You can invest into this plan right away.

Contributions to this account will be 100% vested immediately.

LOANS

DISTRIBUTIONS

Lump-sum distribution

You can withdraw all or part of your account in a single cash payment, depending on your plan rules and the terms of your contracts.

• Your right to a lump-sum distribution from your TIAA Traditional Account may be restricted to taking periodic payments under the terms of the contract. Please refer to your contract or certificate for full details or contact us at 800-897-1026.

Systematic withdrawals

If your plan allows, you can choose to receive regular income payments on a semimonthly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual basis. You can increase, decrease or suspend the payments at any time.

• These withdrawals are not available from TIAA Traditional Account balances.

Small-sum distribution

When you leave your employer, you may be eligible to withdraw your retirement savings. Your plan may distribute your entire balance if the value does not exceed $2,000. Even if your plan doesn't allow cash distributions, you can withdraw your entire retirement savings if your TIAA Traditional Account value does not exceed $2,000 and your overall account balance is below a limit set by your employer's plan (either $1,000 or $5,000).

Single-sum death benefit

A set amount your beneficiary(ies) will receive from your retirement account if you die before taking income.

DB service credits

Plan participants may consider purchasing service credits when they directly transfer from a Section 403(b) tax sheltered annuity or governmental 457(b) plan to a governmental defined benefit plan allows the purchase of "permissive service credits."

A permissive service credit is credit for a period of service recognized by a defined benefit governmental plan only if you voluntarily contribute to the plan an amount that does not exceed the amount necessary to fund the benefit attributable to the period of service and the amount contributed is in addition to the regular employee contribution, if any, under the plan.
A permissive service credit may also include service credit for up to 5 years where there is no performance of service, or service credited to provide an increased benefit for service credit which a participant is receiving under the plan.

When purchasing service credits, keep in mind:

• The request for purchasing service credits is most often accomplished via a direct transfer from either a qualified or non-qualified plan.
• For example, permissive service credit can be granted for time spent teaching outside of the United States without being considered non-qualified service credit.
• If an institution does not allow participants to purchase service credits, they must meet a triggering event at which point the transaction can be processed (Per Plan Rules). The request would need to be processed as a rollover and financial forms are required.

Rollover

Prior to rolling over, consider your options. You may be able to leave money in your current plan or withdraw cash. Compare the differences in investment options, services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, other plan features, and tax treatment.

If you have had an IRS-defined "triggering event," and your plan allows withdrawals, you can roll over your accumulations to another retirement plan that will accept them or to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

• Direct rollovers - from one account to another - are nontaxable and not reported as income to the federal government. Your plan's rules specify when you are eligible for a distribution.

If you're married, you may be required to get spousal consent to receive any distribution option other than a qualified joint and survivor annuity.

This plan allows you to receive a cash withdrawal. This may be restricted by the terms of your TIAA contracts. Taxes and penalties may apply.

Understanding investment fees

Your financial well-being is TIAA's top priority and we are committed to helping you make informed decisions. Fees should be just one factor in your decision-making process since the lowest cost option may not be the best one for you.

Cost of plan services

Fees and expenses have always been part of a retirement savings plan-some fees are associated with the administration of the plan and may be covered by your employer, while others are paid by you based on the specific investments and services you choose. The following three categories of services are provided to your plan:

1. General record keeping and other plan services

Over the course of a year you pay for services like record keeping.

Many services are necessary for the day-to-day operation of your employer's retirement plan. General administrative services include recordkeeping, legal, accounting, consulting, investment advisory and other plan administration services. Some of these expenses are fixed and other expenses may vary from year to year. These costs are allocated to each participant in a uniform way.

A TIAA Plan Services Fee, an annual service fee of $32, is charged based upon your account balance and deducted on a Quarterly basis.

2. Specific investment services
You pay only for what you use.
Each investment offered within the plan charges a fee for managing the investment and for associated services. But you pay only for the investments you actually use and in proportion to the amount of your investment. These fees are not deducted directly from your account; they are paid indirectly through the investment's "expense ratio". The specific expense ratio for each plan designated investment option is listed in your Quarterly Investment UpdateOpens in a new window.

3. Personalized services

You can opt for extra features, like loan services.

Personalized services provide access to a number of plan features and investments that you pay for, only if you use them. The personalized services used most often are:

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO)
No additional charge
Sales charges, purchase, withdrawal and redemption fees for certain investments
Certain charges may apply. For additional information, see Quarterly Investment UpdateOpens in a new window.

More information about retirement plan fees and expenses is available at TIAA.org/fees.