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Raiding A Roth Early? No Woes

What happens if you take funds out of a Roth IRA well before retirement? The tax ramifications might not be particularly dire. Early payouts are frequently tax-free, or mostly tax-free, even if you don't meet the requirements for "qualified" distributions.

It all has to do with the "ordering rules" for Roth IRAs. It's important to get a firm grasp on these rules so you can plan your withdrawals accordingly.

Contributions to a Roth IRA are never tax-deductible, but qualified distributions are tax-free. For this purpose, "qualified" means withdrawals made from a Roth you've had for at least five years if you've reached age 59½; the payout is because of your death or disability; or you use the funds to pay qualified homebuyer expenses (up to a $10,000 lifetime limit).

But sometimes you just can't wait until age 59½ or for the Roth IRA to hit the five-year mark. In this case, and assuming you don't have another viable alternative, you can raid the Roth for the funds you need. Is it a tax disaster? Not usually. The tax is computed under generous rules that can save you from owing anything. Specifically, distributions from a Roth IRA are treated as if they occurred in the following order:

These ordering rules can work in your favor. For example, suppose you have $100,000 in a Roth you established four years ago -- $25,000 in contributions, $50,000 in taxable conversions, $15,000 in nontaxable conversions, and $10,000 in earnings. If you withdraw $35,000, the distribution is treated as having come from the $25,000 in contributions and $10,000 from taxable conversion contributions. So the entire payout is tax-free even though it isn't a qualified distribution.

Note that you'll have to pay tax at ordinary income rates for nonqualified distributions. In addition, there's normally a 10% tax penalty on such withdrawals made before age 59½.

Remember that withdrawing funds early from a Roth IRA isn't optimal, because it reduces the amount you'll have available in the future. However, it's comforting to know that you may be able to pull out cash tax-free if you need to.