Small Business Taxes & Management

Special Report


Retirement Plans Can Make Loans, Hardship Distributions to Sandy Victims

 

Small Business Taxes & ManagementTM--Copyright 2012, A/N Group, Inc.

 

As part of the administration’s efforts to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the IRS has announced that 401(k)s and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans can make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Sandy and members of their families.

The laws relating to qualified employer plans impose various limitations on the permissibility of loans and distributions from those plans. For example, Sec. 401(k)(2)(B)(i) of the Code provides that in the case of a Sec. 401(k) plan that is part of a profit-sharing or stock bonus plan, elective deferrals may be distributed only in certain situations, one of which is on account of hardship. Section 403(b)(11) provides similar rules with respect to elective deferrals under a Sec. 403(b) plan. Section 457(d)(1)(A) provides that a plan described in Sec. 457(b) may not permit distributions before the occurrence of certain enumerated events, one being when the participant is faced with an unforeseeable emergency. Certain other types of plans or accounts are not permitted to make in-service distributions (distributions to a participant who is still an employee) even if there is a hardship. For example, in-service hardship distributions are generally not permitted from pension plans or from accounts holding qualified nonelective contributions ("QNECs") described in Sec. 401(m)(4)(C) or qualified matching contributions (“QMACs") described in Sec. 401(k)(3)(D)(ii)(I). However, Rev. Rul. 2004-12, holds that if amounts attributable to rollover contributions are separately accounted for within a plan, those amounts may be distributed at any time, pursuant to the employee's request. Section 72(p) imposes certain requirements relating to plan loans. Unless those requirements are satisfied, a loan is treated as a distribution under the plan.

401(k) plan participants, employees of public schools and tax-exempt organizations with 403(b) tax-sheltered annuities, and state and local government employees with 457(b) deferred-compensation plans may be eligible to take advantage of streamlined loan procedures and liberalized hardship distribution rules in Announcement A-2012-44. Though IRA participants are barred from taking out loans, they may be eligible to receive distributions under liberalized procedures.

Retirement plans can provide this relief to employees and certain members of their families who live or work in the disaster area of Hurricane Sandy. To qualify for this relief, hardship withdrawals must be made by Feb. 1, 2013.

In order to make a loan or distribution (including a hardship distribution), a plan must contain language authorizing the loan or distribution. Also, except to the extent a distribution consists of already-taxed amounts, the distribution will be includible in gross income and generally subject to the 10-percent additional tax under Sec. 72(t). Similar rules relating to income inclusion and taxation apply to a distribution from an IRA.

The IRS is also relaxing procedural and administrative rules that normally apply to retirement plan loans and hardship distributions. As a result, eligible retirement plan participants will be able to access their money more quickly with a minimum of red tape. In addition, the six-month ban on 401(k) and 403(b) contributions that normally affects employees who take hardship distributions will not apply.

This broad-based relief means that a retirement plan can allow a Sandy victim to take a hardship distribution or borrow up to the specified statutory limits from the victim’s retirement plan. It also means that a person who lives outside the disaster area can take out a retirement plan loan or hardship distribution and use it to assist a son, daughter, parent, grandparent or other dependent who lived or worked in the disaster area.

Plans will be allowed to make loans or hardship distributions before the plan is formally amended to provide for such features. In addition, the plan can ignore the limits that normally apply to hardship distributions, thus allowing them, for example, to be used for food and shelter. If a plan requires certain documentation before a distribution is made, the plan can relax this requirement as described in the Announcement.

The employee or former employee must have a principal residence located in one of the counties or Tribal Nations that have been identified as covered disaster areas because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy or whose place of employment was located in one of these counties or Tribal Nations on that date or whose lineal ascendant or descendant, dependent or spouse had a principal residence or place of employment in one of these counties or Tribal Nations on that date. Plan administrators may rely upon representations from the employee or former employee as to the need for and amount of a hardship distribution, unless the plan administrator has actual knowledge to the contrary, and the distribution is treated as a hardship distribution for all purposes under the Code and regulations.

A defined benefit or money purchase plan, which generally cannot make in-service hardship distributions, may not make hardship distributions pursuant to this announcement, other than from a separate account, if any, within the plan containing either employee contributions or rollover amounts.

Ordinarily, retirement plan loan proceeds are tax-free if they are repaid over a period of five years or less. Under current law, hardship distributions are generally taxable. Also, a 10 percent early-withdrawal tax usually applies.

For more information see Announcement 2012-44.

 


Copyright 2012 by A/N Group, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Articles in this publication are not intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on a taxpayer. The information is not necessarily a complete summary of all materials on the subject. Copyright is not claimed on material from U.S. Government sources.--ISSN 1089-1536


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--Last Update 11/19/12