04/15/2020
The Corona Virus and your Retirement Fund:
The coronavirus stimulus, formally called the CARES Act, allows you to withdraw up to $100,000 from a retirement account (IRA, 401(k), etc.) and you won’t have to pay a 10% penalty even if you’re not 59½ years old. As of now the law makes it clear that you can only do this if you have something called a “coronavirus related distribution” (CRD).
In addition to avoiding the 10% penalty, you will be eligible to pay the ordinary income taxes on your distribution over three years (but you may elect to pay it all at once). So, for example, if you take out $30,000 and you are in the federal bracket of 24%, you will owe $7,200 in taxes for accessing your money (or $2,400 a year). Once you recover financially you will have three years from the day after you take the distribution to pay it back to your IRA or employer plan if you choose to restock your nest egg. If you recontribute funds, you won’t be limited to IRS rules that constrain annual contributions because your repayment (can be one time) or repayments (can be many payments over the three year period) will be treated like a rollover, and rollovers were never subject to the pesky rules limiting plan contributions.
It is important to note that you are not required to recontribute funds. In fact, financial planners may suggest that even if you are inclined and able to restore savings you recharacterize your retirement savings, so they are in position to get Roth treatment.
A CRD is any distribution by a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (or SARS-CoV-2), their spouse or dependent. In addition, even undiagnosed people can take a CRD if they have adverse financial consequences because of being quarantined, furloughed, laid off, given reduced hours, or were unable to work because of child care responsibilities brought about by the current crisis. In addition, business owners who have closed the business or reduced hours also are eligible for a CRD.