What are the consequences if a taxpayer takes a distribution from a retirement plan either too early

Question:

What are the consequences if a taxpayer takes a from a retirement plan either too early or too late? Describe the rules for determining if a is too early or too late.
Distribution
The word "distribution" has several meanings in the financial world, most of them pertaining to the payment of assets from a fund, account, or individual security to an investor or beneficiary. Retirement account distributions are among the most...