Key retirement milestones

If eligible, may take assets from a qualified 401(k), 401(a) or 403(b) plan without a 10% early withdrawal penalty, though regular income taxes still apply; the 10% early withdrawal penalty does not apply to governmental 457(b) plans but regular income taxes apply

If eligible, earliest age to start taking Social Security (with a permanently reduced payout)

For most people this is full retirement age (FRA) for Social Security, when you're eligible to receive 100% of your benefit; your exact FRA depends on your date of birth

When you must start taking mandatory withdrawals, called required minimum distributions, from a traditional 401(k), 401(a), 403(b) or 457(b) or an individual retirement account (IRA); age 73 if you were born in 1951 through 1959 or age 75 if you were born in 1960 or later