Using Your Roth IRA For Down Payments

Did you know you can use your Roth IRA to make a down payment on a house?

Know which type of IRA you have before you withdraw the money out to use for a down payment.  Do you have a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA?
Roth IRA’S do not charge taxes for first time home buyers that have had the IRA for 5 years or more.  You will also not have to worry about paying a penalty on your withdrawal.  Traditional IRA’S require you to pay taxes even after 5 years, but you still will not pay a penalty.

For either a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA there is a limit of $10,000 that you can take out to use as a down payment on a home.  If you need more than $10,000 you will have to pay a penalty, along with taxes.

If you take money out of your Traditional IRA or your Roth IRA before you have had it for 5 years, you will pay a 10% penalty if you are younger than 59 and if you are not a first time home buyer.

When deciding to use your IRA to make a down payment on a home, write a check out from your IRA checks for the amount of the down payment.  You can use cash, but you should use a check instead.  This will give you a record of your down payment.

Recommended Readings: