What You Need To Know About IRA Rules

By Jessica Haug

One of the most common retirement options in the United States is the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) which is governed by various IRA rules. There are three kinds of accounts, namely the Traditional IRA, the Roth IRA and the Simple IRA. Some of the IRA rules are the same for each of the accounts but there are certain differences in relation to eligibility, limits for contributions and withdrawals.

The Traditional IRA requires you to be under the age of 70 when applying for the account. You must also be able to fund such as wages, bonuses and commissions to contribute to the fund. The standard contribution limit for 2208/2209 is $5,000. On top of this you can pay a catch-up contribution of $6,000 if you are over 50. To withdraw funds without penalty with a Traditional IRA you must be over the age of fifty-nine and a half.

There is no restriction on age for the Roth IRA and so most people can have this type; the only requirement is that you can make the contributions into the account. The current limit for the standard contribution limit is $5,000. The catch up contribution amount is $6,000. After the first 5 years of making contributions you can withdraw money from the account. Penalties will be applicable before the age of fifty-nine and a half. You can withdraw funds from a Roth IRA if you intend to buy your first home or become classed as disabled.

The Simple IRA differs slightly to the two other accounts. It can only be offered to employees by their employer. No other plans such as 401k are allowed. The employee's have to have made over $5,000 per annum to qualify for this scheme. The current deferment amount is $11,500 and catch up contribution for over 50's is $2,500.

Withdrawing from a Simple IRA follows the same IRA rules as the Traditional IRA, with one exception. The "2 year period" rule means that any funds withdrawn within the first 2 years of the account will be subject to a penalty of 25%, not 10%.

A few of the 401k rollover options can be used in conjunction with the Traditional and Roth IRA's. The time when the 401k rollover can be used is when you intend to leave your job.

The choices given by the 401k rollover mean that funds can be transferred from your old employer to your IRA account before or soon after you leave that employer. This does not attract any penalty fees or tax charges.

If you are thinking about opening and IRA account or want to get more information on the IRA rules, you will find a wealth of information on the internet. You can also approach a financial expert to answer any queries you have. - 32535

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