There are five types of withdrawals you can make while still working: age 72 withdrawals, unforeseeable emergency, service credit purchase, loan, or rollover withdrawals.

• Age 72 Withdrawals
  • If you are age 72 or older and still working, you may begin taking withdrawals from your account.
  • Withdrawals may be subject to 20 percent federal tax withholding unless the funds are rolled over to another qualified plan or IRA. Withdrawals from the 457 Roth account are tax-free as long as they are qualified distributions.
• Unforeseeable Emergency Withdrawal** may be available for the following reasons:
  • An illness or accident involving you; your beneficiary; you or your beneficiary’s spouse; or your dependent or beneficiary’s dependent.
  • Loss of your or your beneficiary’s property due to casualty (including the need to rebuild a home following damage to a home not otherwise covered by homeowner’s insurance, such as the result of a natural disaster).
  • The imminent foreclosure of or eviction from you or your beneficiary’s primary residence.
  • To pay for medical expenses for you; your beneficiary; you or your beneficiary’s spouse; or your dependent or beneficiary’s dependent, including nonrefundable deductibles, as well as the cost of prescription drug medication.
  • To pay for funeral expenses of your spouse; your beneficiary; your beneficiary’s spouse; your dependent or your beneficiary's dependent for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2005.
  You must first exhaust all other loan and withdrawal possibilities before requesting an Unforeseeable Emergency Withdrawal. A prefilled form may be created through this website under the Account menu option and require supporting documentation or by calling 1-800-759-7372 and selecting the PERAPlus option. Withdrawal checks are mailed to your home address within two business days following the processing of your request.


• Service Credit: Pre-tax contributions may be used to purchase or reinstate service credit. Contact PERA or refer to PERA’s Purchasing Service Credit brochure for more information.


• Loan: The loan feature allows you to borrow from your pre-tax and Roth account balances and pay back the loan, plus interest, through automatic checking or savings account deductions. (Refer to Borrowing Money from Your Account.)


• Rollover Withdrawals: Rollover withdrawals can be taken from the rollover funds in your account.

** Unforeseeable Emergency Withdrawals from the PERAPlus 457 pre-tax account are subject to voluntary withholding but are not subject to the mandatory 20 percent withholding. State and local taxes and withholding may also apply. Withdrawals from the 457 Roth account are tax free as long as they are qualified distributions.