From the pamphlet: "If you separate from Federal civilian service or the uniformed services with an outstanding TSP loan and you do not repay the entire loan, the TSP must declare a taxable distribution of the unpaid balance before a withdrawal can be processed."This seems to indicate that there is only a penalty/concern if looking for a TSP withdrawal with a TSP loan balance due. So long as I am reading this right, then there will not be a problem. Thanks for the assist!
Be careful! I think you may be taking that quote out of context. I think that when you separate, you either a) repay the entire balance or b) a taxable distribution will be declared. Also, with other distributions, you can't specify to take the tax exempt portion. The percent that's tax exempt in your entire account will be applied to your distribution. I would assume that it would be the same for a TSP loan that gets declared as a distribution as well.
If you dont' want that amount to be considered a taxable distribution, I'd suggest you look into it further. Below is pasted from the tsp.gov:
When are Taxable Distributions Declared?
The TSP will declare a taxable distribution on the entire unpaid balance of your loan plus accrued interest:
- If you fail to repay your loan(s) in accordance with your Loan Agreement.
- If you miss a loan payment and you do not make it up within the specified time period.
- If you do not repay your loan when you separate from Federal service. In this case, the TSP will report a taxable distribution to the IRS and you will owe income taxes on the outstanding balance of the loan. However, you may be able to roll over the taxable amount of the distribution into an IRA or eligible employer plan with 60 days to avoid taxes and penalties.