Withdrawal from 401K

I work for a US corporation. If I leave the company in January, do not take up a job for the rest of the year and decide to cash out the monies in 401K will I be taxed for the amount upfront or will it just be added to the annual income for 2002 filing? I understand that there will be the penalty for early withdrawal(10%). If the 401K amount gets added to the annual income, I might not pay much tax since the annual income becomes just the 401K amount + January salary.

[ShyCat]

The 401(k) administrator will withhold 20% of your withdrawal for Federal income tax. When you file your 2002 tax return, the entire withdrawal amount will taxable income. The 10% penalty will be added to your total tax liability. Subtract the withheld amount (same as payroll withholding) and you either owe or receive a refund.

Thank you, Shycat