To roll over an ADP-administered 401(k), request a distribution through the participant portal at mykplan.adp.com or by calling ADP Retirement Services at 1-800-695-7526, then complete the ADP 401(k) rollover form by choosing a direct (trustee-to-trustee) rollover, naming the receiving institution, and providing its address and your new account number. Picking direct versus indirect is the single most consequential decision on the form, because it determines whether 20 percent of your balance is withheld for taxes before the money ever leaves the plan.
Check Two Things Before You Open the Form
Confirm your vested balance and any outstanding loan before you start. Every dollar you contributed yourself belongs to you, but employer matching and profit-sharing dollars follow a vesting schedule. Under cliff vesting you own zero of the employer money until a specific anniversary, often three years, and then own all of it at once. Under graded vesting, ownership increases in steps. Your ADP account summary shows the vested figure. That number, not your total balance, is what you can actually move.
An outstanding 401(k) loan is a separate issue. When you leave employment with an unpaid balance, the plan typically offsets the loan against your account and treats it as a distribution. That offset is taxable unless you roll an equivalent amount into an IRA or another qualified plan. For a qualified plan loan offset triggered by leaving your job, you have until your tax-return due date (including extensions) for the year of the offset to complete the rollover.1Internal Revenue Service. Plan Loan Offsets Separate in 2026 and file on extension, and you could have until October 2027 to get that loan-offset amount into a new retirement account.
Direct Rollover or Indirect Rollover
The form asks you to pick one method, and the tax consequences are very different.
Direct Rollover (Trustee-to-Trustee)
A direct rollover sends your money straight from ADP’s plan trustee to the receiving institution. The check is made payable to the new custodian, not to you, so you never take possession of the funds. Because you never touch the money, no federal income tax is withheld and the entire balance lands in your new account intact.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 3405 – Special Rules for Pensions, Annuities, and Certain Other Deferred Income This is what ADP defaults to in its guided online process, and it’s the right choice for most people.
Indirect (60-Day) Rollover
An indirect rollover pays the distribution to you personally. When that happens, ADP is required by law to withhold 20 percent of the taxable portion for federal income taxes, and you cannot opt out.3eCFR. 26 CFR 31.3405(c)-1 – Withholding on Eligible Rollover Distributions You then have 60 days from the date you receive the check to deposit the full original amount, including the withheld 20 percent, into an eligible retirement plan.4Internal Revenue Service. Topic No 413, Rollovers From Retirement Plans You have to come up with the withheld portion out of pocket to make the account whole. Miss the 60-day window and the shortfall counts as taxable income for the year; if you’re under 59½, add a 10 percent early-distribution penalty on top.5Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Exceptions to Tax on Early Distributions
How to Access the Form
Log into mykplan.adp.com with the credentials you used during employment. Look for a menu option along the lines of “Withdrawals,” “Distributions,” or “Move Assets.” The exact wording depends on how your plan is configured. Choose the option that specifically says “rollover” or “roll over to another institution” rather than a standard cash withdrawal, because picking the wrong distribution type can trigger unnecessary withholding.
If your plan doesn’t offer a self-service rollover in the portal (some restrict it), call 1-800-695-7526 Monday through Friday. A representative can walk you through it or mail you a paper form.
Have this information in front of you before you start:
- The receiving institution’s exact legal name. For example, “Fidelity Management Trust Company,” not just “Fidelity.”
- Your account number at the destination. Open the receiving account first if you haven’t already.
- The mailing address of the receiving institution’s rollover or incoming-assets department, which is often different from the general mailing address. Call the new custodian to confirm.
- The account type at the destination: traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or another employer plan. This drives the tax treatment.
Filling Out the Form
Whether you use the guided online flow or a paper form, you’ll move through the same sections.
Personal Information
Enter your full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current mailing address. ADP uses that address to send your 1099-R after year-end, so accuracy matters even if the rest of the process is electronic. Update your address in the system before submitting if you’ve moved recently.
Distribution Type and Amount
Select “rollover” or “direct rollover” as the distribution type. You can move your full vested balance or a partial amount. If your account holds both pre-tax and designated Roth contributions, identify which portion you’re rolling over. Roth 401(k) money can only go into a Roth IRA or another plan that accepts Roth rollovers; sending it to a traditional IRA triggers a taxable event.6Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Plans FAQs on Designated Roth Accounts Pre-tax contributions can roll into either a traditional IRA or another employer’s qualified plan.
If your plan holds employer stock, pause. Company stock may qualify for net unrealized appreciation (NUA) treatment, which taxes the stock’s growth at long-term capital gains rates instead of ordinary income rates. Once you roll employer stock into an IRA, you permanently lose the NUA option, and every dollar withdrawn later is taxed as ordinary income. Talk to a tax advisor before checking any boxes.
Payment Instructions
For a direct rollover, the check is made payable to the receiving institution “for the benefit of” (FBO) you. The form asks for the institution’s name, your account number, and the mailing address where the check should go. Double-check every digit of the account number. A wrong number is the most common reason a rollover check gets returned, and a returned check burns time you may not have.
For an indirect rollover, the check is payable to you and mailed to your home address on file, minus the 20 percent withheld from the taxable portion.
Spousal Consent
If you’re married and your ADP 401(k) is subject to qualified joint and survivor annuity (QJSA) rules, your spouse may need to sign a written consent before the plan can process any distribution. This typically applies to money purchase pension plans and certain plans that originated as defined benefit plans. Most standard profit-sharing 401(k) plans are exempt from QJSA as long as the plan pays the full death benefit to the surviving spouse and doesn’t offer annuity options.7Internal Revenue Service. Fixing Common Plan Mistakes – Failure to Obtain Spousal Consent If your plan requires it, the form will include a separate signature section, and a notary may need to witness the spouse’s signature. Notary fees typically run $10 to $25 depending on the state.
Submitting and Tracking
Online, the portal shows a confirmation screen before final submission. Review every field. Once submitted, corrections require a new request and restart the clock. On a paper form, use the fax number in the instructions if you need to include wet-signature documents like a spousal consent; faxing is faster than mail.
After submission, ADP verifies that you’re eligible for a distribution under your plan’s rules. Processing typically takes one to two weeks, though the exact timeline depends on your plan’s administrative agreement with ADP. Some plans charge a distribution processing fee that comes out of your account before the rest is sent. Amounts vary by plan; check the plan’s fee disclosure or ask ADP before submitting.
Once processing is complete, ADP either wires the funds or mails a check. If you chose a direct rollover and a check addressed to the new custodian FBO you shows up at your house by mistake, don’t cash it. Forward it to the receiving institution with a note referencing your account number.
Tax Reporting After the Rollover
ADP will issue a Form 1099-R for the tax year in which the distribution occurs, typically mailed by January 31 of the following year. The form reports the gross amount and the taxable amount. For a direct rollover, Box 7 will show distribution code G, which tells the IRS the money went straight to another qualified plan or IRA and isn’t currently taxable.8Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Forms 1099-R and 5498 You still report the distribution on your return, but the taxable amount should be zero if the full balance was directly rolled over.
For an indirect rollover, the 1099-R shows the full distribution as taxable. Reporting the rollover on your return and demonstrating that the funds landed in a qualifying account within 60 days is on you. Keep records of both the ADP distribution and the deposit into the new account. The receiving institution files a Form 5498 confirming the rollover contribution, but that form isn’t issued until May, well after your return might be filed.
If You’re 73 or Older
You generally must take your required minimum distribution (RMD) from the 401(k) before rolling over the rest.9Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) RMD amounts cannot be rolled over. They must be distributed to you as taxable income. Try to roll the entire balance without satisfying the RMD first and the excess in the new account is treated as an ineligible rollover, which means paperwork and possible penalties to unwind.
If you’re still working for the employer sponsoring the plan and you’re not a 5-percent owner, many plans let you delay RMDs until you actually retire. The clock starts when you separate from service. The RMD beginning age is scheduled to increase to 75 starting in 2033 for people born in 1960 or later.