for the year, regardless of your age.