Withdrawing an IRA fund early generally requires paying penalties, as well as taxes on the money in the account and any growth that has occurred. Once a person has reaches 59 and a half years of age, there are no penalties for withdrawing IRA funds. Find out about hardships that might allow a person to withdraw an IRA early with information from aninvestment portfolio manager in this free video on retirement funds. Expert: Gregory Bramwell-Smith Bio: Gregory Bramwell-Smith is the relationship and portfolio manager at Bramwell-Smith Associates. Filmmaker: David Pakman