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Showing posts with label 72(t). Show all posts
Showing posts with label 72(t). Show all posts

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Depression And Disability


I am reading a Tax Court case where the taxpayer represented himself. This is referred to as “pro se.” Technically, it does not mean that you cannot have an attorney or advisor with you; it rather means that the attorney or advisor is not admitted to practice before the Tax Court. If I was your CPA, for example, I would field the questions-and-answers on your behalf while you sat there silent and forlorn. You would still be considered to be “pro se,” as I do not practice before the Court. Had I practiced in the D.C. area or with the national tax office of a large firm, I might have been more interested in pursuing admission to practice.

The taxpayer’s name is Walter Kowsh, and he had an incredible string of misfortune. Walter lived in New York. His wife died at age 53, leaving him with two teenage children and an elderly parent.

Then he lost several friends on the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Some of those friends had gone to his wife’s funeral.

By 2002 he could longer work because of depression and anxiety attacks.

He started taking prescriptions, including Wellbutrin and Paxil.

His depression became debilitating.

He started collecting on his private disability insurance.

He did not however apply for Social Security disability. Too bad, as there is a case (Dwyer) that accepts social security as proof of disability.

He took an early distribution from his 401(k) or IRA in 2003. He did not however file a tax return for 2003.

So the IRS tentatively prepared one for him.

After a string of IRS notices, he finally prepared and filed his 2003 return.

The IRS next wanted penalties for late filing as well as the 10% penalty on the early distribution.

Walter needed an out from both penalties. Is there way to do it?

Yep.

Disability would do it. Disability is an exception to the 10% penalty and is also reasonable cause to abate a late filing penalty.

Walter argued that he was disabled.

Question is: did Walter’s depression rise to the level of a disability?

Incredible story, said the IRS. Get us a doctor’s letter, and let’s wrap this up.

Walter could not – or would not - get a doctor’s letter. His own doctor refused to provide one.

This was a bad start.

How about a prescription history from the pharmacy? asked the IRS. They might be able to print out your history for the whole year.

Nope, said Walter.

I am already collecting disability, continued Walter. What part of “disability” do you not understand?

Walter could really have used a tax advisor at this point.

You see, collecting disability from an insurance company lends strong credibility to Walter’s claim, but disability is a medical diagnosis. The insurance reinforces the diagnosis but is not a substitute for it.

Rest assured the Court was curious why Walter’s doctor would not provide a letter, or why he refused to have another doctor provide one…
… despite numerous requests from respondent.”
Respondent means the IRS.

And I am curious myself.

I do not doubt that he was depressed. I also do not doubt that he considered himself disabled. What I don’t understand is the big pushback on what appears to be a reasonable request.

It is not personal, Walter. Stop taking it that way.

Walter lost.

You see the downside to a true pro se.

I would have been screaming at Walter for sabotaging his own case. He would have gotten that doctor’s letter or I would have fired him.

But Walter made the tax literature for the point that collecting private disability insurance, by itself and without further substantiation, does not prove disability for purposes of the tax Code.

Tax geeks will remember Walter for decades.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

When Hardship Is Not Enough



Let’s talk a bit about hardship distributions from your retirement plan – perhaps your 401(k).

You may know that you are not supposed to touch this money before a certain age. If you do, not only will there be income taxes to pay, but also a 10% early withdrawal penalty. These are two moving pieces here: one is the income tax on the distribution and another for the 10% penalty.

Here is a question for you:

Let’s say you can withdraw money from your plan for hardship reasons. Does that mean that the penalty does not apply?

The answer is no. One would think that the two Code sections move in tandem, but they do not.

Candace Elaine ran into this in a recent Tax Court decision.

Candace lived in California, and in 2012 she withdrew $84,000 from her retirement plan. She had lost her job in 2009, and she was trying to support herself and family.

The tax Code applies two requirements to the income taxation of hardship withdrawals:

·        On account of an immediate and heavy financial need, and
·        Any amount withdrawn is limited to actual need

An “immediate and heavy financial need” would include monies needed for medical expenses or to avoid foreclosure. In addition, one is not allowed to withdraw $20,000 if the need is only $12,000, with the intention of using the excess for other purposes. 

The plan custodian is the watchman for these two requirements. The custodian is to obtain reasonable assurance of need and inquire whether other financial resources exist. This is a role above and beyond routine administration, and consequently many plans simply do not offer hardship withdrawals.

Candace met those requirements and her plan allowed withdrawals. She reported and paid income tax on the $84,000, but she did not pay the 10% penalty.

The IRS bounced her return. Off to Tax Court they went, where Candace represented herself.

Her argument was simple: I received a hardship distribution. There is an exemption for hardship.

The IRS said that there was not. And in the spirit of unemployed taxpayers trying to support their family, the IRS assessed a penalty on top of the 10% chop.

The Court pointed several exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty, including:

·        Separation from service
·        Disability
·        Deductible medical expenses
·        Health insurance premiums while unemployed
·        Higher education
·        First time purchase of a principal residence

There isn’t one for hardship, though.

Meaning that Candace owed the 10% penalty.

The Court did note that the misunderstanding on the 10% is widespread and refused to assess the IRS’ second penalty.

Why did Candace not just borrow the money from her 401(k) and avoid the issue? Because she had been let go, and you have to be employed in order to take a plan loan.

What if she had rolled the money into an IRA?

IRAs are not allowed to make loans, even to you. The only way you can get money out of an IRA is to take a distribution. This is what sets up the ROBs (Roll-Over as Business Start-Up) as a tax issue, for example.

Candace was stuck with the penalty.