By Natalie Alms
Thrift Savings Plan participants used special withdrawal options passed into law in the first pandemic relief package at relatively steady rates in the final months of last year before the program ended in December.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed last March, provided TSP participants to make a one-time withdrawals of up to $100,000 without meeting age or the usual financial hardship qualifications.
Instead, participants had to meet one out of several pandemic-related qualifications, such as being diagnosed with COVID-19 or experiencing financial hardship because of the participant or their family being quarantined, laid off or unable to work due to child care requirements.