Every rule and figure on this site comes from a primary source: the statute, a regulation,
an IRS publication or notice, or official data. This page lists them with the date each was
checked. If you find something out of date, send a correction through the
contact form and we’ll check it against the source.
Loan rules
| Rule |
Source |
Checked |
| Loan limit: lesser of $50,000 (less the 12-month lookback) or the greater of half the vested balance or $10,000 |
IRC 72(p)(2)(A); IRS retirement plan loan FAQs |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| 5-year term; principal-residence exception |
IRC 72(p)(2)(B); 26 CFR 1.72(p)-1, Q&A-5 to 8 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Level payments at least quarterly |
IRC 72(p)(2)(C) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Cure period, deemed distribution, loan after default |
26 CFR 1.72(p)-1, Q&A-10, 11, 12, 19, 21 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Leave of absence and military suspension |
26 CFR 1.72(p)-1, Q&A-9; IRC 414(u)(4) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| No interest deduction |
IRC 72(p)(3) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Reasonable interest rate; 50% security limit; creditworthiness may be considered |
29 CFR 2550.408b-1 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Spousal consent where survivor-annuity rules apply |
26 CFR 1.401(a)-20, Q&A-24 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Qualified disaster loans: $100,000 or 100% of vested balance |
IRC 72(p)(6); IRS Publication 575 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
Leaving a job
| Rule |
Source |
Checked |
| Qualified plan loan offset: rollover until the tax return due date, including extensions |
IRC 402(c)(3)(C); 26 CFR 1.402(c)-2(g) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Offset within 12 months of leaving; other offsets get 60 days |
26 CFR 1.402(c)-2(g) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
Withdrawals and the 10% additional tax
| Rule |
Source |
Checked |
| 10% additional tax before 59½ and its exceptions |
IRC 72(t); IRS exceptions table |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Separation in or after the year you turn 55; not for IRAs |
IRC 72(t)(2)(A)(v), 72(t)(3)(A) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| First-time homebuyer exception is IRA-only |
IRC 72(t)(2)(F) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Domestic abuse distribution limit, $10,500 for 2026 |
IRS Notice 2025-67 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Hardship safe-harbor reasons; no contribution suspension; loan-first optional |
26 CFR 1.401(k)-1(d)(3); IRS hardship FAQs |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Self-certification of hardship |
IRC 401(k)(14)(C) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| 20% mandatory withholding; 10% default on hardship |
Form W-4R (2026); IRC 3405 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
The IRS’s “hardship distributions” topic page still shows the pre-2019 rules (a six-month
contribution suspension and six reasons), so this site relies on the regulation and the IRS
hardship FAQs instead.
Tax rates and limits
| Figure |
Source |
Checked |
| 2026 federal income tax brackets |
Rev. Proc. 2025-32 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| 2026 401(k) deferral limit $24,500; catch-up $8,000; ages 60 to 63 $11,250 |
IRS Notice 2025-67 |
Oct 24, 2026 |
| Corporate tax rate 21% |
IRC 11(b) |
Oct 24, 2026 |
Rates used as calculator defaults
No government source publishes HELOC rates, so the comparison tool starts the HELOC rate at
prime and asks you to add your lender’s margin.
The prime rate keeps itself current. When a calculator page loads, it asks this site’s feed
(/api/live?ids=PRIME, read from the H.15 release) for the newest
reading. If the Fed has posted a later date than the one above, the page shows that rate and
date and reprices the prefilled plan and HELOC rates, unless you’ve already typed your own. If
the feed can’t be reached, you see the figure above.
ROBS and business funding
Mortgages
How the calculators work
- Payments use standard level amortization at your plan rate, per paycheck.
- The growth gap runs two accounts side by side, one paycheck at a time. The no-loan account
grows at your assumed return. The loan account grows on what’s left after the loan, and each
repayment is added back as it’s made. The gap is the difference on the payoff date, then
grown at the same return to age 65.
- Taxes use your federal bracket plus your state rate as a flat marginal rate. Real tax can
differ, especially when a large distribution pushes you into a higher bracket.
- Leaving your job uses the scheduled balance at the month you choose, and applies the 10%
only if you’d be under 55 at that point. The age 55 rule actually turns on the calendar year
you turn 55, so someone leaving at 54 in the year they turn 55 also avoids it.
- Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
The arithmetic is checked against worked examples from the IRS loan FAQs, including the
12-month lookback cases.
