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Summary of contents
- RMDs: What to know, when to know it
- Changes coming in January 2026 that affect Roth TSP
- When you leave federal employment, you can stay with the TSP
- Free TSP webinars and webinar recordings
- Strengthen your TSP account security
- Jargon for a bargain: pro rata
- Add or update your direct deposit information
- Third quarter statements in My Account
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RMDs: What to know, when to know it
You can keep money in your TSP for life, but beginning in your 70s, the IRS requires annual withdrawals from your traditional (pre-tax) balance. These are “required minimum distributions” (RMDs). Even if you’re decades away from RMDs, knowing the basics can help you make decisions now to manage them later.
One thing to know is that we’ll take care of RMDs for you, so you don’t have to worry. We’ll automatically send you the RMD amount by the deadline each year. (Just make sure we have your correct account information.)
When RMDs start
RMDs start when you reach a certain age and have separated from federal employment. If you’re not already subject to RMDs in 2025, then your RMD age is either 73 or 75:
- If you were born before 1960, your RMD age is 73.
- If you were born in 1960 or later, your RMD age is 75.
The first year that you’re separated from federal or uniformed service and have reached your RMD age is called your first distribution calendar year. You must receive your first RMD amount by April 1 of the following year. That date is called your required beginning date. After your first RMD, you must receive your RMD by December 31 each year.
Calculating your RMD
If you have a federal civilian or uniformed services TSP account, RMDs only apply to your traditional (pre-tax) balance, and only withdrawals from your traditional balance can satisfy your RMD amount. Distributions from your Roth (after-tax) balance won’t count toward satisfying your RMD because Roth TSP money isn’t subject to RMDs. (If you’re a beneficiary TSP participant, the rules are different, and RMDs apply to the entire account balance.)
We calculate the amount you’re required to receive using your age, your traditional balance at the end of the previous year, and the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table. You can find the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table and an example calculation on page 20 of our TSP booklet, Tax Rules about TSP Payments.
Taxes on your RMD
We receive a lot of questions about taxes on RMDs, and the best way to plan ahead is to consult a tax advisor. Because the RMD amount comes from your traditional (pre-tax) balance, it becomes part of your taxable income for the year you receive it. That means the tax you owe depends on your federal income tax rate and any state or local income tax rate.
In most cases, RMDs on your account are treated as “non-periodic payments,” which means we must withhold 10% for federal income tax unless you contact us on the ThriftLine to change it. However, there is an exception. See page 12 of our TSP booklet, Tax Rules about TSP Payments, for more information.
Other RMD notes
Here are some answers to other frequent questions we receive about RMDs:
- Distributions include proportional amounts from all TSP funds in your account—you cannot select a specific fund like the G Fund for RMDs.
- RMDs cannot be rolled over to an IRA or eligible employer plan. If you choose to roll over all or part of a distribution in a year in which you have an RMD, we are required to make sure you satisfy the RMD before any rollover takes place.
- You can’t make a donation directly from your TSP account. The IRS only allows “qualified charitable distributions” (QCDs) to come from IRAs. They cannot be made from any 401(k)-type plan, including the TSP.
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Changes coming in January 2026 that affect Roth TSP
Two changes are coming to the TSP in January 2026 that may affect your Roth TSP contributions or Roth TSP balance. We’ll have more information about these changes on our website soon.
Catch-up contributions must be Roth if prior year wages above a certain amount
Beginning in 2026, catch-up contributions must be made to your Roth TSP balance if your wages from TSP-eligible positions are above a certain IRS threshold.
Roth in-plan conversions coming to the TSP in January 2026
Starting in January 2026, you’ll be able to convert money in your traditional (pre-tax) balance to your Roth (after-tax) balance in your TSP account. This is called a “Roth in-plan conversion.” If you don’t have a Roth balance in your TSP account, your first Roth in-plan conversion will create one.
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When you leave federal employment, you can stay with the TSP
If you’re leaving federal employment and have questions about your TSP account, you can use our fact sheet, Information for TSP Participants Leaving Federal Employment, to get the answers you need.
Remember, you can stay with the TSP even if you leave your federal job. You don’t have to take any money from your TSP savings until you reach the age when you have to start taking IRS required minimum distributions (RMDs). You can continue to allow your investments to grow in the TSP and take advantage of the TSP’s low expenses, and you’ll always have secure access to manage your investments online in My Account.
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Free TSP webinars
Thousands of TSP participants join our free webinars every month!
Our official TSP trainers host free webinars on a variety of TSP topics and always include time to answer your specific questions. We add new sessions throughout the year, so check frequently to find times that work for you.
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 TSP webinar recordings on YouTube!
You can watch recordings of TSP webinars on our YouTube channel. If the live webinars don’t fit your schedule, or you’d like to review specific topics on your own, we have you covered.
Featured webinar recordings
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Strengthen your TSP account security
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a great time to review your online habits and take steps to protect your TSP account from fraud. Here are four simple actions you can take right now:
1. Update your contact information
Your email, phone number, and mailing address are essential for account recovery, security alerts, and multifactor authentication (MFA). If we detect suspicious activity on your account, we need to be able to reach you quickly. That’s why it’s important to log in to My Account to confirm or update your profile.
Note: Updating your phone number in My Account does not automatically update the number used for multifactor authentication (MFA). To change your MFA settings, visit the online account management portal.
2. Protect your login credentials
Your username, password, and ThriftLine PIN are the keys to your account. Use a unique login just for My Account and never share it with anyone (not even anyone from the TSP).
3. Add an account lock
Want an extra layer of protection? You can add an account lock in My Account. You’ll create a 10-digit key that only you know. To make any new loan, withdrawal, or distribution requests, you’ll need to use your 10-digit key to unlock your account first. You’ll still be able to access your account and manage your investments.
4. Pause. Check. Protect.
Scammers are getting more sophisticated and often pretend to be from trusted sources like the TSP. Stay alert and think twice before responding to unexpected messages or calls.
Remember these tips:
- The TSP will never contact you about investment opportunities or authorize third-party counseling.
- Be cautious with emails, texts, or calls that seem urgent or out of the blue, even if they appear to come from someone you know.
- Don’t select suspicious links or share personal information without verifying the request.
- If something feels off about a TSP message, don’t respond and do contact us right away.
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Jargon for a bargain
Pro rata
Because it’s Latin, pro rata may be the most obscure bit of jargon we use when we talk about the TSP. It means “in proportion,” and for the TSP, it usually refers to making sure that money coming out of your account includes the same proportions of a specific characteristic—such as investment funds or tax treatment—as the money in your account.
If that seems confusing, here are some examples:
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TSP funds
When you make a withdrawal or take a loan from your TSP account, the money is taken from the TSP funds pro rata (in proportion) to how your money is invested across the funds. For example, if your account is split 50% in the C Fund and 50% in the G Fund, then 50% of the withdrawal or loan will come from the C Fund and 50% will come from the G Fund. You can’t choose to take money from just one fund.
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Traditional TSP and Roth TSP
If you have both traditional TSP and Roth TSP money in your account, you must specify that a withdrawal should come only from your traditional money, only from your Roth money, or proportionally from both. If you choose the proportional method, then the tax treatment of the withdrawal will be pro rata based on the tax treatment of money in your account. If your account has $100,000 in it with $80,000 (80%) in your traditional TSP balance and $20,000 (20%) in your Roth TSP balance, then a proportional withdrawal of $10,000 would include $8,000 (80%) from your traditional TSP balance and $2,000 (20%) from your Roth TSP balance.
Another way pro rata applies to tax treatment in your TSP account is when you move money among investment funds through a reallocation. When you reallocate, you choose new percentages for how your money is invested in each fund. You can’t move just your traditional TSP or just your Roth TSP money separately. Instead, the reallocation moves a proportional amount of both types of tax treatment into the funds you select.
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Add or update your direct deposit information
As part of modernizing our payment system, we’re encouraging all participants expecting money from their accounts to add or update their bank information in My Account.
It’s safe and easy to add your bank information in My Account. Adding direct deposit information now helps you get your money faster when you need it. For your protection, the destination you wish to send a distribution from your TSP account must be on file for at least seven days before it can receive funds. If you wait to add your bank information when you need money from your account, you’ll have to wait at least seven days before you can request direct deposit.
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Third quarter statements in My Account
Your third quarter TSP statement covers account activity for July 1–September 30, 2025. You'll receive an email when your statement is available online in My Account.
Request a custom statement
You can generate an electronic statement in My Account at any time. After you log in, go to Account Statements from the Quick Links menu and select the date range you want for your statement. (In the TSP Mobile App, you’ll find this link in the Retirement tab.)
Getting your TSP statement by postal mail
If you have postal mail selected as your delivery preference in your current My Account profile, you’ll also receive a copy of your quarterly statement by mail. The way you receive TSP notices and statements depends on your delivery preference in your My Account profile.
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Important TSP information
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Download the official TSP Mobile App
Download the TSP Mobile App from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, the only authorized sources for our app.
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Providing your TSP account credentials to unapproved third-party software, apps, or services may jeopardize your account security. We cannot endorse any information or advice you may receive from third-party software, apps, or services.
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Schedule for the Thrift Savings Planner
You'll receive your TSP newsletter by email in January, April, July, and October each year.
You can unsubscribe from the Thrift Savings Planner at any time.
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Contact us
Privacy
tsp.gov
ThriftLine Service Center
C/O Broadridge Processing
P.O. Box 1600
Newark, NJ 07101-1600
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