TSP Withdrawal Calculator
Estimate the federal income tax on a TSP withdrawal, the 10% early withdrawal penalty, the federal tax TSP withholds and the net amount you receive. It splits the withdrawal between your traditional and Roth balances the way TSP does, and covers a single withdrawal or monthly payments. For other TSP questions see the TSP calculator, the TSP loan calculator, the TSP contribution limits, the RMD calculator and the FERS retirement calculator.
Maintained by Archie Chang · TSP withdrawal rules checked against tsp.gov, IRS and statute text October 25, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Estimates only. Tax figures use the 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction and the assumptions below. TSP and the IRS decide what is withheld and owed. Not affiliated with TSP or the FRTIB; this is general information, not financial or tax advice.
TSP withdrawal tax and net amount
Estimate only. Federal income tax uses 2026 brackets and the standard deduction, no state tax, credits or itemizing. Uniformed services tax-exempt (combat zone) amounts are not modeled; see TSP’s booklet Tax Rules about TSP Payments. TSP reports the real figures on Form 1099-R.
Withdrawal and balances
Enter only your own Roth contributions as basis. Money from an in-plan Roth conversion within 5 years of January 1 of the conversion year can owe the 10% additional tax if you are under 59½ (TSP: second five-year rule; 26 U.S.C. 402A(c)(4)(D), 408A(d)(3)(F)); not modeled.
Age and the 10% additional tax
Federal law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, federal firefighters, air traffic controllers, nuclear materials couriers, Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police and Diplomatic Security special agents.
Medical-expense relief covers only deductible medical costs (72(t)(2)(B)) and court-order relief is for alternate payees (72(t)(2)(C)); neither is modeled.
Your income
Pension, wages, interest and the like, before the standard deduction. At 65 or older the calculator adds the extra standard deduction and the senior deduction (MAGI is approximated as this income plus the taxable withdrawal).
Estimated net amount you receive
$16,480.00
$20,000.00 withdrawn minus $3,520.00 federal tax withheld by TSP. The 10% additional tax and any remaining income tax are due when you file, not taken from the check.
Where the money comes from
- Traditional: $16,000.00, taxable
- Roth contributions: $2,400.00, not taxed
- Roth earnings: $1,600.00, not qualified, taxable
- Taxable portion
- $17,600.00
- Federal income tax added by the withdrawal (estimate)
- $2,112.00
- 10% additional tax
- $0.00
- Federal withholding by TSP (20% of taxable)
- $3,520.00
- Estimated tax owed, income tax plus 10%
- $2,112.00
- Withholding above the estimate
- $1,408.00
No 10% additional tax: you separated in or after the year you reach 55.
How the estimate works
- Where the money comes from. With both traditional and Roth money in the account you can take a withdrawal from traditional only, Roth only, or pro rata, which TSP describes as the same percentages of Roth and traditional as are in your account. For example, with $60,000 traditional and $40,000 Roth, a pro rata $1,000 withdrawal is $600 traditional and $400 Roth. Inside the Roth part, contributions and earnings come out in the same ratio as in your Roth balance: 5 CFR 1650.2(h) says any distribution from the Roth balance is prorated between contributions and earnings, and 26 CFR 1.402A-1 A-3 applies the 26 U.S.C. 72(e)(8) pro rata rule to a designated Roth account.
- Taxable portion. Traditional money is taxable. Roth contributions are not. Roth earnings are tax-free only for a qualified distribution: the 5-tax-year period is met and you are 59½ or older, disabled, or the distribution is after death (IRS Publication 721). Uniformed services tax-exempt (combat zone) amounts are not modeled; see TSP’s booklet Tax Rules about TSP Payments. Enter only your own Roth contributions as basis: money from an in-plan Roth conversion within 5 years of January 1 of the conversion year can owe the 10% additional tax if you are under 59½ (TSP: second five-year rule; 26 U.S.C. 402A(c)(4)(D), 408A(d)(3)(F)); that is not modeled.
- Income tax. Tax on your other income plus the taxable portion, minus tax on your other income alone, using the 2026 brackets and standard deduction. At 65 or older it also applies the extra standard deduction ($2,050 unmarried, $1,650 per spouse if married) and the 2025 to 2028 senior deduction ($6,000 per qualified person, reduced by 6% of modified adjusted gross income over $75,000, or $150,000 if filing jointly, which married filers must do). MAGI is approximated as your other income plus the taxable withdrawal, and each of the two tax figures uses its own deductions. No state tax, credits or itemizing.
- 10% additional tax. 10% of the taxable portion if you are under 59½ and no exception applies.
- Withholding. Only the taxable portion is withheld on. The check you receive is the withdrawal minus withholding; the 10% additional tax is not withheld.
Withholding by payment type
| Payment type | Federal withholding | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Single or partial withdrawal after separation | 20% of the taxable portion (eligible rollover distribution) | 26 U.S.C. 3405(c): mandatory unless you do a direct rollover. An age-based withdrawal while employed (59½+) is treated the same way |
| Monthly payments expected to last under 10 years | 20% of the taxable portion (eligible rollover distribution) | 26 U.S.C. 3405(c) |
| Monthly payments for 10 years or more, or life expectancy | Periodic payments, withheld as wages under your Form W-4P. Entered by you here | 26 U.S.C. 3405(a). With no W-4P, the payer withholds as single with no adjustments for payments that began in 2026 or later (2026 Form W-4P); earlier payments keep the existing election or default |
| Financial hardship (in-service) | 10% of the taxable portion by default | 26 U.S.C. 3405(b): you can elect a different rate or none. A hardship distribution is not an eligible rollover distribution (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(4)(C)) |
Sources: 26 U.S.C. 3405, the 2026 Form W-4P, IRS Publication 721 and the TSP booklet Tax Rules about TSP Payments. The dollar amount for periodic payments comes from IRS withholding tables, so the calculator does not guess it; enter the amount you elect. Required minimum distributions have their own start ages and rules; see the RMD calculator.
What this estimate leaves out
Uniformed services tax-exempt (combat zone) amounts, state and local tax (TSP does not withhold it), credits, itemized deductions, Social Security taxation, blindness, the net investment income tax, Roth in-plan conversion money still inside its five-year period, medical-expense relief (only deductible costs, 72(t)(2)(B)), court-order relief (alternate payees, 72(t)(2)(C)), recapture if you change life expectancy payments early (72(t)(4)), rollovers and transfers (a direct transfer to an IRA is not taxed or withheld on), and death benefits. The statute (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(10)) lets public safety employees use “age 50 or 25 years of service under the plan, whichever is earlier” in place of age 55. The 25-years-of-service alternative is not modeled; only age 50 is applied. Whether contributions to the TSP are suspended after a hardship withdrawal under current law was not verified, so it is not stated here.
TSP withdrawal calculator questions
How much tax does TSP withhold from a withdrawal?
Under 26 U.S.C. 3405(c), an eligible rollover distribution paid to you, which includes a single or partial withdrawal after separation and monthly payments expected to last under 10 years, has 20% federal income tax withheld from the taxable portion. A financial hardship withdrawal is not an eligible rollover distribution (26 U.S.C. 402(c)(4)(C)), so the 10% default for nonperiodic payments in 3405(b) applies unless you elect otherwise. Monthly payments for 10 years or more, or based on life expectancy, are periodic and are withheld as wages under your Form W-4P; for payments that began in 2026 or later with no W-4P on file, the payer withholds as if single with no adjustments. Withholding is a prepayment, not your final tax, and TSP does not withhold state or local tax.
When does the 10% early withdrawal penalty apply to the TSP?
The 10% additional tax in 26 U.S.C. 72(t) applies to the taxable portion of a payment received before age 59½ that you do not roll over or transfer. Exceptions include payments after you separate from service during or after the year you reach 55 (50 for a public safety employee as defined in 72(t)(10)(B)(ii); the statute also allows 25 years of service, which this calculator does not model), disability, death, and substantially equal payments over your life expectancy (IRS Publication 721 and 72(t)(2)). Roth contributions you made are not taxed again, and qualified Roth earnings are not taxable. Money from a Roth in-plan conversion within five years of January 1 of the conversion year can still owe the 10% additional tax before 59½; that is not modeled.
How is a withdrawal split between traditional and Roth?
When you have both traditional and Roth money and are leaving some in your account, TSP lets you take a withdrawal only from traditional, only from Roth, or pro rata, meaning the same percentages of Roth and traditional as in your account. This calculator offers all three. Within the Roth part, contributions and earnings come out in the same ratio as in your Roth balance: 5 CFR 1650.2(h) says any distribution from the Roth balance is prorated between contributions and earnings, and 26 CFR 1.402A-1 A-3 applies the 26 U.S.C. 72(e)(8) pro rata rule to a designated Roth account.
When are Roth TSP earnings tax-free?
Per IRS Publication 721, a Roth TSP distribution is qualified, and its earnings are not taxed, only if it comes after the 5-tax-year period that starts with your first Roth contribution and is made at 59½ or older, because of disability, or to a beneficiary or estate after death. Otherwise the earnings share is taxed and can be hit by the 10% additional tax, while the Roth contributions you made are not taxed again. A Roth in-plan conversion has its own second five-year rule for the converted money (see tsp.gov Roth in-plan conversions), which this calculator does not model.
How does this calculator estimate the income tax on my withdrawal?
It computes federal tax on your other income, then again with the taxable part of the withdrawal added, using the 2026 brackets and standard deduction, and shows the difference. That captures the bracket you land in, but ignores state tax, credits, itemized deductions, the taxation of Social Security benefits and other items. Real results depend on your full return.
Does the calculator handle age 65 and older?
Yes. At 65 or older (by December 31) it adds the 2026 extra standard deduction ($2,050 if unmarried, $1,650 per spouse if married) and the 2025 to 2028 senior deduction of $6,000 per qualified person, which shrinks by 6% of modified adjusted gross income over $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers) and requires a joint return for married filers (26 U.S.C. 151(d)(5)(B)). Income is approximated as your other income plus the taxable withdrawal, and the tax with and without the withdrawal each use their own deductions. Blindness and Social Security taxation are not modeled.
Can I change the payment schedule of life expectancy installments?
Be careful. TSP payments based on life expectancy avoid the 10% additional tax as substantially equal payments, and changing the payment schedule early, within five years or before 59½, can trigger recapture of that tax on payments already received (26 U.S.C. 72(t)(4); IRS Publication 721).
Does the age-55 rule apply to hardship withdrawals?
The separation exception applies to payments made after you leave service, and a financial hardship withdrawal is available only while you are still employed, so this calculator does not apply that exception to hardship withdrawals. 26 U.S.C. 72(t) has no hardship exception, so the 10% additional tax applies to a taxable hardship withdrawal before 59½ unless another exception fits.
Important Disclaimer
NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE
The calculators and information on this site are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Calculator results are estimates and actual terms may vary. Always consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Related federal retirement tools
Authoritative sources: tsp.gov: Taking money from your account · TSP booklet: Tax Rules about TSP Payments · tsp.gov: Roth in-plan conversions · 5 CFR 1650.2 (TSP withdrawals, Roth proration) · 5 CFR part 1650 subpart D (in-service withdrawals) · 26 CFR 1.402A-1 (designated Roth accounts) · 2026 IRS Form W-4P · IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 standard deduction) · IRS: enhanced deduction for seniors · 26 U.S.C. 151(d)(5)(B) · 26 U.S.C. 402(c)(4) · IRS Publication 721 · IRS Publication 575 · 26 U.S.C. 72(t) · 26 U.S.C. 3405