- 1). Contact your new plan administrator. Ask him whether the plan allows you to roll assets into the plan from other administrators. Also, ask whether there is a stock purchase plan as part of the 401(k) plan since not all companies have one. If your employer allows rollovers and has an employee stock purchase plan, there is no time limit as to when the funds need to be rolled over; as long as you have a 401(k) account with the new company, you can roll other assets over at any time.
- 2). Call your former employer's plan administrator and request rollover paperwork.
- 3). Fill out all paperwork completely. Include copies of statements from your previous 401(k) account and the new 401(k) plan administrator's information, which should include the name of the administration firm, the new account number and employer name. Sign the forms and submit. Note that some plans will conduct a trustee-to-trustee transfer where others will liquidate the assets and send a check to you payable to the new plan administrator as a custodian for your assets.
- 4). Deposit the rollover check within 60 days of receiving it to satisfy IRS rollover requirements.
- 5). Call your new 401(k) plan administrator and place an order to purchase the company stock with the assets. Write down any confirmation number you are given for the order and check your next statement for accuracy. There is no time limit to when you need to invest the money. Funds generally sit in a money market fund until you decide to invest.
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