The MissionSquare rollover form moves money out of a MissionSquare 457(b), 401(a), 401(k), or 403(b) account into another eligible retirement plan or IRA. The document you want is called “Roll Out of MissionSquare,” and it runs seven sections covering who you are, how much you want to move, why you are eligible, where the money is going, how any Roth or after-tax dollars should be handled, your signature, and (often) your former employer’s signature. Once complete, mail it to MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320, or fax it to (844) 677-3297.
Make Sure You Have the Right Form
MissionSquare uses different paperwork depending on which direction the money is moving. For money leaving a MissionSquare account, use the “Roll Out of MissionSquare” form. For outside assets coming into a MissionSquare account, use the “Direct Rollover/Transfer In” form, or the “Co-Provider Transfer to MissionSquare” form if your employer uses a co-provider arrangement.
Log into the Account Access portal at missionsq.org to download the roll-out form; some fields may pre-populate with your account details. Blank copies are also available through your employer’s HR or benefits office. If you are not sure which form applies, MissionSquare offers appointments with a Roll-In Specialist that you can schedule through their website.
Working Through the Seven Sections
Section 1: Participant Information
Enter your full legal name, mailing address, date of birth, email, phone number, and Social Security number. You also need your employer plan number, which identifies your employer’s plan with MissionSquare and is not the same as your personal account number. Check the box for your plan type (401(a), 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b)) and indicate your marital status. Blank or inconsistent fields will get the form sent back.
Section 2: Transfer Amount
The form divides your balance into three categories: pre-tax assets, after-tax assets, and Roth assets. For each category you can elect to move 100 percent of the balance, a dollar amount, or a percentage. If you only have pre-tax money in the account, leave the other lines blank. If you hold both Roth and pre-tax balances, read Section 5 before you fill this in, because each asset type can be routed to a different destination.
Section 3: Eligibility and Employment Status
MissionSquare has to confirm you are allowed to take money out. Check the box that fits your situation:
- No longer employed by the plan sponsor. This is the most common reason and applies when you have separated from the government employer sponsoring the plan.
- Still employed, age 72 or older. Available for 401(a), 403(b), and 457(b) plans.
- Still employed, age 59½ or normal retirement age. Available for 401(a) and 403(b) plans only.
- After-tax contributions. Available for 401(a) plans only.
- Roll-in account. If you previously rolled outside money into your MissionSquare account, you can withdraw those specific assets while still employed. Available for 401(a), 403(b), and 457(b) plans.
If none of these fit, you probably are not yet eligible for a distribution. Check with your employer before submitting anything.
Section 4: Recipient Account Information
Describe where the money is going. Check the plan type of the receiving account (457(b), 401(a), 401(k), 403(b), Traditional IRA, or Roth IRA), then fill in the trustee or custodian’s name, the plan name if applicable, the custodian’s phone number and mailing address, and your account number at the receiving institution. A transposed digit in that account number is one of the most common reasons rollovers get delayed, so verify it against a statement from the receiving plan.
Not every plan type can roll into every other plan type. The IRS publishes a rollover chart showing which transfers are permitted. In general, a governmental 457(b) can roll into a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA (taxable), another 457(b), a 401(k), or a 403(b), and a 401(a) or 401(k) can go to most of the same destinations. Rolling pre-tax money into a Roth IRA triggers income tax on the converted amount in the year of the rollover.
Section 5: After-Tax and Roth Assets
If your account holds Roth or other after-tax money, Section 5 asks where those assets should go. You have three choices: send them to the same account you listed in Section 4, have them paid directly to you at your home address, or route them to a different account by filling in that account’s details. Sending Roth assets to a Roth IRA or another designated Roth account preserves their tax-free treatment. Sending them to a pre-tax account can create tracking problems, which is why most participants keep Roth money in a Roth destination.
Section 6: Participant Signature
Sign and date the form. Unsigned forms are automatically rejected.
Section 7: Employer Authorization
If this is your first distribution request after leaving employment, your former employer has to sign to confirm you are eligible. The employer section asks for your last day of employment, your vesting percentage, and the authorized representative’s printed name, title, signature, and date. An employer signature is not required if MissionSquare has already been notified of your separation or if you qualify under one of the “still employed” boxes in Section 3.
Coordinate with HR early. Finishing the rest of the form and then discovering your old employer needs two weeks to turn around a signature is a frustrating way to lose time.
Direct Rollover or Indirect Rollover
A direct rollover sends your money straight from MissionSquare to the receiving plan or IRA, trustee to trustee. No taxes are withheld, and the money never passes through your hands. This is the simplest option and the one the form is designed around. The check is made payable to the receiving institution for the benefit of (FBO) you, which keeps the transaction from being treated as a taxable distribution.
An indirect rollover, sometimes called a 60-day rollover, deposits the distribution into your personal bank account first. When a retirement plan pays you directly, it must withhold 20 percent for federal income taxes, even if you intend to complete the rollover. You then have 60 calendar days to deposit the full original distribution amount, including replacing the withheld 20 percent out of pocket, into an eligible retirement plan. Miss the deadline and the IRS treats the entire distribution as taxable income, with a potential 10 percent early withdrawal penalty if you are under age 59½.
A Warning Before Consolidating a Governmental 457(b)
Governmental 457(b) plans carry an unusual advantage: distributions are not subject to the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty regardless of your age, as long as the money stays within the 457(b) system. Leave your government job at 45 and you can take distributions without the penalty that would hit a 401(k) or IRA withdrawal at the same age. That exemption disappears the moment those funds are rolled into a 401(k), 403(b), or IRA, where the receiving account’s penalty rules take over.
If there is any chance you will need the money before 59½, keeping it in a 457(b), or rolling it only into another governmental 457(b), preserves the penalty-free access.
Submitting the Completed Form
You have two submission options:
- Mail: MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320.
- Fax: (844) 677-3297.
MissionSquare’s published addresses do not include a separate physical street address for overnight or express delivery; only the P.O. Box and fax number appear on the form and the contact page. If speed matters, faxing is the faster route. Some participants have reported using the document upload feature inside the Account Access portal, but MissionSquare’s public-facing pages do not specifically describe that option for rollover forms. Call MissionSquare if you want to confirm whether online submission is available for your plan.
What Happens After You Submit
MissionSquare does not publish a guaranteed processing window for rollovers. Plan on at least one to two weeks for a clean request, and longer if employer authorization is pending or the form has errors. You can check status by logging into the Account Access portal.
Once the transfer is complete, MissionSquare sends a confirmation notice showing that the assets were distributed and where they went. Keep it with your tax records. If you took an indirect rollover, you will also receive a 1099-R at the start of the following year showing the distribution and the taxes withheld. Verify those amounts against your records before you file; discrepancies are easier to clear up before a return goes in than after.
Mistakes That Hold Up Processing
A short list of errors accounts for most of the delays:
- Missing employer signature. If this is your first post-separation distribution and your employer has not already notified MissionSquare that you left, the form stalls without the Section 7 signature.
- Wrong plan number. The form asks for the employer plan number, which appears on your MissionSquare statements, not a personal account number.
- Incorrect payee details on a direct rollover. The check must be payable to the receiving institution FBO you, with the recipient account information complete and accurate.
- Leaving Section 5 blank when Roth assets exist. If your account holds both Roth and pre-tax money, specify a destination for each type.
- Using an outdated form. MissionSquare updates its forms periodically. A copy from an old filing cabinet may be rejected in favor of the current version from the website.