"Hardship distributions" refers to the process of withdrawing money from a retirement account before reaching the eligible retirement age, typically due to financial difficulties or unforeseen circumstances. Full definition
Many plans allow hardship distributions for things like buying your home and paying for education or medical care or funeral expenses. (valuepenguin.com)
Under IRS regulations, hardship distributions from a 401 (k) plan are limited to an employee's elective contributions. (investopedia.com)
The IRS allows for hardship distributions for needs that are immediate and heavy. (insuranceandestates.com)