Luckily, you typically don't need to report your 401(k) contributions, 401(k) or IRA balances, or even investment returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Tax on early distributions
If a distribution is made to you under the plan before you reach age 59½, you may have to pay a 10% additional tax on the distribution. This tax applies to the amount received that you must include in income.
The IRS requires that Form 1099-R be sent by January 31 of the year following any 401(k) distribution amount of $10 or more. If you didn't take any distributions last year or the amount of your distribution was less than $10, Ascensus will not send you a 1099-R.
Is a 401(K) Withdrawal Considered Earned Income or Capital Gains? Traditional 401(k) withdrawals are considered income (regardless of your age). However, you won't pay capital gains taxes on these funds.
Form 1099-R is an IRS tax form used to report income received from: Retirement plans, such as a 401(k)
As a general rule, if you withdraw funds before age 59 ½, you'll trigger an IRS tax penalty of 10%. The good news is that there's a way to take your distributions a few years early without incurring this penalty. This is known as the rule of 55.
Because the taxable amount is on the 1099-R, you can't just leave your cashed-out 401(k) proceeds off your tax return. The IRS will know and you will trigger an audit or other IRS scrutiny if you don't include it. However, there are a couple things you can do.
Any money borrowed from a 401(k) account is tax-exempt, as long as you pay back the loan on time. And you're paying the interest to yourself, not to a bank. You do not have to claim a 401(k) loan on your tax return.
Once you begin receiving distributions from your 401(k), you'll owe income taxes on the funds. Some 401(k) plans will automatically withhold 20% to pay for taxes, however, you'll want to check with your plan provider to see how your 401(k) works.
A 1099-R reports distributions from retirement accounts. Distributions from other sources may also be reported on a 1099-R, and it's possible to get one even if you're not making withdrawals to fund your retirement.
You'll receive a Form 1099-R Distributions From Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc. from the payer of your 401(k) distribution. A copy of that form is also sent to the IRS.
If you're taking out funds from your retirement account prior to age 59½ and exceptions apply, use IRS Form 5329 to report the amount of 10% additional tax you owe on an early distribution or to claim an exception to the 10% additional tax.
Your elective contributions may also be limited based on the terms of your 401(k) plan and are reported as an information item in box 12 of your Form W-2. Refer to Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income for more information about elective contributions.
401k withdrawals are taxable as ordinary income. But no they are not considered earned income for purposes of Roth IRA contributions. If you have no other earned income, you will not be able to contribute to a Roth IRA.
If you receive a Form 1099-R and do not report the distribution on your tax return, the IRS will likely send you a CP2000, Underreported Income notice. This IRS notice will propose additional tax, penalties and interest on your distributions and any other unreported income.
IRS doesn't audit individuals for 401(k) hardship withdrawals, AS LONG AS the employer sponsor of the plan and it's administrator (your employer and Fidelity) have approved it. The entity that will be audited is the plan/sponsor/ administrator.
Deferring Social Security payments, rolling over old 401(k)s, setting up IRAs to avoid the mandatory 20% federal income tax, and keeping your capital gains taxes low are among the best strategies for reducing taxes on your 401(k) withdrawal.
Mistake #1: Not Starting Your RMD on Time
The rules for RMD starting ages have undergone changes in recent years, leading to confusion among many individuals. In the past, the starting age for RMDs was 70½. However, as of 2023, the starting age stands at 73 and is set to increase to 75 in the future.
The $1,000 per month rule is designed to help you estimate the amount of savings required to generate a steady monthly income during retirement. According to this rule, for every $240,000 you save, you can withdraw $1,000 per month if you stick to a 5% annual withdrawal rate.
Lines 4c and 4d capture the retirement distributions that aren't from IRAs. This means that all distributions from 401(k)s (whether they are traditional or Roth 401(k)s) will be reported on lines 4c and 4d.
If the taxpayer doesn't receive the missing form in time to file their income tax return by the filing due date, they may complete Form 4852 or Form 1099-R to estimate their wages and earnings. They then attach the relevant form to their tax return when they file.
Loans are not taxable distributions unless they fail to satisfy the plan loan rules of the regulations with respect to amount, duration and repayment terms, as described above. In addition, a loan that is not paid back according to the repayment terms is treated as a distribution from the plan and is taxable as such.