TIAA 401(k) Rollover Guide

TIAA is the provider brand associated with the workplace retirement accounts discussed on this page. TIAA's login page includes a registration path for accounts an employer established, so participants whose accounts originated through a workplace relationship will find that path relevant when setting up online access. The IRS requires participants to satisfy conditions set by the plan before a distribution can occur, meaning two individuals at different employers may face different requirements even though both accounts are held at TIAA.

• Former employees whose workplace retirement account is held at TIAA and who need to establish or restore portal access after separation.
• Job changers reviewing IRS rollover structures and the withholding differences between direct transfers and 60-day rollovers.
• Participants whose distribution options are governed by the conditions their employer's plan document establishes.

TIAA's login page provides recovery options alongside a registration path built for accounts that an employer set up, so verifying that you are using the appropriate entry point is a useful first step. The IRS describes two rollover paths—a direct transfer and a 60-day rollover—so understanding which structure applies to your situation helps you ask focused questions when speaking with the plan administrator.

TIAA also publishes a general retirement planning education hub for individuals, which may provide background on broad retirement concepts separate from any single employer's plan details.

• Verify with the destination plan or IRA that it will accept incoming rollover contributions, since the IRS does not require receiving plans to do so.
• A direct rollover avoids the mandatory 20% federal withholding the IRS applies when a distribution is paid to the participant.
• TIAA's retirement planning education hub addresses general topics rather than the specifics of any single employer plan.

TIAA recordkeeps accounts for multiple employers, and the plan document each employer adopted dictates distribution eligibility, permitted payout forms, and any additional requirements a participant must satisfy. The IRS makes clear that a participant must meet plan-set conditions before receiving a distribution, so two people holding TIAA-administered accounts under different employers may encounter entirely different rules.

• Distribution timing, eligibility criteria, and available forms are determined by the employer's plan document rather than applied uniformly across all TIAA-administered accounts.
• A receiving plan is not obligated under IRS rules to accept rollover contributions—always confirm acceptance before initiating a distribution.

TIAA's login page features a registration path designed for accounts that an employer set up, along with recovery options for participants who previously registered but lost access.

Under IRS rules, a direct transfer sends funds between plans or IRAs without the money passing through the participant's hands, while a 60-day rollover involves a distribution paid to the participant that must be redeposited into a qualifying plan or IRA within that window. Mandatory 20% federal withholding applies when a distribution is paid directly to a participant, but a direct rollover is not subject to that withholding.

• TIAA's login page includes an employer-linked registration flow for participants who have not yet created personal credentials.
• A direct rollover bypasses the 20% mandatory federal withholding the IRS imposes on distributions paid to the participant.
• Under a 60-day rollover, the participant must redeposit funds into a qualifying plan or IRA within 60 days for the IRS to treat the transaction as a rollover.

TIAA's login page provides a registration path for accounts an employer set up, and participants who have not yet completed that registration step may need to locate it before they can access their workplace account online. On the distribution side, the IRS requires participants to meet conditions established by the plan, so restrictions embedded in the employer's plan document can affect eligibility or timing in ways a participant may not expect.

Participants who receive a distribution check payable to themselves trigger mandatory 20% federal withholding, which reduces the amount available for redeposit and may create a shortfall if the full pre-withholding amount is not redeposited within 60 days.

• TIAA's login page offers an employer-linked registration path that participants must use to set up credentials for a workplace account.
• Learning after requesting a distribution that the destination plan will not accept rollover contributions, since the IRS does not require acceptance.
• Receiving a distribution check payable to the participant and facing 20% mandatory federal withholding, leaving less than the full balance available for redeposit within the 60-day window.