It really depends on the rules of that specific 401(k). In my experience, most 401(k)s allow you to move your (vested) money out of the plan once youu2019ve parted ways with the employer, regardless of your age or how close you are to retirement. (u201cVestedu201d money means money youu2019re allowed to take with you. Any money you contribute yourself is vested from the beginning, but matching contributions from your employer might follow a vesting schedule, whereby a certain percent becomes vested your first year, another percent the next year, etc. Itu2019s a way of incentivizing you to stick around for a while u2023 at least until your matching contributions are fully vested. By the way, any growth off of vested money in your account is also considered vested money.) Some 401(k) plans will also let you move money out once youu2019ve turned 59 1/2, if youu2019re still working there at that point. To find out the exact conditions under which your plan will allow you to permanently remove money from the plan, consult your 401(k)u2019s summary plan description, which you can get from your HR Dept.A word of caution: thereu2019s a window of time during which, if you leave an employer with whom you have a 401(k), it might actually be disadvantageous for you to roll money from there over to an IRA. That window opens on January 1 of the year you turn 55, and closes on the day you turn 59 1/2. If you separate from an employer with a 401(k) plan during this time frame, then (assuming the plan grants you full access to your vested money) youu2019re free to cash money out of the plan without having to pay the 10% early withdrawal penalty that normally applies when you cash money out of a 401(k) or IRA before youu2019re 59 1/2. (Any portion of the money you withdraw that hasnu2019t been taxed already will count as taxable income that year u2023 even if itu2019s from a Roth account inside your 401(k). This is because one of the conditions for withdrawing profits tax-free from a Roth IRA or a Roth account inside a retirement plan is that you be at least 59 1/2.) But this exemption to the 10% penalty doesnu2019t apply to money in an IRA, so any money you roll from your 401(k) into an IRA will once again be subject to the 10% penalty till you turn 59 1/2. So, depending on your circumstances, it may make sense not to roll the entirety of your 401(k) into an IRA.