Employer-sponsored retirement plans like a 401(k) are a common way for workers to save for retirement. A little more than half of employees participate in a retirement plan at work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So it’s important for participants to understand how 401(k) taxes work.
With a traditional 401(k) plan, employees can contribute a portion of their salary to an account with a range of investment options, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and cash.
Employers sometimes match part or all of these contributions. For instance, a company might match 50% of an employee’s contribution, up to 6% of the employee’s salary. For 2021, participants can contribute up to $19,500 to a 401(k) plan, plus $6,500 if they’re 50 or older. For 2022, the limit is $20,500, plus the additional $6,500 for those age 50 and up.
There are two main types of workplace 401(k) plans: a traditional plan and a Roth. The rules on 401(k) taxes depend on which plan an employee participates in.
Traditional 401(k) Tax Rules
When it comes to this tried-and-true retirement savings plan, here are key things to know about 401(k) taxes and 401(k) withdrawal tax.
401(k) Contributions are Made With Pre-tax Income
401(k) plan participants don’t pay taxes on contributions. Your contributions are made with pre-tax income. If you’re contributing to your company’s 401(k), each time you receive a paycheck, a predetermined (by you) portion is deposited into your 401(k) account, and the rest is taxed and paid to you.
Because the money comes out of your paycheck before taxes, your paycheck will decrease by less than your total contribution.
How this might look:
• Your gross salary: $50,000
• Pay schedule: Every two weeks
• State/local tax rate: 6%
• Federal income tax rate: 22%
If you contribute 10% of your salary, $192 will be deducted from each paycheck (before taxes), but your take-home pay will decrease by only $138.
If you contribute 15% of your salary, $288 will be deducted from each paycheck (before taxes), but your take-home pay will decrease by only $208.
401(k) Contributions Lower Your Taxable Income
The more you contribute to your 401(k) account, the lower your taxable income is in that year. If you contribute 15% of your income to your 401(k), for instance, you’ll only owe taxes on 85% of income.
How this might look:
• Your gross salary: $50,000
• State/local tax rate: 6%
• Federal income tax rate: 22%
If you contribute 0% of your salary annually, you’ll pay taxes on the full $50,000.
If you contribute 10% of your salary annually, $5,000 will be deposited into your 401(k) account and you will be taxed on $45,000. Total tax savings: $1,400.
If you contribute 15% of your salary annually, $7,500 will be deposited into your 401(k) account and you will be taxed on $42,500. Total tax savings: $2,100.
Withdrawals From a 401(k) Account Are Taxable
When you take withdrawals from your 401(k) account in retirement, you’ll be taxed on both your contributions and any earnings that have accrued over time.
The withdrawals count as taxable income, so during the years that you withdraw funds from your 401(k) account, you will owe taxes in your retirement income tax bracket.
Early 401(k) Withdrawals Come With Taxes and Penalties
If you withdraw money from your 401(k) before age 59 ½, you’ll owe both income taxes and a 10% tax penalty on the distribution.
Although IRAs allow penalty-free early withdrawals for qualified first-time homebuyers and for qualified higher education expenses, that is not true for 401(k) plans.
That said, if an employee leaves a company during or after the year in which they turn 55, they can start taking distributions from their 401(k) account without paying taxes or penalties.
Can you take out a loan or hardship withdrawal from your plan assets? Many plans do allow that, up to a certain amount, but withdrawing money from a retirement account means you lose out on the compound growth from funds withdrawn. You will also have to pay interest (yes, to yourself) on the loan.
Roth 401(k) Tax Rules
Here are some tax rules about the newer retirement savings vehicle, the Roth 401(k).
Your Roth 401(k) Contributions Are Made With After-Tax Income
When it comes to taxes, a Roth 401(k) works in the opposite way of a traditional 401(k). Your contributions are post-tax, meaning you pay taxes on the money in the year in which you contribute it.
If you have a Roth 401(k) and your company offers a 401(k) match, that matching contribution will go into a pre-tax account, which would be a traditional 401(k) account.
Roth 401(k) Contributions Do Not Lower Your Taxable Income
When you have Roth 401(k) contributions automatically deducted from your paycheck, your full paycheck amount will be taxed and then money will be transferred to your Roth 401(k).
For instance, if you’re making $50,000 and contributing 10% to a Roth 401(k), $5,000 will be deposited into your Roth 401(k) annually, but you’ll still be taxed on the full $50,000.
Roth 401(k) Withdrawals Are Tax-Free
When you take money from your Roth 401(k) in retirement, the distributions are tax-free, including your contributions and any earnings that have accrued (as long as you’ve had the account for at least five years).
No matter what your tax bracket is in retirement, qualified withdrawals from your Roth 401(k) are not counted as taxable income.
There Are Limits on Roth 401(k) Withdrawals
In order for a withdrawal from a Roth 401(k) to count as a qualified distribution — meaning, it won’t be taxed — an employee must be age 59 ½ or older and have held the account for at least five years.
If you make a withdrawal before this point — even if you’re age 61 but have only held the account since age 58 — the withdrawal would be considered an early, or unqualified, withdrawal. If this happens, you would owe taxes on any earnings you withdraw and could pay a 10% penalty.
Early withdrawals are prorated according to the ratio of contributions to earnings in the account. For instance, if your Roth 401(k) had $100,000 in it, made up of $70,000 in contributions and $30,000 in earnings, your early withdrawals would be made up of 70% contributions and 30% earnings. Hence, you would owe taxes and potentially penalties on 30% of your early withdrawal.
If the plan allows it, you can take a loan from your Roth 401(k), just like a traditional 401(k), and the same rules and limits apply to how much you can borrow. Any Roth 401(k) loan amount will be combined with outstanding loans from that plan or any other plan your employer maintains to determine your loan limits.
You Can Roll Roth 401(k) Money Into a Roth IRA
Money in a Roth 401(k) account can be rolled into a Roth IRA. Like an employer-sponsored Roth 401(k), a Roth IRA is funded with after-tax dollars.
One of the big differences between a Roth 401(k) and Roth IRA is that the 401(k) requires participants to start taking required minimum distributions at age 72, but there is no such requirement for a Roth IRA.
It’s important to note, however, that there’s also a five-year rule for Roth IRAs: Earnings cannot be withdrawn tax- and penalty-free from a Roth IRA until five years after the account’s first contribution. If you roll a Roth 401(k) into a new Roth IRA, the five-year clock starts over at that time.
If you’re thinking of establishing a Roth IRA in order to roll over your account in five years, keep in mind that you must meet income requirements to contribute to a Roth IRA.
How Can I Reduce Taxes On My 401(k)?
Understanding 401(k) tax rules and 401(k) tax benefits puts you in a position to take steps to minimize taxes overall.
Consider Your Tax Bracket
Contributing to a traditional 401(k) is essentially a bet that you’ll be in a lower tax bracket in retirement — you’re choosing to forgo taxes now and pay taxes later.
Contributing to a Roth 401(k) takes the opposite approach: Pay taxes now so you don’t have to pay taxes later. The best approach for you will depend on your income, your tax situation, and your expectations for your tax treatment in the future.
Strategize Your Account Mix
Having savings in different types of accounts — both pre-tax and post-tax — may offer more flexibility in retirement.
For instance, if you need to make a large purchase, such as a vacation home or a car, it may be helpful to be able to pull the income from a source that doesn’t trigger a taxable event. This might mean a retirement strategy that includes a traditional 401(k), a Roth IRA, and a taxable brokerage account.
Decide Where To Live
Eight U.S. states don’t charge individual income tax at all: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. And New Hampshire only tax interest and dividend income.
This can affect your tax planning if you live in a tax-free state now or if you intend to live in a tax-free state in retirement.
The Takeaway
Saving for retirement is one of the best ways to prepare for a secure future. Making sure you’re saving enough, choosing appropriate investments, and understanding 401(k) tax rules are all part of the equation.
With SoFi Invest®, you can save for retirement with an active or automated traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA, or roll over another account.
Find out how to get started with SoFi Invest.
SoFi Invest®
The information provided is not meant to provide investment or financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s specific financial needs, goals and risk profile. SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance. Advisory services offered through SoFi Wealth, LLC. SoFi Securities, LLC, member FINRA / SIPC . SoFi Invest refers to the three investment and trading platforms operated by Social Finance, Inc. and its affiliates (described below). Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of the platforms below.
1) Automated Investing—The Automated Investing platform is owned by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor (“Sofi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC, an affiliated SEC registered broker dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, (“Sofi Securities).
2) Active Investing—The Active Investing platform is owned by SoFi Securities LLC. Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
3) Cryptocurrency is offered by SoFi Digital Assets, LLC, a FinCEN registered Money Service Business.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above, including state licensure of Sofi Digital Assets, LLC, please visit www.sofi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform. Information related to lending products contained herein should not be construed as an offer or pre-qualification for any loan product offered by SoFi Lending Corp and/or its affiliates.
Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
Update: The deadline for making IRA contributions for tax year 2020 has been extended to May 17, 2021.
SOIN20177
Source: sofi.com