LOANS
457 Deferred Compensation Companion Plan does not offer a loan feature.
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 800-842-2252.
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.
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.
457(b) In-service, non-hardship employee withdrawals
Some companies will allow active employees participating in a qualified employer retirement plan to withdraw a portion of their plan’s account balance upon request, without demonstrating a specific financial need - it’s called an “in-service withdrawal” or an “in-service distribution.” In service means you are still working for the employer sponsoring the plan.
When considering an in-service withdrawal, keep in mind:
- You may be able to roll the money over to another IRA or qualified plan or annuity without tax penalty, if you do so within 60 days.
- The in-service rule usually only allows payment of the employee’s money, but if you are terminated, you may be eligible for some matching funds.
For plans with balances of $5,000 or less, the following must be true in order to make 457(b) In-service withdrawals:
- You must still be employed
- You must not have made contributions within the last 24 months
- You must not have made this type of withdrawal request before
Please note that 457(b) In-service withdrawals may not always be at the discretion of the employer or specific to this plan.
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.