Is 401k withdrawal considered adjusted gross income?

Asked by: Rosemarie Jacobs DDS  |  Last update: July 29, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (24 votes)

Withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s will increase your adjusted gross income (AGI), as it's considered ordinary income.

What income is not included in adjusted gross income?

Sources of money income that are missing from AGI include welfare payments, interest on state and local government bonds, employer-provided contri- butions for health and pension plans, and income on savings through life insurance.

Does a 401k count in adjusted gross income?

Pre-tax contributions, such as those for child care, commuting, employer-sponsored health insurance, flexible spending accounts and retirement plans such as 401(k) and 403(b), are not included in AGI but are not listed above because they are already subtracted out of W-2 wages and salaries.

Does money withdrawn from a 401k count as income?

Once you start withdrawing from your traditional 401(k), your withdrawals are usually taxed as ordinary taxable income. That said, you'll report the taxable part of your distribution directly on your Form 1040 for any tax year that you make a distribution.

Where to report 401k withdrawal on tax return?

Here's a simple three-step guide:
  1. Report the total distribution from an old retirement account on line 4a of Form 1040 and a distribution from an old 401(k) on line 5a. ...
  2. Document the taxable amount of the distribution on line 4b or 5b, depending on whether you rolled over an IRA or a 401(k) account.

Adjusted Gross Income, Explained in Four Minutes | WSJ

37 related questions found

Where does a 401k withdrawal go on 1040?

Distributions from a 401k that are reported on a Form 1099-R are reported on Lines 16a and 16b of Form 1040. Line 16a reports the total distribution amount and line 16b reports the taxable amount.

Do I report 401k withdrawal as income Turbotax?

Withdrawals from a 401(k) account are entered on your tax return as ordinary income. You will receive a Form 1099-R in January of the year after the withdrawal. The Form 1099-R is reported on your federal tax return.

Is 401k withdrawal included in adjusted gross income?

Withdrawals from traditional 401(k)s will increase your adjusted gross income (AGI), as it's considered ordinary income.

What happens if I don't report my 401k withdrawal?

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.

How to avoid 20% tax on 401k withdrawal?

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.

What should be included in adjusted gross income?

Your total (or “gross”) income for the tax year, minus certain adjustments you're allowed to take. Adjustments include deductions for conventional IRA contributions, student loan interest, and more. Adjusted gross income appears on IRS Form 1040, line 11.

Are 401k withdrawals taxed as income or capital gains?

Your 401(k) withdrawals are taxed as income. There isn't a separate 401(k) withdrawal tax. Any money you withdraw from your 401(k) is considered income and will be taxed as such, alongside other sources of taxable income you may receive.

Do you subtract 401k from gross income?

You cannot deduct your 401(k) contributions on your income tax return, per se — but the money you save in your 401(k) is deducted from your gross income, which can potentially lower how much tax you owe. This is not the case for a Roth 401(k), a relative newcomer in terms of retirement accounts.

Does AGI include 401k deductions?

A 401(k) retirement plan will reduce both your AGI and MAGI, as contributions are taken out of your salary before taxes are deducted. This in effect reduces your salary in relation to taxes. Because your salary is now "lower," you end up paying less taxes.

What is excluded from gross income?

Key Takeaways. Income excluded from the IRS's calculation of your income tax includes life insurance death benefit proceeds, child support, welfare, and municipal bond income. The exclusion rule is generally, if your "income" cannot be used as or to acquire food or shelter, it's not taxable.

How do I figure out my adjusted gross income?

The AGI calculation is relatively straightforward. It is equal to the total income you report that's subject to income tax—such as earnings from your job, self-employment, dividends and interest from a bank account—minus specific deductions, or “adjustments” that you're eligible to take.

How does a 401(k) withdrawal affect your tax return?

Distributions from your 401(k) plan are taxable unless the amounts are rolled over as described below in the section titled, “Rollovers from your 401(k) plan.” If you receive a lump-sum distribution from a 401(k) plan and you were born before 1936, you may be able to elect optional methods of figuring the tax on the ...

Will the IRS audit my 401k withdrawal?

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.

Do you get a 1099-R for a 401k withdrawal?

You will receive a Form 1099-R when you make a withdrawal from a IRA, 401(k) or other retirement account. This form includes information such as: the amount you withdrew, how much is taxable (if that was determined), any taxes that were withheld, and a code that shows what type of distribution it was.

Does 401k count as gross income?

See the 401(k) plan contribution limits. Elective deferrals that exceed the section 402(g) dollar limit for a year or are recharacterized as after-tax contributions as part of a correction of the Actual Deferral Percentage (nondiscrimination) test are included in the employee's gross income.

What lowers AGI?

If you're self-employed or a small business owner, deducting business expenses is a crucial strategy to lower your AGI. Common deductible business expenses include office rent, utilities, office supplies, and more. By keeping accurate records of these expenses, you can reduce your AGI.

How to withdraw from a 401k without paying taxes?

The easiest way to borrow from your 401(k) without owing any taxes is to roll over the funds into a new retirement account. You may do this when, for instance, you leave a job and are moving funds from your former employer's 401(k) plan into one sponsored by your new employer.

At what age is 401k withdrawal tax free?

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.

Do I have to report 401k withdrawal to IRS?

401k contributions are made pre-tax. As such, they are not included in your taxable income. However, if a person takes distributions from their 401k, then by law that income has to be reported on their tax return in order to ensure that the correct amount of taxes will be paid.

Does a hardship withdrawal count as income?

You will be required to pay income tax on the amount of the hardship withdrawal. The income tax will be at your current rate, which means it could be higher than the taxes you would pay on the funds if you withdrew them after retirement.