Free tool · Deadline & withholding math
60-Day Rollover Deadline Calculator
Received a retirement distribution check? Find your exact redeposit deadline — and the amount you actually have to deposit to avoid taxes.
Free tool · Deadline & withholding math
Received a retirement distribution check? Find your exact redeposit deadline — and the amount you actually have to deposit to avoid taxes.
Under IRC §402(c)(3), you generally have 60 days from the day you receive a distribution to roll it into an IRA or another eligible plan and cancel the tax bill. This tool computes the date — and the 20%-withholding trap most people miss.
This is the amount on your plan statement, not the smaller check amount. It appears on Form 1099-R box 1.
The 60 days run from the day you receive the funds. If your deadline lands on a weekend or holiday, don’t count on extra time — complete the deposit before it.
Say your old 401(k) pays you a $40,000 distribution directly instead of transferring it custodian-to-custodian:
This entire trap is avoidable: a direct rollover — where the money moves straight between custodians and any check is made payable to the new custodian, not to you — has no withholding and no deadline. If you haven’t requested the distribution yet, request it as a direct rollover.
Not necessarily. IRS Rev. Proc. 2020-46 lets you self-certify a late rollover — no IRS ruling needed — if you missed the window for one of eleven listed reasons, including a financial-institution error, a misplaced and never-cashed check, severe illness, a death in the family, or a home-damaging disaster. You give the receiving custodian a self-certification letter and complete the deposit as soon as practicable (generally within 30 days after the reason no longer prevents you). If none of the reasons fit, a private letter ruling is the remaining route — talk to a tax professional.
The one-rollover-per-12-months rule applies only to IRA-to-IRA (or Roth IRA–to–Roth IRA) indirect rollovers. Rolling a 401(k) or other workplace plan to an IRA doesn’t count against it, and direct trustee-to-trustee transfers between IRAs are unlimited. It’s one more reason to always move money directly instead of taking a check.
On the day you receive the funds — the day the check reaches you or the deposit hits your account, not the date printed on the check. Keep the envelope or a record of the deposit date if there’s any doubt.
You can roll over part of a distribution, but only what lands in the receiving account within the 60 days counts. Anything outside the window (without a valid self-certification) is taxable. Given the stakes, most people complete it in one deposit, clearly coded with the custodian as a 60-day rollover contribution — not a regular annual contribution.
An RMD can never be rolled over. If you’re of RMD age, the year’s required amount must stay out; only the excess above it is rollover-eligible. Check your RMD age with our withdrawal age checker.
Deciding whether to keep the check? Price the taxes and penalties first.
Run the numbers →See which destinations — old plan, new plan, IRA — are typically open to you.
See your options →How the whole process works, start to finish, including the direct-transfer route.
Read the guide →These tools show you the rules. A no-cost, no-obligation consultation walks through how they apply to your specific accounts — before you sign anything.
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