A 401(k) plan is a retirement plan set up by your employer. It is a simple and convenient way for you to build up your retirement savings and get significant tax benefits while you are working. It is named after the part of the IRS Internal Revenue Code that spells out the rules for this type of plan: Section 401, paragraph (k).

When you join a 401(k), you agree to contribute part of your salary to the 401(k) account. The money you contribute is deducted from your paycheck before income taxes are taken out, so you end up paying less income tax up front. Additionally, you don't pay taxes on what you contribute (and any interest it earns) until you withdraw money from your account at retirement. This way, you enjoy the benefit of tax-deferred compounding, which helps your savings add up quickly!

Of course, there is a catch. (There always is, when it comes to tax advantages.) You cannot withdraw money from the account before you turn 59 1/2 except in rare cases -- without paying a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. One of these exceptions is the early retirement rule. According to this rule, if you separate from service with your employer (whether taking retirement, changing jobs or through layoff) in the year in which you turn 55, or later, withdrawals from that employer's 401(k) plan are penalty free. If you have money still in 401(k) plans with other former employers, you will have to wait to get that money until you reach age 59 1/2.

The 401(k) account is not an investment in itself; it is a protective shell for your money. It is up to you to decide how to invest the money using the choices your employer provides for you. Generally, these are stock, bond and money market mutual funds.

Some employers offer a match, meaning that for every dollar you contribute up to a certain amount, your employer will also make a contribution (10 cents, 50 cents, a dollar -- it depends on your employer). As free money, this is worth taking advantage of.

Each company's 401(k) plan has different rules. The best source of information about your particular plan is the "summary plan description," which you can get from your company's human resources or benefits representative.

The plans originated not exactly by design of Congress, but because a sharp-eyed benefits consultant saw an opportunity to create a new retirement savings plan based on the tax law passed by Congress in 1978.

The 1978 act contained a technical correction to the Internal Revenue Code that allowed employees to take profit-sharing bonuses in cash or deferred compensation.

The language was drafted in a way that could be interpreted as allowing not only profit-sharing bonuses to be voluntarily deferred before taxes, but W-2 wages as well. Ted Benna, a benefits consultant working for the Johnson Companies in suburban Philadelphia, noticed this opening and drafted a retirement plan designed to take advantage of it. His new plan was based on the post-tax thrift savings plans many employers offered at that time.ding pre-tax salary reduction and employer matching contributions.

Legally, all your employer has to give you is a summary plan description, a summary annual report, and an annual statement. You might not receive a prospectus for every fund offered in the plan, but if your company's stock is offered in the plan you are required to receive a prospectus (or prospectus substitute) for that.

Luckily for participants, most plan sponsors provide a lot more information than they're required to. Often, if you need more information all you have to do is ask.

According to the Department of Labor (DOL), employers are supposed to deposit employee contributions into the plan as soon as they are able to determine the amount that should be deposited into the plan. This vague definition gives employers some latitude.

A few years ago, the DOL updated its regulations to specify that employers are definitely in trouble if the money isn't deposited prior to the 15th business day of the month after the contributions are deducted. But, employers could still run afoul of auditors with this method.

To be safe, employers should deposit employee contributions within a day or two after contributions are deducted.

DOL regulations apply to when your contributions must be deposited into the plan account. There aren't any regulations governing how soon the money must be invested in the specific funds you have selected.

If you switch jobs, you have three options for what to do with the vested portion of your 401(k) account. The following outlines your options and the tax implications for each.

1. Leave the money: If your vested account balance is $5,000 or more and you're under the plan's normal retirement age, which is commonly age 65, you can leave your money where it is -- and taxes won't be due until you withdraw money from the account. However, if your balance is less than $5,000 and more than $1,000, your employer may decide to automatically roll it into an IRA account on your behalf. If this occurs, there are no tax consequences because the money is moving from one tax-deferred account to another.
2. Roll the money into a new plan or IRA: You can roll over your 401(k) into a rollover IRA account or into your new employer's 401(k) plan. If you do a direct rollover -- have the money transferred directly into the new account -- you won't owe taxes until you withdraw money from the account.
3. Cash out: If you elect to take your money out of the 401(k) and not roll it over into a rollover IRA or another employer-sponsored retirement plan you will owe all applicable taxes. You will also owe a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty unless you leave your company during the year you turn 55 or later.

For 2003, the maximum pretax contribution a participant can make is $12,000 -- subject to the 100-percent-of-pay limitation and special non-discrimination tests described below. The limit will rise by $1,000 a year until 2006, when it will hit $15,000. The limit for 2002 was $11,000. The IRS imposes this limit because Uncle Sam loses tax revenue for every dollar you contribute to your 401(k). If your plan allows you to make after-tax contributions, they are not included in this limit.

The percentage-of-pay limit stipulates that the maximum amount that can be accumulated in any of your tax-qualified defined contribution plans -- 401(k), thrift, profit-sharing, ESOP, and money purchase -- is limited to 100 percent of your gross pay or $40,000, whichever is less, in 2003. Every dollar contributed (both employee and employer) counts toward this limit, including after-tax contributions. (This limit was the same in 2002.)

Finally, there are special non-discrimination rules to prevent highly compensated employees (HCE) from being able to save substantially more than lower paid employees. If you earned $90,000 or more in 2002, or owned more than 5 percent of the company in 2002 or 2003, additional contribution caps may apply for you in 2003. (The HCE designation is based on your previous year's salary or your ownership of the company in the previous or current year.) For 2003, the income limit for highly compensated employees is also $90,000. What does this mean? If you earn $90,000 or more in 2003, your contributions to a 401(k) plan could be limited in 2004.

This depends on the rules of your particular plan. There is no federally imposed minimum contribution to a 401(k), but many plans require participants to contribute at least 1 to 2 percent of their salary. This helps offset administration costs.

That depends on the rules of your specific plan. Many companies require new employees to complete six months or even one year of service before they're eligible to participate. Some companies also require employees to be at least 21 years old to participate.

Ask your company's human resources or benefits representative for information about your plan.

Yes, but your ability to make a tax-deductible IRA contribution depends on three factors:

• Your filing status
• Your adjusted gross income (AGI), and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)
• Whether it is a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA.

All three are protective shells that allow your money to grow tax-free. But there are substantial differences among them.

• Before-tax contributions: With a 401(k) plan, you may contribute up to $12,000 before taxes in 2003, which reduces your income for tax purposes. (The 2002 limit was $11,000.) Keep in mind that your plan may limit your contributions further depending on circumstances. You can only contribute a maximum of $3,000 in 2003 to a traditional IRA, and your contribution may not be tax deductible if you also participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan (depending on your income level). You are also limited to a maximum $3,000 contribution to a Roth IRA in 2003, and that is not deductible at all. You may have more than one IRA (traditional and/or Roth), but your total contributions to all of them may not be more than $3,000 for 2003.
• Tax-deferred growth: In all three cases, the gain on your investment is not taxed while in the account, so your investment keeps growing tax-free. In the case of a Roth IRA, you do not pay any taxes when you withdraw the money, either, providing you fulfill the withdrawal requirements. With a traditional IRA and a 401(k), federal, state and local taxes are due on the money you withdraw.
• Employer match: Your employer may match part or all of your contribution to a 401(k). This is not the case with a traditional IRA or Roth IRA.
• Early withdrawal: Under certain circumstances, and depending on the rules of your plan, you may be able to withdraw money from your 401(k) account before age 59 1/2. However, in addition to paying local, state and federal taxes on the money you withdraw, you will most likely also have to pay a penalty of 10 percent of the money you withdraw. If in the year you turn age 55 or later, you quit your job, take retirement or are fired, this early withdrawal penalty will be waived. Some plans also offer the possibility of taking out a loan and avoiding the 10 percent withdrawal penalty. But, you must repay this loan or the government will consider it an early withdrawal and charge you the penalty and appropriate taxes.
• Traditional IRA: In most cases, a penalty of 10 percent will apply to withdrawals before age 59 1/2, in addition to local, state and federal taxes. However, you can make early withdrawals without the 10 percent penalty to pay for college or graduate school education, or to make a down payment (up to $10,000) on a first-time home purchase for yourself, your children, your parents or grandparents.
• Roth IRA: Once you have had the account for five years, you may be able to make a withdrawal of any conversion contributions without paying an early withdrawal penalty. However, if you are younger than 59 1/2 and your withdrawal includes investment gains (and not just your contributions) you may be charged a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty.
• Investment choices: With a 401(k), the choices you have for investing your money are limited to the options offered by your plan. With IRAs, your choices will likely be greater.
• Protection from creditors: If you declare bankruptcy, federal law protects your savings in an employer-sponsored qualified plan such as a 401(k). Your creditors can't touch it. (Only the IRS or, in the case of divorce, your ex-spouse or children, can.) IRAs, which are not qualified retirement plans, are subject to state law. While most states protect IRA balances from creditors, not all do and the level of protection varies from state to state.

That depends on what you decide to do with your 401(k) money. You have several options:

1. Leave the money: If your vested account balance is $5,000 or more and you're under the plan's normal retirement age, which is commonly age 65, you can leave your money where it is -- and taxes won't be due until you withdraw money from the account. However, if your balance is less than $5,000 and more than $1,000, your employer may decide to automatically roll it into an IRA account on your behalf. If this occurs, there are no tax consequences because the money is moving from one tax-deferred account to another.
2. Roll the money into a new plan or IRA: You can roll over your 401(k) into a rollover IRA account or into your new employer's 401(k) plan. If you do a direct rollover -- have the money transferred directly into the new account -- you won't owe taxes until you withdraw money from the account.
3. Cash out: If you elect to take your money out of the 401(k) and not roll it over into a rollover IRA or another employer-sponsored retirement plan you will owe all applicable taxes. You will also owe a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty unless you leave your company during the year you turn 55 or later.

The Roth 401(k) is an optional feature that employers will be able to offer beginning in 2006. It was created by the 2001 Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA), but regulations have not been drafted yet. It is expected they will be modeled after Roth IRAs, allowing workers to save after-tax dollars in a tax-deferred account and never pay tax on the interest earned. It is likely that, as with IRAs, if you have more than one 401(k) (regular and Roth), your total contributions to all your 401(k) plans will have to fall within the 401(k) contribution limit, which is planned to be $15,000 in 2006.

Catch-up contributions will likely be permitted in a Roth 401(k), subject to IRS limits. And employers may be able to match employee contributions to a Roth 401(k). However, it's uncertain whether the matching contribution would be made to the Roth 401(k) or to a regular 401(k) account. It is expected that Roth 401(k) savings may also be eligible to be rolled to a Roth IRA or Roth 403(b) if you change jobs.

If you switch jobs, you have three options for what to do with the vested portion of your 401(k) account. The following outlines your options and the tax implications for each.

1. Leave the money: If your vested account balance is $5,000 or more and you're under the plan's normal retirement age, which is commonly age 65, you can leave your money where it is -- and taxes won't be due until you withdraw money from the account. However, if your balance is less than $5,000 and more than $1,000, your employer may decide to automatically roll it into an IRA account on your behalf. If this occurs, there are no tax consequences because the money is moving from one tax-deferred account to another.
2. Roll the money into a new plan or IRA: You can roll over your 401(k) into a rollover IRA account or into your new employer's 401(k) plan. If you do a direct rollover -- have the money transferred directly into the new account -- you won't owe taxes until you withdraw money from the account.
3. Cash out: If you elect to take your money out of the 401(k) and not roll it over into a rollover IRA or another employer-sponsored retirement plan you will owe all applicable taxes. You will also owe a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty unless you leave your company during the year you turn 55 or later.

The penalty is 10 percent of the untaxed money you withdraw, plus applicable federal, state and local taxes on that amount. So if you were to withdraw $5,000 from your 401(k) before age 59 1/2, you would owe a penalty of $500 (plus applicable federal, state and local taxes on the entire $5,000).

Providing your plan allows pre-retirement withdrawals, under the following circumstances the IRS says you may withdraw money before age 59 1/2 and not have to pay the 10 percent penalty:

1. If you become totally disabled.
2. If you die, and your beneficiary collects the money.
3. If you are in debt for medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.
4. If you are required by court order to give the money to your divorced spouse, a child, or a dependent.
5. If you are separated from service (through permanent layoff, termination, quitting or taking early retirement) in the year you turn 55, or later.
6. If you are separated from service and you have set up a payment schedule to withdraw money in substantially equal amounts over the course of your life expectancy. (Once you begin taking this kind of distribution you are required to continue for five years or until you reach age 59 1/2, whichever is longer.)
7. If the money is a dividend distribution from an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Any money withdrawn for the above reasons would still be subject to applicable federal, state and local income taxes.

Yes, if your new company's plan allows rollovers. If you roll over your 401(k) money into your new employer's 401(k), 403(b) or governmental 457 plan, you maintain the account's tax-deferred status and will not have to pay taxes on the account until you withdraw money from the plan.

If your new company does not allow rollovers, you have two other options that would allow you to maintain the account's tax-deferred status.

1. If your vested account balance is $5,000 or more and you're under the plan's normal retirement age, which is commonly age 65, you can leave your money in your old employer's 401(k) plan -- and taxes won't be due until you withdraw money from the plan. If your balance, however, is less than $5,000 and more than $1,000, your employer may decide to automatically roll it into an IRA account on your behalf. In this case, it will retain its tax-deferred status.
2. You can roll over your 401(k) into a rollover IRA account. If you do a direct rollover -- have the money transferred directly into the new account -- you won't owe taxes until you withdraw money from the account.

When one company is acquired by another, there are three possible scenarios regarding the acquired company's 401(k) plan.

1. The acquired company may choose to terminate its 401(k) plan entirely. In this case, all employee contributions, vested employer matches and profits are returned. If the new company's 401(k) plan allows rollovers, employees of the acquired company can roll their money into the new plan. If it does not, they can roll their money into an IRA, or take a distribution. Rolling the money into an IRA or a new 401(k) will enable participants to preserve their retirement savings and avoid early withdrawal penalties.
2. If the features of the two companies' plans cannot be easily combined, the acquired company may opt to continue its plan. New employees would most likely be directed to the new company's plan, however.
3. The two plans may be merged. In this case, 401(k) assets of the acquired company's employees would be automatically rolled into the new plan. Combining two plans can be very complex, and can take anywhere from a week to several months. The plan is frozen during that time -- the money continues to earn interest, but participants can't make contributions or withdrawals.

In this type of situation, it is common for the new employer to take some time to determine what to do with retirement plans such as a 401(k). The fact that the existing plan is frozen is not unusual -- and it may be left this way indefinitely (since there isn't any legal requirement to do otherwise).

In the interim, you should retain all the rights you had before the plan was frozen, except the right to make new investments. As long as the plan continues to be properly administered -- you continue to receive statements and are able to make investment transfers -- there isn't much you can do except wait for the company to decide what to do with your plan.

If your plan ceases to be properly administered (you stop receiving statements, or are no longer able to make transfers, for example) and your plan sponsor cannot explain the lapse to your satisfaction, you might want to contact an attorney or the Department of Labor [(202) 219-8776 or www.dol.gov].

Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) all 401(k) plan participants are entitled to:

• Examine without charge all plan documents including collective-bargaining agreements, copies of all documents filed by the plan with the U.S. Department of Labor, and detailed annual reports.
• Obtain copies of all plan documents and other information upon written request to the plan administrator. The administrator may make a reasonable charge for these copies.
• Receive a summary of the plan's annual financial report. The administrator is required by law to furnish each participant with a copy of this summary annual report.
• Obtain once a year, without charge, a statement of benefits accrued to the participant.
• Examine without charge at the administrator's office, or obtain upon written request from the administrator, a complete list of the employer and employee organizations sponsoring the plan.
• Upon written request, receive information from the administrator as to whether a particular employer or employee organization is a sponsor of the plan and, if so, receive the sponsor's address.

Additionally, your employer may not fire you or otherwise discriminate against you in any way to prevent you from obtaining a benefit or exercising your rights under ERISA. If your claim for a benefit is denied, you must receive a written explanation of the reason for the denial. You have the right to have the plan administrator review and reconsider your claim.

If you have additional questions about your rights under ERISA, you should contact the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration division of the U.S. Department of Labor at (202) 219-8776, or on the Web at www.dol.gov.

Yes, you can open what is known as a one-person 401(k) plan. Rule changes in the 2001 tax bill made the one-person 401(k) plan more attractive than previously, in some cases.

But, the one-person 401(k) has a catch. If you have any employees who would be eligible to participate in the plan, the cost of adding them to the plan makes the 401(k) plan less attractive. In that case you should consider one of the other types of retirement plans created for small businesses.

The features of the one-person 401(k) plan are the same as a regular 401(k) plan.

You face the same contribution limits and you may take loans and hardship withdrawals.

As long as the plan only covers employees such as the business owner, his or her spouse, and any partners and their spouses, this plan can be a cost-effective alternative to the other plans available to small businesses. However, if the business has any common law employees, the existence of an employer-employee relationship requires the addition of layers of administrative, fiduciary and financial responsibility.

For example, if a business owner hired one or two employees, the owner would likely be required to make mandatory contributions to the employee's 401(k) accounts in order for the plan to pass its nondiscrimination test.

Yes. Under new laws that took effect Jan. 1, 2002, you are permitted to roll money saved in a 403(b) or governmental 457 plan into a 401(k) plan sponsored by your new employer. The issue is whether your new employer's plan accepts rollovers in the first place. The law allows employers to refuse to accept rollovers to their defined-contribution retirement plans.

The 100-percent-of-pay limitation on contributions to all tax-qualified defined contribution plans applies to gross income, not net income.

There is no federal agency that guarantees 401(k) plan assets. It is not considered necessary because the value of your balance at retirement is determined by the amount of your contributions and employer matching contributions, and the performance of the investments you choose. (This contrasts with defined-benefit plans, which are guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Because of the way defined benefit plans operate, it could be possible for accumulated assets to be insufficient to pay the promised benefits when a participant retires.)

It is true that 401(k) participants could lose money if their investments perform badly. That is why it is important to invest wisely. Independent advice providers like mPower exist to give participants tools to make the best possible decisions about their investments.

Also, it is important to note that the Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) acts as a 401(k) plan watchdog to ensure that employers and trustees follow the rules. There are a number of checks and balances built in to the 401(k) system to safeguard participants' funds. For instance, because your money is held in a custodial account, the account custodian is responsible for protecting your assets on your behalf. 

A 401(k) plan is set up by an employer for its employees. You may not set one up on your own, unless you have self-employment income. In that case you could set up what is known as a one-person 401(k), but that plan would only cover the income you generate through self-employment.

If you are currently employed by a company that does not offer a 401(k) plan similar plan, such as a 403(b) plan for nonprofits, do not have any self-employment income and wish to invest privately in a tax-deferred retirement account, you could consider opening a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. You can open these types of accounts at your local bank, broker, or mutual fund company.

The maximum pretax contribution limit for 401(k) plans for the 2003 tax year is $12,000. The limit for 2002 was $11,000.

In the summer of 2001, Congress passed a new tax bill containing significant changes to the rules governing tax-advantaged retirement savings programs. These rules took effect in 2002. While we could write a book on this topic, we won't. Instead, here are some of the highlights of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA).

• Higher 401(k) contribution limits. The tax bill raised the maximum individual annual contribution limit, the percent-of-pay limit and the maximum includable compensation limit.
• Added catch-up contribution limits. Worried that baby boomers likely haven't saved enough for retirement, Congress added a new "catch-up" contribution that is available to 401(k) participants 50 years old or older. Before you can make this type of contribution, your employer must amend the 401(k) plan document to permit them. It is not required to do so.
• Improved portability. The days of the cradle-to-grave employer are history. Americans regularly change jobs, but before EGTRRA it wasn't easy for them to take their retirement savings with them. The new rules allow 401(k) participants to roll their savings to employer plans such as 403(b)s, government employee 457 plans, and IRAs.
• Shorter vesting. Congress shortened the maximum vesting period for employer matching contributions. (Some employers, in an effort to boost employee retention, require that employees work a fixed amount of time at the firm before the employer contribution is theirs to keep. This waiting period is called a vesting period.)

Be aware, while these rules became effective in 2002, your ability to take advantage of some of them depends on when your plan adopts them. Check with your benefits department for details specific to your plan