Are you wondering; where should I roll over my 401k? Well, in this article we will go through the process and try to answer your question about your 401K rollover. Keep reading to find out more!
401k – Overview
A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement saving plan. Contributions to the plan are taken out of employee pay for investment according to the employee’s preference. Though not all employers offer the plan, the annual contribution limit is $20,500 unless you are older than 50 years, where the limit is $ 27,000. The name of this pension savings account comes from the United States internal revenue code subsection 401(k).
The 401(k) plan is offered for permanent full-time employees. Funds deducted are deposited in an individual IRA account, providing a tax break during contribution or when withdrawing in your retirement. This is the first advantage the plan offers.
The contributions are made before the IRS deducts tax which means you will have a lower annual taxable income. Another advantage of this plan is that most employers offer to match your contribution. This means there is free money to be benefited from. An employer might offer to match depending on how much you contribute. However, the employer contribution may differ from one institution to the other. Some may offer a dollar for dollar others, 50 cents to the dollar; it all depends on the employer.
Where Should I Roll Over My 401k?
The term rollover represents the transfer of funds contained in your 401(k) plan. This can be either to another 401(k) plan or to any other retirement plan you choose. The rollovers give you more investment choices or a better tax break.
However, the existing regulations only allow a single rollover of a 401(k) plan to a retirement plan annually. This does not apply to the rollover to a different 401(k) plan, as this has no limit to how many times you can rollover.
Reasons For Requesting a Rollover
You might be interested in a rollover for various reasons; changing your job is the first and the most common reason. Different employers offer different 401(k) providers. You might also want to transfer your funds to a new plan when you change an employer.
Another reason is that the 40(k) plan does not offer as many investment choices for your retirement savings compared to a traditional IRA. 401(K) plans to pass on management fees from providers to account holders. This makes them expensive as those fees can accumulate over a long period to quite substantial amounts.
A rollover also offers you the benefit of tax relief depending on the account you are rolling over to. For example, rolling over to a Roth IRA helps you benefit from a tax-free retirement as they are funded with after-tax income. The 401(k) plans are subject to higher taxation than other retirement accounts. It is good to roll over your plan to a retirement account to take advantage of the lower fees and taxes.
Changes in your job may also warrant a rollover as different roles come with new 401(k) plans. You might need to roll over the funds in the various plans into a single 401(k) plan to consolidate your accounts.
Rollover From a Traditional 401(k) Plan To a Traditional IRA
You can rollover your traditional 401(k) plan to a traditional IRA to give yourself more control of your funds. IRAs provide more investment options as opposed to a 401(k) plan. The insurance cost of a 401(k) plan can go as high as 3% per year. Rolling over to an IRA account helps you take advantage of the lower fees offered.
Rollover from a traditional 401(k) to a Roth IRA:
Another option is a rollover from a traditional 401(k) to a Roth IRA. For this option, you owe taxes for the money in the year you make the rollover. This is because the 401(k) plan is funded from your pretax income; you don’t pay any taxes for your contributions.
However, when you retire, you owe taxes for the withdrawals. A Roth IRA, on the other hand, is funded by your after-tax income; since the contribution are deducted from income that has already been taxed, you will not owe any taxes during withdrawal.
Rollover From a Roth 401(k) To a Roth IRA
You can also roll over from a Roth 401(k) to a Roth IRA. This is an excellent option. However, understanding the process is critical to avoid triggering tax penalties. A direct rollover from a Roth 401(k) to a Roth IRA helps avoid the tax penalties that may result from requesting a direct check from your 401(k) administrator.
With this option, your administrator withholds 20% for taxes, and you are also required to deposit the money into your Roth IRA account within 60 days of the distribution. A Roth IRA comes with various advantages. You can withdraw original contributions from a Roth IRA without tax penalties as you will have already paid taxes on the money.
Distributions from a Roth IRA after you retire are also tax-free. However, you should note that to avoid tax penalties from IRA withdrawals, your account has to have been open and active for at least five years.
I hope this article was helpful and that you found it interesting. If you have any questions, we will be more than happy to answer them below.
All the best,
Pete