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What Is a 401(k) Plan?

A 401(k) plan is a retirement savings account that allows an employee to divert a portion of his or her salary into long-term investments. The employer may match the employee's contribution up to a limit.

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Since its inception in 1978, the 401(k) plan has grown to become the most popular type of employer-sponsored retirement plan in America. Millions of workers depend on the money that they have invested in these plans to provide for them in their retirement years, and many employers see a 401(k) plan as a key benefit of the job. Few other plans can match the relative flexibility of the 401(k).

What Is a 401(k) Plan?

A 401(k) plan is a retirement savings account that allows an employee to divert a portion of his or her salary into long-term investments. The employer may match the employee's contribution up to a limit.

Key Takeaways

A 401(k) is technically a "qualified" retirement plan, meaning it is eligible for special tax benefits under IRS guidelines. Qualified plans come in two versions. They may be either defined-contribution or defined-benefit, or pension plans. The 401(k) plan is a defined-contribution plan.

That means that the available balance in the account is determined by the contributions made to the plan and the performance of the investments. The employee must make contributions to it. The employer may choose to match some portion of that contribution, or not. After retirement, the account balance is entirely in the hands of the employee.

As of 2019, about half of employers contributed to their plans, with an average of close to 3% of salary. Many match 50 cents on every dollar of the employee's contribution, up to a limit. Some offer a varying contribution from year to year as a profit-sharing method.

The Roth 401(k) Variation

While not all employers offer it, the Roth 401(k) is an increasingly popular option. This version of the plan requires the employee to pay income tax immediately on the contributions. After retirement, the money can be withdrawn with no further taxes due on either the contributions or investment earnings.

401(k) Contribution Limits

The maximum amount of salary that an employee can defer to a 401(k) plan, whether traditional or Roth, is $19,500 for 2020 ($19,000 for 2019). Employees aged 50 and older can make additional catch-up contributions of up to $6,500 ($6,000 for 2019).

The maximum joint contribution by both employer and employee is $57,000 for 2020 ($56,000 for 2019), or $63,500 for those aged 50 and older ($62,000 for 2019).

401(k) Investment Options

A company that offers a 401(k) plan typically offers employees a choice of several investment options. The options are usually managed by a financial services advisory group such as The Vanguard Group or Fidelity Investments.

The employee can choose one or several funds to invest in. Most of the options are mutual funds, and they may include index funds, large-cap and small-cap funds, foreign funds, real estate funds, and bond funds. They usually range from aggressive growth funds to conservative income funds.

Rules for Withdrawing Money

The distribution rules for 401(k) plans differ from those that apply to IRAs. In either case, an early withdrawal of assets from either plan will mean income taxes are due and, with few exceptions, a 10% tax penalty will be levied.

However, while an IRA withdrawal doesn't require a rationale, a triggering event must be satisfied to receive a payout from a 401(k) plan.

The following are the usual triggering events:

The employee retires from or leaves the job

The employee dies or is disabled

The employee reaches age 59½

The employee experiences a specific hardship as defined under the plan

The plan is terminated

Post-Retirement Rules

The IRS requires the owner of a 401(k) account to begin what it calls required minimum distributions at age 70½ unless the person is still employed.

This differs from other types of retirement accounts. Even if you're employed you have to take the required minimum distribution from a traditional IRA, for example.

The Rollover Option

Many retirees transfer the balance of their 401(k) plans to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. This rollover allows them to escape the limited investment choices that are often present in 401(k) accounts.

If you decide to do a rollover, make sure you do it right. In a direct rollover, the money goes straight from the old account to the new account and there are no tax implications. In an indirect rollover, the money is sent to you first, and you will owe the full income taxes on the balance in that tax year.

Loans From a 401(k) Plan

If your employer permits it, you may be able to take a loan from your 401(k) plan. If this option is allowed, up to 50% of the vested balance can be borrowed up to a limit of $50,000. The loan must usually be repaid within five years. A longer repayment period is allowed for a primary home purchase.

The interest rate that you pay to yourself will be comparable to the rate charged by lending institutions for similar loans.

Any unpaid balance will be considered a distribution and will be taxed and penalized accordingly.

Limits for High Earners

For most people, the dollar contribution limits on 401(k)s are high enough to allow for adequate levels of income deferral. For 2020, highly paid employees can only use the first $285,000 of income when computing the maximum possible contributions ($280,000 for 2019).

Employers have the option of providing non-qualified plans such as deferred compensation or executive bonus plans for these employees.

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Since its inception in 1978, the 401(k) plan has grown to become the most popular type of employer-sponsored retirement plan in America. Millions of workers depend on the money that they have invested in these plans to provide for them in their retirement years, and many employers see a 401(k) plan as a key benefit of the job.

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IRA vs. 401(k)

You don't have to choose, you can have both. They are both tax deferred ways to make your money grow and safe for your future.
https://moneyplansos.com/sos

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This is one of the best benefits you can get from your employer -- take advantage of it NOW!

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This is a way for employers to give you "free money" but also keep you loyal. You will always keep 100% of the money you put in your 401K. However, if your employer contributes, they may make you wait several years to get the money they invest on your behalf.
There are usually two kids of vesting: 1) staggered, 2) cliff.
Find out more...

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Why isn't everyone talking about the power of 401Ks?

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Why isn't everyone talking about the power of 401Ks?

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What you should have learned but nobody told you.

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Find out more...talk to your Human Resource department today and get the facts. 

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Find out more...talk to your Human Resource department today and get the facts. 

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