401 K medical debt proof

Hi,

I'm trying to request a 401k hardship withdrawl which states I can use medical bills from the last 3 months. However, I need to know what counts as proof of medical expenses.  I have a medical bill from end of 2023 (which would not be within the required 3months) that has now gone to collections. I have a collections bill that shows May of 2024. Which would be within the 3 months. 

I'm trying to find out if I need to have the actual hospital bill to be approved for the 401 k hardship withdrawl or Will the medical debt collections bill suffice?

Each plan can set its own rules about what is or is not acceptable documentation for a hardship withdrawal.  I suggest that you direct your question to your plan's Plan Administrator.  The contact information for the Plan Administrator should be in your Summary Plan Description (SPD).  If you don't have or cannot easily find your SPD, you may start with asking your Human Resources or Benefits Departments.  If the plan has a web site, the contact information (and a copy of the SPD) may be readily available.

Some plans do not require formal documentation and allow a participant to self-certify the need for a hardship.  These are relatively new rules which some companies have decided to use, but the plan documents and the SPD have not yet been updated to communicate this change.  When you reach a contact, you may want to ask if the plan now permits self-certification.  It is worth asking to save time having to jump through hoops trying to gather paperwork.