In the United States, a 401(a) plan is a tax-deferred
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
savings plan defined by subsection 401(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code
The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC), is the domestic portion of federal statutory tax law in the United States. It is codified in statute as Title 26 of the United States Code. The IRC is organized topically into subtitles and sections, co ...
. The 401(a) plan is established by an employer, and allows for contributions by the employer or both employer and employee. Contribution amounts, whether dollar-based or percentage-based, eligibility, and vesting schedule are all determined by the sponsoring employer.
These plans are available to some employees of the government, educational institutions, and non-profits, and their funds can be rolled over to a different qualified retirement plan, such as a
401(k)
In the United States, a 401(k) plan is an employer-sponsored, defined-contribution, personal pension (savings) account, as defined in subsection 401(k) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Periodic employee contributions come directly out of their ...
or
IRA, when changing jobs. Employer contributions are mandatory, while employees are not necessarily required to contribute to the plan. Early withdrawals from the plan are permitted, but they may be subject to a penalty.
See also
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401(k)
In the United States, a 401(k) plan is an employer-sponsored, defined-contribution, personal pension (savings) account, as defined in subsection 401(k) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Periodic employee contributions come directly out of their ...
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403(b)
In the United States, a 403(b) plan is a U.S. tax-advantaged retirement savings plan available for public education organizations, some non-profit employers (only Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) organizations), cooperative hospital service organiz ...
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457(b) and 457(f) plans
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Individual retirement account
An individual retirement account (IRA) in the United States is a form of pension provided by many financial institutions that provides tax advantages for retirement savings. It is a trust that holds investment assets purchased with a taxpayer's ...
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List of finance topics
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
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Taxation in the United States
The United States has separate Federal government of the United States, federal, U.S. state, state, and Local government in the United States, local governments with taxes imposed at each of these levels. Taxes are levied on income, payroll, ...
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Thrift Savings Plan
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a defined contribution plan for United States civil service employees and retirees as well as for members of the uniformed services. As of December 31, 2023, TSP has approximately 7million participants (of which ...
References
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Retirement plans in the United States
Tax-advantaged savings plans in the United States