That was a dum question that I ask.

I did some research on my own thru other sources and got the answer that I needed so disregard my earlier post.

How about posting the answer for the next person that wants to know?

They let you take the withdrawal due to hardship, but the tax and penalty you pay (assuming its an early withdrawal) creates another hardship.  Terribly expensive place to get money from.

For reference:

401(k) or "qualified employer" plans have different rules than IRA (individual and self-employed) accounts.

The plan and plan administrator control whether hardship withdrawals and loans are allowed.

401(k) also has a "55 year old" provision. And Roth 401(k) has RMD requirements.

The plan provisions don't control the IRS. The IRS still only accepts specific provisions for elimination of penalties.

I like this table for reference:

https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-tax-on-early-distri...