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Making a mistake investing with your IRA can have serious penalties. If you pull money out of your traditional IRA, you need to pay taxes due on the new income, which could potentially move you up a tax bracket. You also will owe ten percent of the withdrawal amount as penalty payment to the IRS. This can add up quickly, seriously damaging your nest egg!

With a Roth IRA your penalties are similar, but you’ve already pre-paid tax on your contributions, so you won’t be assessed income tax on the principal. Possibly, you will owe income tax on the interest that has accumulated, and in any case you’ll still get hit with the 10% IRS surcharge.

IRA penalties will always be assessed if you withdraw early from your IRA, but you may find yourself paying penalties in other situations. For example, you may have been managing your IRA yourself and invested in something the IRS considers a conflict of interest. For instance, if you put your investment in an office building you also occupy, the IRS may determine this qualifies as an early disbursement.

If you overcontribute to your IRA, you may also find yourself in a pickle. IRA penalties for overcontributing include paying late taxes due (in the case of traditional IRAs), fines, and sometimes other expenses. You should carefully avoid either overcontributing or undercontributing to your IRA.

This does not mean you can never touch your IRA - after all, it’s your money! A Roth is an easier source of cash than a traditional IRA, but you can withdraw from both in certain situations.

You may withdraw money from your IRA without incurring a penalty if you are purchasing a home for the first time in two years. You and your spouse are also eligible to withdraw up to $10,000 for yourself if you are using the cash for your own home, or that of your grandchildren, parents or child. The limit on this withdrawal is 10 thousand for your lifetime. You may also withdraw cash to use on certain qualified educational expenses.

In case of unemployment, your IRA may be used to pay for medical insurance, but only if you’ve been unemployed for 12 consecutive weeks. IRAs may also fund medical expenses if they qualify and exceed 7.5% of your gross income. If you are disabled, you may withdraw from your IRA as if you were already retried. Also, if you are a qualified reservist and called to active duty, you might be able to escape the 10% fee, although you should check with your command about this (rules are changing as we are calling more people up). Finally, in the case where your life expectancy might be dramatically shortened, you may be able to have your IRA disbursed early without penalty.

Regardless of penalization, there is no case where you should withdraw money from your IRA without good reason. IRA penalties are there to protect your retirement investment and encourage you against relying on your retirement as a rainy day fund. Protect your IRA and it will take care of you in the future, helping you live a comfortable and secure life later on!

Investments

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