Whether or not your Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) distributions are tax free or not depends on what and when you withdraw. According to the Internal Revenue Service, withdrawals of your money from a Roth IRA are tax free at any time once you meet the following qualifications:

--        The withdrawal was made after the 5-year period beginning with the first taxable year for which a contribution was made to a Roth IRA set up for your benefit, and:

--        The payment or distribution is:

-       Made on or after the date you reach age 59½,

-       Made because you are disabled,

-       Made to a beneficiary or to your estate after your death, or

-       Used to pay up to $10,000 of a first time home purchase

If your withdrawal does not meet the criteria, it may still be tax free if the amount is part of your original contribution to the Roth IRA. Unlike other IRAs, the money that serves as the principal for the Roth IRA is always tax free because it is not tax deductible. If you withdraw money that came from a conversion to a Roth IRA from another IRA, the money is both tax free and penalty free provided your withdrawal occurs five years after the conversion. However, any earnings from the Roth IRA must meet the criteria listed above in order to qualify as a tax free distribution.

A 10 percent penalty is imposed for early withdrawal of any conversions from a Roth IRA made within five taxable years from your first conversion and before you reach the age of 59½, or for early withdrawal from earnings of the Roth IRA at any time until you meet the criteria set forth above. The penalty is waived for the following exceptions:

--        Death

--        Disability

--        Equal periodic payment withdrawals over the owner's life expectancy

--        Medical expenses greater than 7.5% of adjusted gross income

--        Health insurance premiums for an unemployed person

--        Qualified higher-education expenses

--        First-time home purchase