Roth 401k withdrawal rules

Question

If your employer matches your contribution on a roth 401k account are you typically able to withdraw the money you deposited + the employer match from your account (I know there are penalties & taxes due on any interest & the match is 100% vested the day your contribution is deposited)?

Lets say the limit is 5,500 a year max contributions. If you contribute 3,000 & then withdraw it are you still only able to deposit 2500 for the rest of the year even though the account zero'd out since you withdrew the money?

If you deposit 5000 one year and then it accumulates to 5100 from interest. And then you deposit 2000 more and then withdraw from it 1000, will you pay the interest & penalties from the 100 of interest on that withdrawal or is that only if you withdraw more than the total you have deposited?

Lastly, I am 25 and get 6% salary matched 100% towards either a traditional 401k or a roth 401k account. I have a solid emergency fund (1 year of expenses) in a savings account but my goal right now is to save some money for a small business. I am thinking of increasing the employer match option at 6% towards a roth ira and then withdrawing half of the total contribution and using that towards my business fund. Does my plan make sense or am I missing something.

Answer 1

Does my plan make sense or am I missing something

You're missing something.

The match is always pre-tax and goes into the "traditional" part. Withdrawing it will trigger income tax + 10% penalty.

Also, you may not be able to withdraw from 401(k) unless you leave your employer.

And last but not least - you're missing the compounding effect of the early retirement savings. There are not a lot of people at your age who are lucky enough to be able to save for retirement on their own, let alone getting a generous match from the employer. When compounded over the decades until your retirement - this will be a major chunk of your overall retirement savings, even if the numbers are relatively low now. Withdrawing it will hurt you tremendously when you're older.