If the debtor departs their work, any remaining balance towards his 401(k) mortgage, L
bal, typically converts to a balloon payment. If he leaves his job and does not repay Lbal within 6090 days, the loan is considered to be in default. It must then be reported to the IRS as a taxable distribution from the plan at that time, producing a tax liability of Lbal(?+.1). Specifically, the 10 percent penalty is imposed on the amount borrowed if it is not returned to the account and if the participant is under age 59?. Workers age 60+ are not subject to the additional penalty. It is worth noting that ??0 for many low- and middle-income households today due to a variety of tax credits, so the expected cost of default may be simply 0.1*Lbal for those younger than age 59?. 11
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