Retirement · IRC §72(t) · Form 5329 Part I
401(k) & IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty & Exception Checker
The 10% additional tax has 23 numbered exceptions — and most of them only work for one side of the IRA/employer-plan divide. This checker resolves which ones your account type can actually use, tests them against the facts the IRS requires, and prices what is left. Where a fact is missing or the Form 1099-R coding contradicts it, no dollar figure is shown.
2026 planning estimate — current law verified July 29, 2026
Planning mode will not assume your balance is fully pre-tax — confirm it below or the estimate stays withheld.
Employer-plan exceptions available; IRA-only exceptions are not.
Optional: use exact dates instead
Enter both and the age above is computed to the day. Someone born 15 September 1966 reaches 59½ on 15 March 2026 — a distribution on 14 March is early, one on 15 March is not.
The distribution
This checker computes the §72(t) additional tax only. Ordinary federal income tax on the taxable amount, state income tax, and any state early-distribution penalty apply on top — a single marginal rate would not calculate them honestly, so we do not try.
Exceptions available to this account type
Only the exceptions the IRS allows for a 401(k) / qualified plan are listed. Tick one and enter the dollar amount it covers.
Employer-plan distributions received after you separated from service, where the separation occurred in or after the year you reach age 55 — age 50, or 25 years of service under the plan if earlier, for qualified public safety employees and private-sector firefighters.
Does not apply to IRAs. Rolling the plan balance to an IRA destroys this exception.
A series of substantially equal periodic payments made at least annually over your life or life expectancy, or the joint life expectancies of you and your designated beneficiary. From an employer plan, payments must begin after separation from service.
Modifying the series before the later of 5 years or age 59½ retroactively reinstates the penalty plus interest.
Rules only — no dollar estimateYou can furnish proof that you cannot do any substantial gainful activity because of a physical or mental condition expected to result in death or to be of long, continued, and indefinite duration.
Distributions made to a beneficiary or estate after the owner's death.
Does not apply to modified endowment contracts.
Distributions up to the amount you paid during the year for unreimbursed medical expenses, minus 7.5% of your AGI for that year.
The cap is your own 7.5%-of-AGI excess — the checker uses the figure you enter.
Employer-plan distributions made to an alternate payee under a qualified domestic relations order.
Does not apply to IRAs. An IRA split in divorce moves under §408(d)(6) instead, and a later withdrawal by the receiving spouse is their own early distribution.
Distributions made because of an IRS levy on the retirement plan or IRA.
Distributions to a member of a reserve component (Reserve or National Guard) ordered or called to active duty after September 11, 2001 for more than 179 days or an indefinite period. From a 401(k) or 403(b), only the part attributable to elective deferrals qualifies.
IRA distributions qualify in full; from a 401(k) or 403(b) only the elective-deferral part does, and a pension or other plan with no elective deferrals doesn't qualify.
Amounts you received when you were already age 59½ or older that were incorrectly reported as early distributions by code 1, J, or S in box 7 of Form 1099-R.
This is a reporting correction, not a §72(t) exception. Ask the payer for a corrected 1099-R first.
Rules only — no dollar estimateEmployer-plan distributions where you separated from service by March 1, 1986, your entire interest was in pay status under a written election as of that date, and the distribution is being made under that election.
Historical grandfather — outside a bounded checker.
Rules only — no dollar estimateDistributions that are dividends paid with respect to stock described in section 404(k).
Rules only — no dollar estimateDistributions from annuity contracts to the extent allocable to investment in the contract before August 14, 1982.
Requires the contract's exclusion ratio — see Pub 575.
Rules only — no dollar estimatePhased retirement annuity payments made to federal employees (Pub 721).
Rules only — no dollar estimatePermissible withdrawals under section 414(w) from an eligible automatic contribution arrangement.
An eligible automatic contribution arrangement is a feature of an employer plan under §414(w)(5), so a permissible withdrawal is only ever reported from an employer plan account — never from a traditional IRA you hold yourself. Must be taken within the plan's 90-day EACA window.
Rules only — no dollar estimateUp to $5,000 distributed during the 1-year period beginning on the date your child was born or your adoption of an eligible adoptee was finalized. An eligible adoptee is under 18 or physically or mentally incapable of self-support, and is not your spouse's child. A statement with the child's name, age, and TIN is attached to the return.
Repayable to an eligible retirement plan within the SECURE 2.0 window.
Distributions made on or after the date a physician certifies a terminal illness or condition reasonably expected to result in death within 84 months (Notice 2024-02).
The distribution must be made on or after the certification date. An employer plan is not required to offer it; the taxpayer may still claim it on Form 5329.
Earnings withdrawn along with an excess contribution before the due date of the return (including extensions), under §408(d)(4) for IRAs. The earnings are taxable, but not penalized.
Modeled for IRAs only, under §408(d)(4). Do not conflate it with an employer-plan corrective distribution.
A distribution from an applicable eligible retirement plan within the 1-year period beginning on a date the individual is a victim of domestic abuse by a spouse or domestic partner (Notice 2024-55).
The statutory limit is the lesser of 50% of the vested balance or an inflation-indexed dollar cap. We do not publish a dollar estimate for it — confirm the current indexed cap with your plan or Notice 2024-55.
Rules only — no dollar estimateA distribution from an applicable eligible retirement plan to meet unforeseeable or immediate financial needs relating to necessary personal or family emergency expenses (Notice 2024-55).
Up to $1,000, limited by the vested balance over $1,000. One per calendar year, and during the following 3 calendar years another one only works once the earlier distribution is repaid or matched by eligible contributions.
Anything else going on with this distribution?
Each of these changes the taxable amount in a way this checker will not guess at. Tick anything that applies and the rules still resolve — the dollar estimate is withheld instead of being wrong.
Rules resolved
Rate that applies: 10%
Planning mode: no Form 1099-R exists yet, so nothing here is a filing instruction.
No Form 1099-R exists yet, so there is no filing instruction to give. The reporting route depends on the box 7a code the payer assigns — return once the form arrives.
Additional tax (estimate)
Estimate withheld — one or more facts below have to be resolved before a dollar figure would mean anything.
What this figure does not include
Ordinary federal income tax on the taxable amount, state income tax, and any state-level early-distribution penalty all apply on top of the §72(t) additional tax. They depend on your whole return, so they are not estimated here.
Why we are not showing a number
- We do not assume the whole withdrawal is taxable. Confirm the account is fully pre-tax with no basis or after-tax contributions, or enter a verified taxable amount, before an estimate is shown.
- This tool computes the §72(t) additional tax only. Ordinary federal income tax on the taxable amount, state income tax, and any state-level early-distribution penalty apply on top and are not estimated here.
Honesty notes. The additional tax is on top of ordinary income tax — the 20% mandatory withholding on an employer-plan distribution is a prepayment, not the tax itself. A 60-day rollover can undo the whole thing if you replace the full gross amount in time. Rolling a 401(k) to an IRA before age 59½ forfeits the rule-of-55 exception for as long as the money stays in the IRA. Several states impose their own early-distribution penalty; none of that is modeled here.
Related resources
Sources & References
Primary references used for this content
Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans (Including IRAs)
Exception numbers 01–23 to the 10% additional tax on early distributions
View on irs.gov
10% additional tax on early distributions
Early-withdrawal penalty and its exceptions
View on law.cornell.edu
Distributions from IRAs
RMDs, inherited IRAs, and distribution taxation
View on irs.gov
Pension and Annuity Income
Distributions, lump sums, and NUA
View on irs.gov
✓4 primary sources; links re-checked on a weekly rotation by the source watcher
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only. Not tax, legal, or financial advice. Results may vary based on your specific circumstances. Consult a qualified CPA or tax professional for personalized guidance.