By Mike Miles
TSP loan repayment and taxes
May 13th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I borrowed $50,000 from my Thrift Savings Plan two years ago and have been paying it back biweekly. Will I be taxed on the money I borrowed? If so, when and how much?
Also, I’m looking at retiring in three years. I will be 59 and have 33 years on the job. How much risk should I take in my TSP account?
A. A loan is not taxable unless you fail to repay it on time. The amount of risk you take with your TSP assets should be matched to your specific financial goals and life circumstances. The right risk level can’t possibly be determined using only your age and years of service. In fact, your years of service have nothing directly to do with it.
Tags: loan repayment, taxes, TSP
TSP
May 13th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I am a fully vested CSRS employee with the Environmental Protection Agency for 33 years at age 55. I have received my numbers, but I missed my first date to retire. How long does it take to receive my first full check? Should I take all of my Thrift Savings Plan out at once; leave about $10,000 in and roll it over to a Roth IRA; or leave it in the TSP? Is there a counselor at TSP to speak with about taxes and IRAs.
A. You should leave your money in the TSP for as long as possible and consult your tax preparer or a financial planner with your tax questions.
Tags: CSRS, retirement, rollover, Roth IRA, taxes, TSP, vested
CSRS annuity payments treated as rollover
May 9th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. Based on a reading of Internal Revenue Service Publication 721, it appears to say that since the CSRS and FERS retirement systems are considered “eligible retirement plans” you could roll over a distribution (including a regular annuity payment) into another IRA and defer the taxes, or into a Roth IRA and pay the taxes immediately. If this is the case, the normal IRS limitation on contributions to IRAs and Roth IRAs are bypassed. Am I reading this correctly?
A. From IRS Publication 721: “Distributions eligible for rollover treatment. If you receive a refund of your CSRS or FERS contributions when you leave government service, you can roll over any interest you receive on the contributions.You cannot roll over any part of your CSRS or FERS annuity payments.”
Tags: annuity, contributions, CSRS, distribution, FERS, IRA, IRS, retirement, rollover, Roth IRA, taxes
Taxes and transferring TSP to Roth IRA
May 9th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. Upon retirement, I’m considering transferring a portion of my Thrift Savings Plan balance in monthly payments directly into a Roth IRA. Since my TSP is pretax, I understand that taxes will need to be paid on these funds upon conversion to a Roth. I am in a state with no income tax on federal pensions and distributions from the TSP (North Carolina) and want to be sure that this transfer from my TSP to the Roth will be considered a TSP distribution for tax purposes, and therefore, subject to federal and not North Carolina taxes. Does the Office of Personnel Management issue a 1099R for such a transaction to generate the tax liability?
A. Yes.
Disability and tax deduction from TSP funds
May 6th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I recently retired from the federal government due to becoming permanently disabled at age 61. I received my disability approval from the Social Security Administration. I withdrew a portion of Thrift Savings Plan funds to cover expenses as a result of not being able to work. Why was 20 percent tax deducted from the distribution of funds at age 61 and with the legal purpose of being disabled?
A. Because that is the default federal income tax withholding rate for the distribution. The money has been applied toward your tax liability for the year.
Tags: age, deduction, Disability, distribution, Social Security, taxes, TSP, withholding rate
Rolling over post-tax 401(k) contributions into Roth TSP
May 6th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I have a 401(k) plan from a previous job in the private sector that allowed yearly post-tax contributions after the pretax limit contributions had been reached. Can I roll over the post-tax contributions in my 401(k) to the Roth TSP?
A. Not unless the funds are held in a Roth 401(k) account.
Tags: 401(k), contributions, Roth TSP, taxes
Rollover into TSP
April 29th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I have retirement funds in TIAA-CREF. The funds are listed as 401(a) and 403(b) accounts. All are pretax. May I roll over these accounts into my Thrift Savings Plan? I am considering this only for consolidation purposes.
A. Yes.
TSP vs. Roth IRA
April 29th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I am a fully vested CSRS employee with the Environmental Protection Agency for 33 years at age 55. I have received my numbers, but I missed my first date to retire. How long does it take to receive my first full check? Worst-case scenario? Best-case scenario? And is there any way to speed up processing?
When will I receive my annual leave payment? Will it be immediate in one lump sum without taxes since I already paid taxes on my leave?
Should I take all of my Thrift Savings Plan out at once or leave about 10,000 in and roll it over to a Roth IRA or leave it in TSP?
Is there a financial counselor at TSP to speak with about taxes and IRAs vs. TSP?
I was told the first three days of the month or the last day of the month are the best times to go out to receive the check earlier? Is this a good idea?
A. Mike: You should leave your money in the TSP for as long as possible, since it is the best retirement investment vehicle you’ll find. You’ll find information about taxes and the TSP at www.tsp.gov. You may contact the Thrift Line with your specific questions, although I doubt they’ll help you with questions about IRA taxation.
Reg: I don’t know how long it will take for you to get your first full annuity check; nor, I expect, does anyone else. However, once your retirement package arrives at the Office of Personnel Management, they will put you in interim pay within a week or two. A complete and accurate retirement package speedily sent to OPM by your agency is the best hedge against delayed processing.
You’ll have to ask your agency when it will send you your lump-sum payment for unused annual leave. That can’t happen until your agency closes out your account. Since you couldn’t have paid taxes on that money until it was received, it will be treated as ordinary income from which taxes will be deducted.
To pick the best date to retire, try to find one that is at the end of a pay period — to get credit for any annual and sick leave you earned during that pay period — and as close to the end of a month as possible — so the time between when you are employed and on the annuity roll is as short as you can make it. Note: As a CSRS employee, you can retire up to the third day of any month and be on the annuity roll in that month. While you will be paid for the additional days you are employed, your first month’s annuity will be reduced by 1/30 for every day you are still employed.
Tags: annual leave, annuity, CSRS, lump-sum, retirement, rollover, Roth IRA, taxes, TSP, vested
TSP withdrawal at 70 1/2
April 24th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. I have to withdraw my Thrift Savings Plan because of my age (70½).
I am indecisive as to:
1. Withdraw all to a saving account
2. Get a partial withdrawal for 120 months, or
3. Withdraw part of it and gradually withdraw the rest over a 10-year time span.
My considerations are:
1. No taxes, as I understand it, over a period greater than 10 years on a gradual withdrawal
2. Putting me into a higher tax bracket.
What advice or comments can you give me?
A. Unless you can come up with a good reason – that is, using actual estimates of costs, taxes, etc., rather than just qualitative statements – I don’t know why you would take any more than the required minimum distribution each year.
Tags: 70 1/2, partial, Required Minimum Distribution, taxes, TSP, withdrawal
Divorce and taxes on TSP
April 22nd, 2013 | Uncategorized
Q. In the divorce proceeding, I have to give my ex-spouse 57 percent of my Thrift Savings Plan, which is about $128,000; 57 percent of my pension comes out to $2,800 monthly.
When the money is withdrawn from my TSP, is it taxable? If so, how much? Is the tax withdrawn before he gets it? Or does he have to file taxes at the end of the year? He is 64 years old. We live in Pennsylvania.
A. I can’t give you tax advice since I’m not a CPA. I suggest you check Page 3 of the notice at https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tsp-536.pdf and consult a qualified tax adviser in your state.