Sounds like you’re looking to take a hardship from a former employer’s 401k,no? If this is the case, you can’t since you’ve severed service. You must “roll” these assets into your own IRA and take the cash out as a distribution which MAY be tax exempt based on hardship: medical, disability, etc. It will, regardless, count as income for the tax year.
If you’re under 591/2 you’ll also be penalized 10% of the amount for premature w/d from a qualified plan.
“a distribution which MAY be tax exempt based on hardship”
No, it MAY be PENALTY-exempt. In other words, if it’s a qualifying hardship, you won’t have to pay the 10% early withdrawal penalty. You’d still have to pay income taxes.
The IRS will get their money.