retirement savings
Loopholes Tagged "retirement savings"
Plain-English guides to U.S. legal rights and workarounds related to retirement savings.
529 Plan to Roth IRA Rollover
Up to $35,000 in tax-advantaged retirement savings
ABLE Account Tax Benefits — Save and Spend for Disability Costs Without Breaking the Tax Rules
Thousands in tax-free growth and preserved means-tested benefit eligibility
Catch-Up Contributions After 50 — Accelerate Retirement Savings When It Counts Most
$50,000–$200,000+ in additional tax-advantaged savings over 10–15 years before retirement
Closed School Discharge — Wipe Out Federal Loans if the School Shut Down at the Wrong Time
Can cancel the full balance of affected federal student loans
HSA Triple Tax Advantage — The Stealth Retirement Account
$1,000–$5,000+ per year in tax savings; hundreds of thousands over a lifetime
Lost 401(k) Search — Track Down Old Employer Plans Before Fees or Forgetfulness Eat Them
Can recover forgotten retirement balances plus years of growth
PBGC Missing Pension Search — Find Retirement Money From a Former Employer
Can recover forgotten pension or annuity benefits
Roth IRA Contribution Withdrawal — Your Emergency Fund of Last Resort
Tax-free and penalty-free access to contributed funds at any time; avoids 10% early withdrawal penalty
Saver's Credit — A Tax Credit of Up to 50% on Your Retirement Contributions If You Earn Under the Threshold
Up to $1,000 (single) or $2,000 (married filing jointly) in direct tax credit per year
SEP-IRA — The Self-Employed Retirement Account You Can Open Until Tax Day
Up to $69,000 per year in tax-deferred retirement savings
Spousal IRA — Fund Retirement for a Nonworking Spouse Using the Working Spouse's Income
Up to another full IRA contribution each year for the household
Borrower Defense Discharge — Cancel Federal Loans if the School Lied or Broke the Rules
Can eliminate all or part of affected federal student loan balances
HSA Last-Month Rule — Make a Full-Year HSA Contribution Even If You Weren't Eligible All Year
Allows a larger HSA contribution than pro-rating would otherwise permit
Rule of 55 — Take 401(k) Money Penalty-Free Years Before Age 59½
Avoids the 10% early-distribution penalty on tens of thousands of dollars
Series EE Bond Education Exclusion — Cash Old Savings Bonds Tax-Free for Tuition
Avoids federal income tax on some or all bond interest used for education
Social Security Optimization — Claiming Strategies Worth Tens of Thousands
$50,000–$200,000+ in additional lifetime benefits depending on strategy and longevity
Social Security Overpayment Waiver — Stop Repayment When the Overpayment Wasn't Your Fault
Can erase partial or full repayment of alleged SSA overpayments
Tax-Loss Harvesting — Use Investment Losses to Offset Capital Gains and Up to $3,000 of Ordinary Income
$300–$5,000+ per year depending on portfolio size and gains; losses carry forward indefinitely
Teacher Loan Forgiveness — Cut Up to $17,500 From Federal Loans for Qualifying Service
Up to $17,500
Total and Permanent Disability Discharge — Cancel Federal Student Loans if You Cannot Work
Can eliminate the full remaining balance of qualifying federal student loans
Mega Backdoor Roth — Contribute Up to $43,500 Extra to a Roth Account
$10,000–$50,000+/year in future tax-free growth
Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) — Turn Part of a 401(k) Stock Distribution Into Capital Gains
Can convert large embedded gains from ordinary income treatment to long-term capital gain treatment
Plan Loan Offset Rollover — Save a Defaulted 401(k) Loan From Becoming Taxable
Avoids ordinary income tax and possibly the 10% early-distribution penalty on the offset amount
QLAC Longevity Annuity — Push Part of Your IRA RMD Problem Into the Future
Can reduce near-term RMD pressure and defer taxable income on the allocated amount
Substantially Equal Periodic Payments — Tap Retirement Accounts Early Without the 10% Penalty
Avoids the 10% early-distribution penalty on early retirement withdrawals