[bcjaco]

I have only been contributing for about 2 years now and have about $3,500 in the 401K, I need to withdraw what I have in order to pay for repairs on my car. I can't take a loan because I don't make enough to make payments(school loand, car loan etc.) how much of that would I see if I withdrew the entire sum. $2000?

[ScottGem]

First its not a good idea to piggyback your question on another thread. This can lead to confusion. So I've moved your question to its own thread.

This is a bad idea. First, your plan may not allow a withdrawal. Second, the administrator would withhold 20% towards your federal tax liability. So you actually receive about $2800. Then another 10% needs to be set aside for the withdrawal penalty. Plus the 20% may not cover your total tax liability, So you need to account for that.Plus there is the loss of earning potential to deal with.

If you were to take a loan for the $2K, you could pay for it by stopping or reducing your contributions to the plan. Remember that EVERYTHING you pay towards the loan (including interest) goes back into your account, so the loan payments would be replacing your contributions so the account would continue to grow.

Withdrawing from your 401(k) is a VERY expensive way to get money. Taking a loan from your 401(k) not only lowers the expense, but helps build your retirement savings.