By Dr. Jim Dahle, WCI Founder
Setting up a Backdoor Roth can be confusing, so I thought I’d put together a tutorial on the Backdoor Roth IRA steps people can refer to when they go through this process. Let's get started.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Backdoor Roth IRA?
- Who Should Do a Backdoor Roth IRA?tra
- When to Do a Backdoor Roth IRA?
- Backdoor Roth IRA Pros and Cons
- Backdoor Roth IRA Tax Implications
- Backdoor Roth IRA Steps
- How to Fix and Prevent Backdoor Roth IRA Mistakes
- Backdoor Roth IRA FAQs
What Is a Backdoor Roth IRA?
Despite its name, a Backdoor Roth IRA is not an account, it is a process with two steps:
- Contribute to a Traditional IRA.
- Complete a Roth conversion.
If you understand the rules of both of these steps, putting them together is no problem.
Who Should Do a Backdoor Roth IRA
Remember that if you are a low earner you can just contribute DIRECTLY to a Roth IRA and skip this Backdoor Roth IRA process.
Roth IRA Limits and Conversion Rules
Low earner is defined as a Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) under a phaseout range in 2023 of $138,000-$153,000 ($218,000-$228,000 Married Filing Jointly). Some docs like residents, employee dentists, part-timers, and even some medical attendings in the lower-paying specialties who are married to a non-earner can just contribute to a Roth IRA directly.
Anyone who earns at least $6,500 ($7,500 if 50+) can contribute $6,500 ($7,500 if 50+) to an IRA [2023]. If your income is below a MAGI of $138,000-$153,000 ($218,000-$228,000 Married Filing Jointly), you can contribute directly to a Roth IRA. If you have a retirement plan offered to you at work and your MAGI is below $73,000-$83,000 ($116,000-$136,000 Married Filing Jointly) you can deduct your traditional IRA contributions. Since most readers of this blog have a retirement plan through their job and have (or soon will have) a MAGI over $228,000, they will find that they can neither make direct Roth IRA contributions NOR deduct their traditional IRA contributions. Thus, their best IRA option is the Backdoor Roth IRA process, i.e., an indirect Roth IRA contribution.
Spousal IRAs
Married physicians should be using a personal and spousal Roth IRA, and will usually need to fund both indirectly (i.e., through the back door). Not only does this provide an additional $6,500 each ($7,500 for each spouse that is 50+) of tax-protected and (in most states) asset-protected space per tax year, but it allows for more tax diversification in retirement. Tax diversification allows you to determine your own tax rate as a retiree by deciding how much to take from tax-deferred (traditional) accounts and how much from tax-free (Roth) accounts. Remember that IRA stands for INDIVIDUAL Retirement Arrangement. So even if the pro-rata rule (discussed below) keeps you from doing the Backdoor Roth IRA, it doesn't necessarily keep your spouse from doing so. Each spouse reports their Backdoor Roth IRA on their own separate 8606, so the tax return for a married couple doing Backdoor Roth IRAs should always include two form 8606s.
Married Filing Separately
The contribution and deduction income limits are particularly low if you are filing your taxes Married Filing Separately (MFS). Both the ability to contribute directly to a Roth IRA and the ability to deduct a traditional IRA contribution if you (or your spouse) are eligible for a retirement plan at work phase out between $0 and $10,000. Basically, the best option for anyone filing their taxes MFS is the Backdoor Roth IRA process, i.e., an indirect Roth IRA contribution.
There is an exception to these rules if you do not actually live with your spouse. In that case, your ability to contribute directly to a Roth IRA phases out between a MAGI of $138,000-$153,000 in 2023. If you live separately and are not covered by a retirement plan at work, you can deduct a traditional IRA contribution no matter your income. You can still do a Backdoor Roth IRA process in these situations where your IRA contribution is either partially or completely deductible. The tax bill will be precisely the same, $0 when done properly. However, instead of having no tax cost for either the contribution or the conversion, your deduction on the contribution will precisely equal the tax cost on the conversion, resulting in that same $0 tax bill for the entire process.
Mega Backdoor Roth IRA
A Mega Backdoor Roth IRA is completely different from a regular Backdoor Roth IRA. Despite its name, you actually do a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA with a 401(k), not an IRA. It requires a 401(k) that both accepts after-tax (not Roth) employee contributions and allows for either in-service withdrawals (and thus conversions to a Roth IRA) or, more commonly, in-plan conversions. Using the Mega Backdoor Roth IRA process, one might be able to put as much as $66,000 ($73,500 if 50+) [2023] per year into a Roth 401(k) (or possibly a Roth IRA in addition to your usual $6,500-$7,500 contribution). However, this process has nothing to do with the Backdoor Roth IRA process we are discussing in this post.
When to Do a Backdoor Roth IRA?
Lots of people wonder about the timing of a Backdoor Roth IRA.
IRA Contribution Deadline
There is really only one deadline to meet with the Backdoor Roth IRA process. IRA contributions for a given tax year must take place between January 1st of the tax year and April 15th (even if you file an extension) of the following year.
Backdoor Roth IRA Conversion Deadline
The conversion step may take place at any time. It can take place the next day or even the same day as the contribution. I don't recommend it, but you can wait months, years, or even decades between the contribution and the conversion step. There is no deadline on Roth conversions. If you need to perform a rollover or conversion of a traditional, rollover, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA in order to avoid the pro-rata rule, you have until December 31st of the year you do the conversion step.
When Should You Contribute and Convert?
You should do both steps as soon as possible. Many white coat investors do the IRA contribution step and the Roth conversion step the first week of January each year. This maximizes the amount of tax-free compounding that can occur on those dollars. Minimizing the time between contribution and conversion and doing both steps within the calendar year is not required, but certainly simplifies the paperwork.
Want to really make your paperwork complicated? Contribute to your IRA each month and convert it each month. Then you have 12 contributions and 12 conversions to keep track of each year. Seriously though, if you make enough money that you have to contribute to your Roth IRA(s) through the Backdoor Roth IRA process, you make enough to do it in one fell swoop each year.
Can I Do a Backdoor Roth IRA Every Year?
Yes. My wife and I have done one every year since 2010 and do not plan to stop until we no longer have any earned income. It is just one of the investment chores we perform once a year.
5-Year Rule
One factor that may push you to do a Backdoor Roth IRA earlier is the 5-year rule. Now there are at least three 5-year rules related to IRAs, but the main one to pay attention to here is the 5-year rule after a Roth conversion. This rule determines whether the withdrawal of principal from the account prior to age 59 1/2 will be penalty-free. The 5-year period starts on January 1st of the year you do the conversion, so it could be a little less than 5 years. Roth IRA principal generally comes out tax and penalty-free (it is only the earnings that may be subject to penalties), but that is only the case after the 5-year rule has been fulfilled.
In essence, if you do a conversion of a Roth IRA at age 51, you can then withdraw the principal tax and penalty-free starting at age 56 rather than age 59 1/2. This can provide funding for living expenses to early retirees. If you do a Roth conversion at age 57, you still get access to that principal (and earnings) tax and penalty-free at age 59 1/2. So it's 5 years or age 59 1/2, whichever comes first.
There is also a completely separate 5-year rule on IRA contributions, but this starts from the time you make your very first IRA contribution, not every contribution, so it should not apply to most early retirees.
Backdoor Roth IRA Pros and Cons
There are a lot of great things about the Backdoor Roth IRA, but it isn't all peaches and cream.
Pros of Backdoor Roth IRA
The main benefit of a Backdoor Roth IRA is that it provides you another retirement account. Via the Backdoor Roth IRA process, you can continue to contribute to a Roth IRA even after your earnings rise above the income limit for direct Roth IRA contributions. Retirement accounts eliminate the tax drag that applies in a taxable, or non-qualified account, reducing your taxes and allowing your investment to grow at a higher rate so you can reach your goals sooner.
How much can that tax protection be worth compared to a taxable account? It depends on the return of the underlying investment, its tax efficiency, and the amount of time the money is left in the account. At my marginal tax rate, $10,000 earning 8% in a tax-inefficient investment over 50 years would grow to $469,000 in a Roth IRA but only $88,000 in a taxable account. More realistically, over 30 years the use of a Roth IRA versus a taxable account for a tax-efficient investment would still result in 29% more money.
Retirement accounts ensure simple estate planning. By using beneficiaries, that money does not go through the probate process, so your heirs get it sooner with less hassle, more privacy, and no cost. They can even stretch the tax-protected growth benefit for another decade after they inherit the account. Retirement accounts like a Roth IRA also provide substantial asset protection in most states, meaning that in the admittedly very rare event of a dramatically above policy limits judgment that isn't reduced on appeal, you can declare bankruptcy and still keep what is in your retirement accounts. Roth money is tax-free forever, so by continuing to contribute each year you can increase tax diversification in retirement.
Cons of Backdoor Roth IRA
Roth IRAs, even when you contribute via the Backdoor Roth IRA process, are still retirement accounts with all of their downsides. Retirement accounts limit the investments you can put in them and prohibit the use of margin investing. If you withdraw Roth IRA earnings prior to age 59 1/2 without an approved exception, you will owe a 10% penalty.
Due to the pro-rata rule (see below), the Backdoor Roth IRA process requires you to either convert or rollover into a 401(k) any traditional IRAs, SEP-IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs you may have. If you have self-employment income, you will need to use an individual (solo) 401(k) instead of a SEP-IRA to shelter that income from taxes. Doing Backdoor Roth IRAs each year also adds one form (IRS Form 8606) per spouse to your tax return. If preparing your own taxes using tax software, it can be tricky to ensure the software reports the process correctly. If you do a Backdoor Roth IRA instead of (rather than in addition to) maxing out your tax-deferred accounts during your peak earnings years, that can also be a mistake that results in the accumulation of less money.
Perhaps most significantly, there are now two steps to getting money into your Roth IRA each year instead of just one. While I think the process is pretty darn simple, I am continually amazed at all of the unique ways that doctors manage to screw it up. Later in the article, I'll show you how to fix all of those screw-ups.
Is a Backdoor Roth IRA Worth It?
Yes! Most of the time. It really is just a little bit of hassle to do each year, although there may be some additional hassle the first year if you need to take care of another IRA first to avoid the pro-rata rule. There may be times when someone has a large traditional IRA they cannot afford to convert to a Roth IRA and cannot roll over into a 401(k) because they don't have a 401(k) at all, their 401(k) charges high fees, or because the IRA assets are invested in something they cannot invest in within a 401(k). If your employer-provided retirement account is a SIMPLE IRA or a SEP-IRA, the Backdoor Roth IRA process is also probably not worth it. Finally, some multi-millionaires don't want to bother with even the minor hassle of the Backdoor Roth IRA process because getting an extra $6K-$14K a year into Roth accounts just isn't going to move the needle for them.
Backdoor Roth IRA Tax Implications
Roth IRAs are all about avoiding taxation on earnings, so naturally, there are lots of tax implications of this process.
Pro-Rata Rule
The most important tax implication to be aware of is the pro-rata rule. I would estimate that 90%+ of Backdoor Roth IRA screw-ups involve the investor having his or her conversion pro-rated. When you report a Roth IRA conversion on IRS Form 8606 (see below) there is a pro-rata calculation made. The numerator is the amount converted. The denominator is the total of ALL traditional, rollover, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs, but not 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457(b)s, Roth IRAs, or inherited IRAs. Therefore it is critical that you DO SOMETHING with any IRA balance you have PRIOR to December 31st of the year in which you do a Roth conversion of after-tax money. Later in this article, I'll describe the exact options you have of what to do with this money.
Tax on Backdoor Roth IRA Conversion
Done properly, there is NO tax on a Backdoor Roth IRA conversion. Zero. Nada. Zilch. While the money you put into a Roth IRA (indirectly via the Backdoor in this case) was taxed when you earned it, it is NOT taxed when you contribute it directly to a Roth IRA or when you contribute it as a non-deductible IRA conversion nor when you subsequently convert that money to a Roth IRA. In fact, it is never taxed again.
Do I Need to Worry About the Step Transaction Doctrine?
There used to be a concern that the IRS would have a problem with the backdoor Roth due to an IRS rule called The Step Transaction Doctrine. This rule basically says that if the sum of a bunch of legal steps is illegal, then you can’t do it. Some wondered if this backdoor conversion from traditional IRA to Roth was a legal transaction considering this doctrine. Those concerns, valid or not, are no longer an issue. The IRS clarified in early 2018 that no waiting period is required between the contribution and conversion steps of the Backdoor Roth IRA and essentially has given its blessing on the whole process. Waiting just makes things more complicated on the 8606, as discussed in Pennies and the Backdoor Roth IRA.
How to Report a Backdoor Roth IRA on Turbotax
Reporting the Backdoor Roth IRA properly on Turbotax is unfortunately even more complicated than filling out Form 8606 by hand. The key to doing it right is to recognize that you report the conversion step in the Income section but you report the contribution step in the Deductions and Credits section. Since you generally do the income section first, you report the conversion before you report the contribution, even though you actually did the contribution before the conversion. At the end, you want to look at the Form(s) 8606 that Turbotax generates, just like you would check up on one filled out by an accountant.
More information here:
How to Report a Backdoor Roth IRA on TurboTax
Backdoor Roth IRA Steps, Tutorials, and Walkthroughs
In this section, we'll explain exactly how to do the Backdoor Roth IRA process and how to report it on your tax return, whether you file on paper or using tax software. You can easily walk through these Backdoor Roth IRA steps at Vanguard, complete a Backdoor Roth at Fidelity, or knock out a Backdoor Roth IRA at Schwab, three of the most popular brokerage/mutual fund companies.
How to Perform and Report on Paper the Backdoor Roth IRA Process
While it is really just a two-step process, it is best to think of it as a five-step process. These steps don't all have to be done in order (it might be easier to do Step 3 before Step 1), but they will all need to be done.
Step 1 – Contribute to a Traditional IRA
Make a $6,500 ($7,500 if 50+) non-deductible traditional IRA contribution for yourself, and one for your spouse. You can use the same traditional IRA accounts every year—they just spend most of the time with $0 in it. Most fund companies, including Vanguard, don’t close the account just because there is nothing in it. I do this every January 2nd.
Step 2 – Leave the Money in Cash
An account like a traditional IRA is not an investment, of course, just like a suitcase isn't clothing. When putting money in a traditional IRA, you also have to tell the IRA provider what you would like to invest in. In this case, just leave the money in cash, whether a money market fund or a settlement fund. At Vanguard, the settlement fund is the Federal Money Market Fund. You really don't want to have any gains (or especially any losses) between the contribution and conversion step because it makes the paperwork more complicated. The best way to minimize the gains is to leave it in cash (and then of course to do the conversion as soon after contribution as possible to minimize the “pennies” issue).
Step 3 – Convert the Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
Next, convert the non-deductible traditional IRA to a Roth IRA by transferring the money from your traditional IRA into your Roth IRA at the same fund company. If you don’t already have a Roth IRA there, you’ll need to open one. This can be done in a minute or two online at Vanguard and is essentially the same process as opening the traditional IRA. I do this the very next day after I make the contribution. It is very straightforward. When you transfer the money, the website will throw up a scary banner saying something like “THIS IS A TAXABLE EVENT.” That’s true. It is taxable. It is just that the tax bill is zero for it since you’ve already paid taxes on the $6,500 and couldn’t claim your contribution as a deduction because you make too much money. You can do Step 3 basically immediately after Step 1. Some companies will let you do it the same day. Other companies will make you wait until the next day or even a week or so. But there is no reason to wait months to do it.
Step 4 – Invest the Money
Now you will need to select an investment for the money in your Roth IRA. If you already have an investment in there, you can simply add $6,500 to it. Otherwise, you will need to select an investment in accordance with your written investing plan. If you do not have a written investing plan yet, you can leave the money in cash or put it into a Target Retirement 2050 or other lifecycle fund until you get that part of your financial plan worked out.
Step 5 – Beware of the Pro-Rata Rule
Get rid of any SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, traditional IRA, or rollover IRA money. The total sum of these accounts on December 31st of the year in which you do the conversion step (Step 2) must be zero to avoid a “pro-rata” calculation (see line 6 on Form 8606) that can eliminate most of the benefit of a Backdoor Roth IRA.
You Can Get Rid of These IRA Accounts in Three Ways:
- Withdraw the money (not recommended, as the money would be subject to tax and/or penalties, not to mention DECREASING your tax-advantaged/asset-protected investment space).
- Convert the entire sum to a Roth IRA. Only recommended if it is a relatively small amount and you can afford to pay the taxes out of current earnings or taxable investments with relatively high basis.
- Roll the money over into a 401(k), 403(b), or Individual 401(k). 401(k)s don’t count in the aforementioned pro-rata calculation. Some physicians even open an Individual 401(k) at Fidelity, eTrade, or Vanguard (rollovers from traditional IRAs to solo 401(k)s is a recent addition to Vanguard) in order to facilitate a Backdoor Roth IRA.
Step 6 – Fill Out IRS Form 8606 Correctly
The next part of the Backdoor Roth IRA is done months later when you (or your accountant) fill out your IRS Form 8606 on your taxes. Don't forget to do it or there is a $50 penalty. Remember that you need one form for each spouse. INDIVIDUAL Retirement Arrangements. You need to double-check this to make sure it is done right, even if you hire a pro to avoid screwing this part up. Advisors have told me that they have had to help clients fix dozens of these that tax preparers have done improperly. If you don't do it right, you'll pay taxes twice on your Backdoor Roth IRA contribution.
Page 1 (below) shows a “distribution” from your non-deductible IRA. Since the money was already taxed, the taxable amount on your distribution is zero. Line 1 is your non-deductible contribution. On Line 2, your basis is zero because you had no money in a traditional IRA on December 31 of last year (if you've been carrying a non-deductible IRA for years this may not be zero). Line 6 is zero in a typical year. Note that Turbotax may fill this out a little differently (may leave lines 6-12 blank) but you end up with the same thing. Line 13 is the same as line 3, so tax due is zero.
On page 2 (below), you are showing the Roth conversion. I'm not really sure why you have to do this twice (since you're just transferring the amounts from lines 8 and 11 and then subtracting them), but that's what the form calls for. As you can see, a Roth conversion of a non-deductible traditional IRA contribution without any gains is a taxable event, it's just that the tax bill is zero for it.
When double-checking your tax preparer's work, you want to concentrate on lines 2, 14, 15c, and 18, and make sure they're a very small amount, like zero, and not a very large amount, like $6,500. The form can get more complicated if you are doing other Roth conversions at the same time or if you made a contribution for the previous year (i.e., made your 2022 contribution in 2023). See below for more details.
Notice how there is no place on the form to put the date when you made the contribution or the date when you made the conversion. It isn't on the form your IRA custodian sends to the IRS (1099-R) either.
Do It All Again Next Year
You do not have to wait any period of time between the contribution and conversion. Each year, I make my Traditional IRA contribution on January 2, then convert to a Roth IRA the next day or within a few days. That gets my investment money working as soon as possible and simplifies the record keeping. Vanguard won’t let you do it the same day (sometimes other providers will), so I have to wait one day anyway. Occasionally they'll make you wait up to a week. If you find you have a few pennies left in the account and are worried you'll get pro-rated, take a look at this post: Pennies and the Backdoor Roth IRA.
More information here:
How to Do a Backdoor Roth IRA with Vanguard
How to Do a Backdoor Roth IRA at Fidelity
How to Fix and Prevent Backdoor Roth IRA Mistakes
In this section, we're going to talk about how to fix and prevent common mistakes in the Backdoor Roth IRA process. In order to better organize these mistakes, we will break down the process into the six very clear steps used above and then will explain possible errors with each step and what to do about them.
6 Steps to Successfully Contribute to a Backdoor Roth IRA
- Step 1 – Contribute to traditional IRA ($6.5K, $7.5K if 50+ for 2021).
- Step 2 – Invest the money in a money market fund.
- Step 3 – Move money from traditional IRA to Roth IRA (i.e., a Roth conversion).
- Step 4 – Invest in your preferred investment (typically a stock, bond, or balanced index mutual fund).
- Step 5 – Ensure you have no money in a traditional IRA, SEP-IRA, or SIMPLE IRA on December 31st of the year you do the CONVERSION step.
- Step 6 – Report the transactions correctly on your taxes by filling out Form 8606.
Seriously. That's it. If you can do a cholecystectomy, you can do this. If you can work up a pulmonary embolus appropriately, you can do this. If you can manage hypertension well, you can do this. If you can fill a cavity, you can do this. Super easy.
However, people still manage to screw up on EACH of those six steps. Let's go through the mistakes people make, step by step.
How to FIX Backdoor Roth IRA Mistakes
Step 1 Error – Contributing Directly to a Roth IRA
An error that commonly occurs with a first Backdoor Roth IRA is that people simply don't realize that their income is too high to do a direct Roth IRA contribution. So instead of doing it indirectly (i.e., going through the Backdoor), which is no big deal even if you're under the limit, they contribute directly to a Roth IRA. Then they realize their Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is over $138,000-$153,000 ($218,000-$228,000 Married Filing Jointly) for 2023. Now what?
Enter the Recharacterization
If you have made this error, now you have to recharacterize the Roth IRA contribution to a traditional IRA contribution. This basically makes it as though you never contributed to a Roth IRA but contributed to a traditional IRA instead. You usually have to call your IRA provider to get this done, but it's no big deal. In this section, I'll walk you through the details of how to do it.
You have until the due date of your tax return to do this (including extensions). So if you did an IRA contribution in January of 2021 for the 2021 tax year, you have until October 15, 2022 to do a recharacterization. There's no penalty or anything to do it. You can do the opposite as well if you contributed to a traditional IRA but meant to contribute directly to a Roth IRA.
Bear in mind that starting in 2018, you can no longer do recharacterizations of Roth CONVERSIONS (not contributions). This eliminated the “Roth IRA Conversion Horserace” technique for tax reduction.
Until recently, I had thought there was a waiting period after a recharacterization to then reconvert the money to a Roth IRA. However, that rule was only for recharacterizations of conversions, not contributions. There has never been a waiting period for a recharacterization.
Any gains that occur before the final conversion are, of course, fully taxable at your ordinary income tax rate in the year of the final conversion.
The Income Limit
The first thing to determine is whether this post even applies to you. If your income is below a certain amount, you can just contribute directly to a Roth IRA. That amount depends on several things. First, it is a MODIFIED Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). That number is very similar to your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Remember how tax form 1040 works.
The first income line you come to is line 7b, your “Total Income.” When people think about income, this is generally what they think of. The third income line on the form is line 11b. This is your “Taxable Income.” This is what your tax bill is actually calculated from. It is basically your total income minus all of your deductions. In between those two, on line 8b, is another income, your “Adjusted Gross Income.” This is “the line” that people are talking about when they use the phrases “above-the-line deduction” and “below-the-line deduction.” If it comes out before your AGI is calculated, it is an above-the-line deduction. These are deductions such as self-employment tax, self-employed retirement plans, self-employed health insurance premiums, HSA contributions, student loan interest, alimony, tuition, and any IRA deductions. If it comes out after your AGI is calculated, it is a below-the-line deduction. These are EITHER your standard deduction OR your itemized deductions, like mortgage interest, state/local/property taxes, and charitable contributions. A MAGI is just a slight tweak to your AGI.
Below are the MAGI limits for direct Roth IRA contributions [2021]. If your MAGI is below the first number, you can just contribute to a Roth IRA directly. If your MAGI is over the second number, you cannot contribute at all. If your MAGI is between the two numbers, you can make a partial direct contribution (most shouldn't bother with this, just do it all through the Back Door).
- Married Filing Separately (and lived with spouse for at least part of year): $0-$10,000
- Married Filing Jointly: $218,000-$228,000
- Single or Head of Household: $138,000-$153,000
If you think you'll be anywhere close to that first number, do yourself a favor and just do your Roth IRA contribution indirectly, i.e., through the Back Door (contribute to a traditional IRA and then convert that contribution to a Roth IRA). Since 2010, there has been no income limit on Roth conversions and there has never been an income limit on traditional IRA contributions, just your ability to deduct them.
So how does a MAGI differ from an AGI? It's a very slight difference. Bear in mind that there are other MAGIs out there. We're only talking about the one that affects Roth IRA contributions here. But to get your MAGI, you simply take your AGI, you subtract some income from it and you add back in some other income to it. The worksheet showing you how to do this is Worksheet 2-1 in Publication 590.
Basically, you subtract income from a Roth conversion and you add income from IRA deductions (not sure why you'd have this), student loan interest (if you are using this worksheet, you probably don't have this), tuition deduction (you probably don't have this), a couple of rare deductions for foreign income/deductions (you probably don't have these), some savings bond interest you probably don't have much of, and some employer-provided adoption benefits. As you can see, for most people your MAGI = your AGI since all of these deductions are pretty rare for the folks worried about this limit for direct Roth IRA contributions. So focus on your AGI. That means if you contributed directly to a Roth IRA but late in the year realized you probably should not have, one easy fix is to get your AGI below that limit by contributing to an HSA or a self-employed retirement plan like an individual 401(k) or SEP-IRA. Note that giving a bunch of money to charity is NOT a solution to this problem because that is a below-the-line deduction.
How to Do an IRA Recharacterization
If you can't get your MAGI low enough, you will have to do an IRA Recharacterization. With a recharacterization, as far as the IRS is concerned it is as though you never made the Roth IRA contribution at all, but made a traditional IRA contribution instead. You don't report a recharacterization separately, you just report a traditional IRA contribution. Keep in mind as you read on the internet about recharacterizations that there used to be two types of them—a recharacterization of a Roth IRA CONTRIBUTION and a recharacterization of a Roth IRA CONVERSION. The second type was outlawed in 2018, but the first one, the one we're talking about today, is still perfectly legal. If you decide you want to undo a Roth conversion these days, you're simply out of luck. Here is how you do a recharacterization of a Roth IRA contribution:
- You tell Vanguard (or wherever your IRAs are) to recharacterize the Roth IRA contribution to a Traditional IRA contribution.
Yup. That's it. They take care of the rest. I mean, you can read all about all of the rules in Publication 590 Chapter 1 if you want, but that's basically what they say. Don't believe me? Fine. Here are the IRS instructions:
How Do You Recharacterize a Contribution?
To recharacterize a contribution, you must notify both the trustee of the first IRA (the one to which the contribution was actually made) and the trustee of the second IRA (the one to which the contribution is being moved) that you have elected to treat the contribution as having been made to the second IRA rather than the first. You must make the notifications by the date of the transfer. Only one notification is required if both IRAs are maintained by the same trustee. The notification(s) must include all of the following information:
- The type and amount of the contribution to the first IRA that is to be recharacterized.
- The date on which the contribution was made to the first IRA and the year for which it was made.
- A direction to the trustee of the first IRA to transfer in a trustee-to-trustee transfer the amount of the contribution and any net income (or loss) allocable to the contribution to the trustee of the second IRA.
- The name of the trustee of the first IRA and the name of the trustee of the second IRA.
- Any additional information needed to make the transfer.
In most cases, the net income you must transfer is determined by your IRA trustee or custodian.
See what I mean? It's just a phone call. Any earnings that the account had in between the contribution and the recharacterization just go over with the contribution. No big deal.
You have until your tax filing date to do this. Most of the time, that's April 15th of the next year. However, the IRS is even more lenient than that. You actually can do this for an extra six months after your tax filing date, but you will have to refile your return.
Where Do You Report a Recharacterization?
If you hire somebody else to prepare your taxes, you can skip this section. If you do it yourself, you'll need to make sure you report this correctly. According to Pub 590, you report it on our old friend Form 8606.
Pub 590 says this:
Actually, that's really misleading. If you read Form 8606, you will see that the only time it ever mentions a recharacterization is to tell you NOT to put it on the form.
So what is Pub 590 talking about? They're talking about this section in the 8606 instructions:
Reporting recharacterizations.
Treat any recharacterized IRA contribution as though the amount of the contribution was originally contributed to the second IRA, not the first IRA. For the recharacterization, you must transfer the amount of the original contribution plus any related earnings or less any related loss. In most cases, your IRA trustee or custodian figures the amount of the related earnings you must transfer. If you need to figure the related earnings, see How Do You Recharacterize a Contribution? in chapter 1 of Pub. 590-A. Treat any earnings or loss that occurred in the first IRA as having occurred in the second IRA. You can’t deduct any loss that occurred while the funds were in the first IRA. . .Report the nondeductible traditional IRA portion of the recharacterized contribution, if any, on Form 8606, Part I. Don’t report the Roth IRA contribution (whether or not you recharacterized all or part of it) on Form 8606. Attach a statement to your return explaining the recharacterization. If the recharacterization occurred in 2019, include the amount transferred from the Roth IRA on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 4a; or Form 1040-NR, line 16a. If the recharacterization occurred in 2020, report the amount transferred only in the attached statement, and not on your 2019 or 2020 tax return.
The bottom line is that you just report this recharacterized contribution on Form 8606 as if it were the regular old non-deductible traditional IRA contribution that you should have made in the first place. You also need to include a statement. What should your statement look like? I would write something like this:
To whom it may concern:
I made a 2021 Roth IRA contribution of $6,000 on March 13th, 2021, because I didn't know about the whole MAGI limit thing when I made the contribution. After becoming smarter, I recharacterized $6,137.14 (original contribution plus earnings) to a traditional IRA on November 4th, 2021, Thank you for helping our country fund its government. You're the best.
Hugs and kisses from your favorite taxpayer,
James Dahle
Seriously. It doesn't say what has to be on the statement, just that there is one “explaining the recharacterization.” You don't even have to tell them why you did the recharacterization. If you had a loss in the account between contribution and recharacterization, no big deal. It's still as though you made a $6,000 contribution to a traditional IRA and THEN it lost money. If you were able to deduct the contribution (you probably can't) you would get a $6,000 deduction. The IRA provider may also send you a Form 5498 (which has the recharacterized amount on line 4), but you don't actually do anything with it when you file your taxes. It's just an informational return.
Reconverting the IRA
Now here is where it gets interesting. You've now fixed your mistake in the eyes of the IRS, going from an illegal Roth IRA contribution to a legal traditional IRA contribution (that is probably not deductible for you). But you really aren't done with what you meant to do, which is put money into a Roth IRA. You now need to do a Roth conversion. You do it just like you normally would as if you had contributed originally to the traditional IRA. You can do it the very next day if you like. You can probably even do it the same day, just make sure there is a paper trail showing the money was actually in the traditional IRA at some point. There used to be a waiting period after a recharacterization before you could do a Roth conversion on that money, but that waiting period only ever applied to the recharacterization of a Roth CONVERSION (which is no longer allowed starting in 2018) NOT the recharacterization of a Roth CONTRIBUTION. So there is no waiting period. Just reconvert convert it and go on your merry way.
I hope this information helps you fix your mistake. Just do your Roth IRA contributions through the Back Door going forward and you won't have this problem again.
Step 2 Error – Not Investing in a Money Market Fund in the Traditional IRA
What happens if you LOSE money in between the contribution and conversion step? This problem is easily avoided by using an investment like a money market fund that does not go down in value for that time period, but some people fail to do so and end up losing money. When they work their way through their IRS Form 8606, they discover they have basis left over that they can then carry forward indefinitely for years! No big deal, it just makes your paperwork more complicated. Perhaps at some point in the future you'll do a Roth conversion of tax-deferred money and this carry forward basis will reduce the tax on that event.
What if you MADE money in the account between contribution and conversion? This actually happens most of the time, so I wrote an entire post on it called Pennies and the Backdoor Roth IRA. Technically, any money earned between the contribution and conversion step is fully taxable at ordinary income tax rates in the year of the conversion. If it is less than 50 cents, you just ignore it. More, you report it on your 8606 and pay taxes on it.
If it is still in the traditional IRA, either do another tiny Roth conversion or leave it there until you do next year's Backdoor Roth IRA process, either is fine. If you were smart and just used a money market fund and did the conversion as soon as your IRA provider allowed it (usually less than a week and sometimes as early as the next day), this won't be much money and there won't be much tax due.
Step 3 Error – Forgetting to Do the Conversion
If you forgot to do the conversion step for eight months afterward, it could be a huge gain you're paying taxes unnecessarily on. No way to fix this one, just pay your stupid tax and move on.
Step 4 Error – Forgetting to Invest the Roth IRA Money
Even worse than paying taxes on a huge gain, is not getting the gain in the first place because you left the money sitting in cash for months. No way to fix this one either. Your “stupid tax” this time comes in the form of opportunity cost. Just get the money invested ASAP to stop the cash drag. Maybe you even got lucky and the market went down in between contribution and investment so now you get to buy low.
Step 5 Error – The Pro-Rata Rule
Some of the most common questions I get are from people who make a late contribution to a Backdoor Roth IRA. What do I mean by late? Well, you are allowed to make an IRA contribution AFTER the calendar year ends. In fact, you have until tax day, usually April 15th unless you get an extension of up to six months. While it is to your advantage to contribute to retirement accounts as quickly as possible so that money can start compounding in a tax-protected way, I understand that we all have lots of good things to do with our money and sometimes this gets pushed back into the next calendar year. All it really does is complicate your paperwork a bit.
For example, if you made your 2020 IRA contribution in April 2021, instead of reporting both the contribution and the conversion on your 2020 taxes, you would report only the contribution there. The conversion would be reported on the taxes for the year you did the conversion, i.e., your 2021 tax return due in April 2022. Your 2020 IRS Form 8606 becomes a little simpler and your 2021 IRS Form 8606 becomes a little more complicated. Not a big deal if you can follow the simple instructions.
What confuses people, however, is the pro-rata rule. This is the rule that says you need to empty out your traditional IRA by December 31st of the year you do the conversion. Since these folks have never filled out a Form 8606 (or apparently read the instructions) they assume that for a 2020 contribution they need to have a balance of $0 at the end of 2020, even if they didn't do the conversion step until 2021. That's simply not the case. The pro-rata rule isn't applied until the year of the conversion, i.e., December 31st, 2021.
Emptying the IRAs
So how do you empty out those IRAs? You usually have two choices.
- Do a Roth conversion of the whole thing. This is what I generally recommend for small IRAs where the tax bill on the conversion would not be too onerous. It is quick, easy, and increases the amount of tax-free assets you have.
- Roll the money into a 401(k) or 403(b), either that of your current employer, that of a past employer, or to your own individual 401(k) if you are self-employed. This is usually a better option if you have a large IRA where you would rather deal with the hassle than pay the tax bill during your peak earnings years.
So how large is large and how small is small? Well, it's going to vary by the person and how much disposable cash they have. Most would consider an IRA under $10K to be small and an IRA over $100K to be large. In between, it's a personal decision as to which would be better for you.
What If You Didn't Empty the IRA?
So what if you screwed this one up? Well, your Backdoor Roth IRA conversion step just got pro-rata'd. There is a tax bill associated with that because most of your conversion was of tax-deferred money rather than post-tax money like it was supposed to be.
The fix for this is going to vary by the individual, but the easiest fix is to simply convert the entire IRA to a Roth IRA now, so you end up getting all your post-tax money into that Roth IRA. Another possible fix is to figure out a way to separate your basis in that IRA, roll the tax-deferred money into a 401(k), and then convert the basis left behind in the IRA.
Do yourself a favor and just empty the darn IRA by December 31st. Keep in mind that this is usually not an instantaneous process, so don't put it off until you're on holiday break at the end of the year.
Step 6 Error – Screwing Up the Tax Forms
Both individual taxpayers and professional tax preparers screw up IRS Form 8606 all the time. In fact, some of them haven't even heard of a Backdoor Roth IRA. (Incidentally, this is one of the best questions to ask while interviewing a potential tax professional—”How many backdoor Roth IRAs did you help last year?”)
The usual fix to this error is to file a 1040X (Amended Tax Return) and a new Form 8606. You can do this for the last three years if necessary. If you didn't file Form 8606 at all, you'll definitely want to do this. The key is to check lines 15c and 18 on Form 8606. They should both be a number very close to zero if the form is being completed correctly.
The tax preparer should NOT be filing Form 5439. If you did Steps 1-5 right, this form probably doesn't belong in your tax return.
A lot of people wonder about the 1099-R sent to them by their IRA provider and worry that it was done wrong and that it will cause them to pay tax they shouldn't have to pay. Sometimes the form was filled out wrong, but mostly this is just a lot of anxiety. What gets people anxious is finding something on Line 2a “Taxable amount.” As long as the box on Line 2b is also checked “Taxable amount not determined,” you're golden. Don't worry about it. If it is not, have the IRA provider send you a new, correct form, either with $0 in 2a or the box in 2b checked (usually the latter). Here's what mine looks like every year from Vanguard:
Note that Box 2b is checked, even though they are reporting a taxable amount of $5,500.07 to the IRS [$6,000.07 in 2021].
Again, if you're not sure how to enter this into Turbotax, check out my Turbotax tutorial.
Still Confused About the Backdoor Roth?
Need more help with a Backdoor Roth IRA? I wish Congress would just lift the rule against direct Roth IRA contributions for high earners and save us all this hassle, but who knows if that will ever happen.
- If you did your contribution after the end of the year, check out Late Contributions to the Backdoor Roth IRA.
- Here's a step-by-step tutorial for doing a Backdoor Roth IRA at Vanguard.
- Here's a step-by-step tutorial for doing a Backdoor Roth IRA at Fidelity.
- Here is a step-by-step tutorial reporting the Backdoor Roth IRA in Turbotax.
- Here is my prior post on 17 Ways to Screw Up Your Backdoor Roth IRA.
- You can hire a professional to help you, either a good financial advisor or a good tax strategist can assist.
- You can also ask your peers for help on the WCI Forum, the Private WCI Facebook Group, and the WCI Subreddit.
Late Contributions to the Backdoor Roth IRA
While it is “cleaner” to make your contribution and your conversion all in the same calendar tax year, you can make your contribution up until your tax filing date of the next year. Late Contributions to the Backdoor Roth IRA has more details about doing this but hasn't been updated in a while, so let's do it now. The key to filling out the 8606 correctly when you make a contribution after the calendar year is to recognize that the contribution step is reported for the tax year and the conversion step is reported for the calendar year. So imagine you did the following during the calendar year 2021:
- Made a 2020 IRA contribution (reported on 2020 8606)
- Did a Roth conversion of that contribution (reported on 2021 8606)
- Made a 2021 IRA contribution (reported on 2021 8606)
- Did a Roth conversion of that contribution (reported on 2021 8606)
Your forms would look like this:
2020 Form 8606 (Only Have to Fill Out Part I)
Note that all this serves to do is report basis for the next year. No tax is due. Since no conversion step was done during the calendar year 2020, you only have to fill out lines 1-3 and 14.
2021 Form 8606 (Must Fill Out Parts I and II)
Notice a couple of things here. First, you've got to do all of Part I plus Part II for this year because you did the conversion step, unlike last year (2020). Second, don't get confused by the fact that this form above says “2020” and line 4 asks about 2021. This is the 2020 form but you will actually be filling out the 2021 form. The 2021 form isn't published yet by the IRS so I had to use the 2020 form for this demonstration. So add one year to anything you see here. Let's go through this line by line.

Your Roth IRA contributions will need to go through the “backdoor” many times as you build your portfolio.
Form 8606 – Part I
- Line 1 – That's the money you contributed for 2021.
- Line 2 – This is your basis. Since you made a contribution for 2020 but didn't do a conversion during 2020, your basis is $6,000.
- Line 3 – $6,000 + $6,000 = $12,000
- Line 4 – Remember this is asking about 2022, not 2021 and since you won't make the mistake of doing your contribution late again, this will be zero.
- Line 5 – $12,000 – $0 = $12,000
- Line 6 – This is the line that triggers the pro-rata issue. Even though you made a 2020 contribution, you did so AFTER December 31st, so this line would still be zero if you filled it out for 2020, which you didn't because you didn't do a conversion in 2020 and got to skip lines 4-13. But this is the 2021 form and since you converted your entire traditional IRA, this will be $0.
- Line 7 – This doesn't include conversions. Since you didn't take any money out of your traditional IRA this year except the conversion, this is $0
- Line 8 – You converted a total of $12,000 this year to a Roth IRA, so $12,000.
- Line 9 – $0 + $0 + $12,000 = $12,000
- Line 10 – $12,000/$12,000 = 1
- Line 11 – $12,000 * 1 = $12,000
- Line 12 – $0 * 1 = $0
- Line 13 – $12,000 + $0 = $12,000
- Line 14 – $12,000 – $12,000 = $0 Note that when you do this form for 2022, line 2 will be $0. (Line 14 on 2021 form = Line 2 of 2022 form.)
- Line 15a – $0 – $0 = $0
- Line 15b – You didn't take money out of an IRA to help you survive a disaster, so $0.
- Line 15c – $0 – $0 = $0
Part II
- Line 16 – Line 8 is $12,000 so $12,000
- Line 17 – Line 11 is $12,000 so $12,000
- Line 18 – $12,000 – $12,000 = $0
Backdoor Roth IRA FAQs
Can I still do a Backdoor Roth IRA for last year?
You have until tax day (generally April 15th, but as late as October 15th if you file an extension) of the following year to make your traditional IRA contribution. There is no deadline for the Roth conversion step; it can be done at anytime. Make sure you fill out the paperwork properly according to the section above about late contributions.
Can I do last year's IRA contribution and this year's IRA contribution at the same time and convert them at the same time?
Yes. Just remember to report last year's contribution on last year's Form 8606 and this year's contribution and the conversion on this year's Form 8606.
Does my 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), Roth IRA, or inherited IRA count toward the pro-rata calculation?
No. Only traditional IRAs, rollover IRAs, SEP-IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs count. See line 6 of Form 8606 for details.
What if it is a separate IRA? Does it still count?
Yes. All IRAs count toward the pro-rata calculation.
What should I do with my rollover or traditional IRA to avoid pro-ration?
If it is small, convert it to a Roth IRA along with this year's traditional IRA contribution and pay the tax due on it. If large, try to roll it into your employer's 401(k) or if you have self-employment income, into your individual 401(k).
I got pro-rated. What now?
The easiest solution is to convert the entire IRA, SEP-IRA, or SIMPLE IRA that caused the pro-ration and is now composed of both pre-tax and after-tax money. That is also the most expensive solution. A harder solution that may save you some taxes involves isolating the basis in that IRA by rolling the rest of the account into a 401(k) and then convert just the basis to a Roth IRA.
I am leaving my employer. Should I roll my 401(k) or 403(b) into a traditional IRA? If not, what should I do with it?
If you put it into a traditional IRA it is going to cause any future Backdoor Roths to be pro-rated. Better options include leaving it where it is, rolling it into your new employer's 401(k) or 403(b), rolling it into your individual 401(k), or if it is small, just converting the whole thing to a Roth IRA.
How much can I contribute to a Roth IRA via the Backdoor Roth IRA process?
In 2021, you are allowed to contribute $6,000 ($7,000 if 50+) per year for you and $6,000 ($7,000 if 50+) for your spouse. This includes all contributions to traditional and Roth IRAs. Rollovers/transfers do not count toward the annual contribution limit.
What should I invest the money into?
While in the traditional IRA for a day or two, leave it in cash. Once it is in the Roth IRA, invest it according to your written investing plan. If you don't have one, get one, but in the meantime it would be a good idea to put it into a lifecycle fund such as a Vanguard Target Retirement Fund.
Can I use the same traditional and Roth IRA each year or do I need new ones?
You can use the same ones each year.
The Backdoor Roth IRA process leads to more tax-free retirement account money for doctors and other high-income professionals. If you follow the simple steps outlined above, you will pay less in taxes, boost your returns, facilitate your estate planning, and increase your asset protection. Most members of The White Coat Investor community do these every year and you should too.
What do you think? Are you doing Backdoor Roth IRAs? Why or why not? Any questions about it? Comment below!
[This updated post was originally published in 2014.]
I am new to investing. Which fund do you recommend putting the money after converting traditional IRA to Roth IRA?
Unfortunately, you’re trying to skip straight to step 3 without doing steps 1 and 2 first. Step 3 is very easy if you have already done steps 1 and 2, but very hard if you have not. That said, if you absolutely insist on skipping Steps 1 and 2, I like Vanguard’s Life Strategy Moderate Fund as a great “know-nothing” portfolio.
Step 1: Set your goals
Step 2: Develop a written investing plan or asset allocation for each goal
Step 3: Choose the specific investments that will give you your desired asset allocation.
I’m all for more “know nothing” wisdom. Can you go into what should we put into the after-tax Roth and what should we put into the before-tax 401k?
It doesn’t matter if you tax-adjust the accounts. If you don’t, then if you put something that you expect higher returns on in the Roth then you really have a more aggressive asset allocation than if you put them in the before-tax 401(k). If you tax adjust based on marginal tax rate at time of contribution, then you probably want the higher expected return asset in the traditional IRA to capture the bonus from the tax rate arbitrage (but again, this is simply taking on a more aggressive asset allocation on an after-tax basis.) If you tax adjust based on your effective tax rate at withdrawal, then it truly doesn’t matter.
Hope that helps. Sorry, this one doesn’t lend itself well to a “know nothing” approach. It is actually a very complicated question with a lot that goes into any reasonable answer.
Great blog and most helpful. I have read and absorbed as much as I can on this topic – as well as the linked posts on the “Finance Buff” site. But I’m still confused on one paperwork detail. Here’s the scenario:
1) I did a non-deductible contribution to traditional IRA in Jan 2014 for tax year 2013
2) Converted to Roth IRA shortly thereafter (thus no earnings in traditional IRA), for 2013 tax year
But I am still confused on the Form 8606. There seems to be an implication that this is not needed “until 15 months later”. So, when filing my 2013 taxes – which of the following is correct?
1) 8606 part 1 needed for the non-deductible contribution to traditional IRA for 2013, or
2) 8606 part 1 and part 2 are needed due to conversion to Roth (I am pretty sure this is not the case, since the conversion occurred in 2014, even though it is for a 2013 Roth), or
3) No 8606 is required to be filed with 2013 taxes.
Thanks for helping to clear this up. Future years should be easier because I will do the contribution and conversion in the current tax year.
1 is correct. Line 1 5500. Line 2 0. Line 4 5500. Line 5 0. Line 6 5500. Line 8 0. Lines 10-13 0. Line 14 5500. Line 15 0. On 2014 taxes, your line 2 will be 5500.
Hope that helps.
white coat investor. Great blog Just learned about the backdoor roth, plan on doing it from now on
So I am in the same situation and wanted to make sure I am doing this correctly on turbotax, I contributed for 2013 in Feb 2014 (5500)and converted the next day , Do I not file form 1099r for 2013 for this? So essentially only 8606 part 1 only only to prove basis for next year.
2nd question related to this is: If I I do another non-deductible contribution to traditional IRA now for 2014 and convert will I have 11K (5500 in Feb + 5500) now for 2014, will that leave me with a tax liability?
Thanks and wish I knew about this sooner.
You don’t file 1099R anyway. Vanguard (or whoever holds your IRA) sends you that form. IRA contributions are noted on your 1040, line 32. But since your deduction (if you’re like most docs) is zero, you’ll have a zero on that line.
No, there is no ADDITIONAL tax liability. You already paid taxes on this money when you earned it. You didn’t get a deduction when you put it into the traditional IRA. So there’s no tax due when you convert it to a Roth IRA (assuming you’ve eliminated any other SEP, SIMPLE, or traditional IRA money.) You could do your 2013 and 2014 contributions today for you and your spouse, convert them tomorrow, and voila, an extra $22K in Roth IRAs that would have otherwise been in a taxable account. Good stuff, isn’t it?
WCI, I think for the scenario where you contribute between Jan to April of the following year (assuming first time doing backdoor and no prior TIRAs, etc), you only have to fill out the following on 8606:
Line 1: 5500
Line 2: 0
Line 3: 5500
Line 14: 5500
Between item 3 and 4 is a question asking if you took any distribution OR made a Roth conversion for the year, which if first time would be “no.” If the answer is “no,” then you skip the rest of Part 1 and just transfer the amount on line 3 to line 14. I think that’s all you have to fill out, right?
As long as the numbers at the bottom are right, I don’t know that it matters much. That’s what Turbotax does for example.
More details here: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/late-contributions-to-the-backdoor-roth-ira/
How come line 6 is 5500 for the 2013 taxes and not 0? if he contributed for 2013 after 12/31/2013, and this is the first time he has ever contributed to a tIRA, wouldn’t the value of “all your traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs as of December 31, 2013” be 0?
You’re going to have to give more details. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who is “he”? If you didn’t do a Roth conversion in the prior year, you never get to line 6.
Sorry. I tried to reply to a comment and it just popped my reply way below where I meant it to be.
I am referring to comment number 53 above: Michael| March 15, 2014 at 1:27 pm MST
In your reply to him: “1 is correct. Line 1 5500. Line 2 0. Line 4 5500. Line 5 0. Line 6 5500. Line 8 0. Lines 10-13 0. Line 14 5500. Line 15 0. On 2014 taxes, your line 2 will be 5500.” you mentioned that line 6 should be 5500, even though he converted to roth after 12/31/13. Is that a typo? I’m on the same situation and am not sure what to fill in on line 6.
BTW, great blog and super fast replies. both are greatly appreciated.
Sounds like it. That question after # 3 hasn’t always been on the form either. It used to be that you had to fill the whole thing out but that changed one year, I think about the time this post was written, so keep that in mind. Just follow the instructions for the current form and you’ll be fine.
sorry about the long reply but a want to clarify.
form 1099r is part II of form 8606 Lines 16-18 (At least on turbo tax). Just want to confirm If I made a non-deductible contribution to traditional IRA in feb 2014 for tax year 2013, and converted to roth in Feb 2014. I do not need to fill out form part 2 since conversion was done in Feb 2014 and only need to fill out form 8606 part I. Its confusing because you can make contributions until April 15th but have to convert before Dec 31st.
I guess what I am not understanding is if for 2014 I make another 5500 and convert 5500 before December. Then in the eyes of IRS did I not convert 11K (5500 in Feb and March) but only contributed 5500 in 2014. would I not owe taxes or is that where total basis comes from? Is total basis similar to thinking credit for prior year non-deductible contributions. am I over thinking this. Please clarify, thanks.
No, you’re right on target. Your basis will be $5500+$5500. So if you convert $11K, then you owe no taxes since the value = the basis.
While you may enter the information from the 1099R you received from Vanguard into Turbotax, it isn’t a form that you send to the IRS.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099r.pdf
Opened a traditional IRA in 09, and was able to deduct $3100 from my 2009 taxes. Continued to place money each year into this account but income limits prevented me from deducting from my taxes in 2010 to present. Found out about the backdoor Roth in August of 2013 and converted all that I had in this account which was around $15,500. Overall, I added $11k and it grew $4.5k. Now looking at my taxes this year, should I only be paying tax on the growth plus the $3100 that I deducted in 2009? And if so, what do I need in terms of forms/statements to accomplish this? Can this be done through turbotax? I’, confused.
Yes, it can be done through Turbotax. It’s all about using form 8606. See TFB’s tutorial on 8606 through Turbotax at the end of the post. You’re correct that taxes will be due on earnings plus $3100, assuming you filled out 8606 correctly for the last half decade.
Vanguard asked me a new question today when I was converting my 2014 traditional IRA to Roth.
They asked if I wanted to withhold state/federal taxes. What does this mean exactly? Is this related to 8606? Do most people say yes to withhold?
No, absolutely don’t have them withhold. They’ll just screw stuff up. You’re not going to owe taxes anyway on a Backdoor Roth, why would you need/want taxes withheld on something that isn’t going to cost you taxes?
I think I understand mostly how this works, but there’s one thing I’m missing: When doing the conversion from non-deductible traditional IRA to Roth, are you creating a new account every time?
I have a Roth IRA I opened with ETrade a year or so ago. When I open a traditional IRA, contribute my post-tax dollars to the traditional and I’m ready to convert, are the funds going into my existing Roth or am I creating another Roth account?
You can use an existing Roth. I only have a single traditional and a single Roth at Vanguard despite doing this 5 times.
Thank you very much for this post. It was very helpful. I just want to make sure I am crystal clear on the timing of getting rid of my existing traditional IRA and doing the backdoor Roth IRA to avoid pro-rata.
I have a large rollover IRA, that contains a rollover from my previous 401k. My current 401k allows for roll-ins so I can roll the rollover IRA into it in now (2014). Can I do the backdoor roth IRA (fund new IRA and convert to roth IRA immediately after) in 2014 or do I need to wait until 2015? Do I just need to wait for my current IRA to rollover to my 401k before I do the backdoor roth IRA, doing both in 2014? Thanks!
You need to complete the rollover to 401(k) by December 31, 2014.
You must do the traditional IRA contribution for 2013 before April 15, 2014. You should do the traditional IRA contribution for 2014 by December 2014. You should do the conversions before December 31, 2014.
There must be something I’m missing. I have a non-deductible Traditional IRA with 44k in contributions and $5500 in gains. I have a Roth IRA with a little under 10k in it, opened when I was making less income. If I do future backdoor conversions to the Roth, I’m still going to have pay taxes on the gains to the account which are taxable, correct? BTW, both accounts are with Vanguard.
Convert the whole thing, pay the taxes on the gains ASAP. It’ll be like $2K or so. Then every year put another $5500 into it and convert it.
Unfortunately, I believe Vanguard will close an account with $0 in it. I think you need at least 3k for investor shares and 10l for Admiral shares, which is going to defeat the purpose, since I’ll always have to pay taxes on the gains in the Traditional IRA, even though its non-deductible. Is that correct?
I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking or where your mistaken assumptions are. First, Vanguard doesn’t close IRA accounts with $0 in them I assure you, at least not in any period of time less than 13 months. Second, you do need $3K for most investor shares, but just $1K for some funds. Admiral shares are mostly $10K, but some are as much as $50K. Third, the investor/admiral minimums have nothing to do with paying gains on IRAs that I can tell. Fourth, gains are taxable, non-deductible contributions are not. I hope that somewhere in there I answered your question.
Considering the fact that I plan on retiring in 13 yrs. and will more than likely be in a lower tax bracket than we are currently in. We are currently very underfunded but plan on heavy contributions for our remaining working years. I basically would like to know if you’d recommend converting the entire balance in each of our(my wife and I) Traditional IRA’s to our Roth’s, or just using the “backdoor” conversions on all future annual contributions while leaving the current balances alone? And if we converted all of it, what what the approximate tax hit be? The current balance in my Traditional IRA is $49,356 of which $5505 has been gained. My wife’s Traditional IRA has a balance of $31,321 of which $5524 was gained. All told, we only have a little over 305k saved, between the trad. and Roth IRA, a separate Vanguard taxable account and my 401k through work.
The way to figure out the tax hit is to subtract the basis from the value, and multiply it by your marginal tax rate.
So if your basis is $44K (meaning all your contributions were non-deductible) the tax hit would be about $2K for most docs. If your basis is $0 (meaning all the contributions were deductible) then your tax hit on that $49K conversion is going to be more like $20K.
Thanks for all the great advice! I decided to open a nondeductible traditional IRA, funded it with 5500 and converted it fully to a Roth (all transactions occurred in march this year within a few days, I don’t have any prior IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP or simple IRAs). I wanted to take advantage of still being able to contribute for 2013 thus the contribution to the traditional IRA was made for the previous year (2013). If I am not mistaken I will have to file 8606 for 2013 reporting the contribution but not yet the conversion since that will have to be reported in 2014’s tax return, please correct me if I am wrong. Now my question is I already filed my tax return for 2013 last february, do I have to amend the return? I don’t think I have to since these are nondeductible funds but just wanted to make sure. Can I file 8606 by itself without 1040 attached to it? thanks
No, you can’t file an 8606 without a 1040X. No big deal. 1040X is easy.
Actually, that’s probably not true. I just looked at my 8606 and it says at the top: “Fill in your address only if you are filing this form by itself and not with your tax return.” So I guess you can just send in the 8606 by itself. Your 1040X would look the same anyway I suppose.
I made $4000 contribution to Roth in 2012. At the beginning of 2013 I realized I needed to recharacterize my Roth as I exceeded the income limit in 2012.
Before April 15, 2012 tax deadline I recharacterized my Roth to nondeductible IRA. The amount was $4500. A few days later, I converted $4515 (there were minor gains) from nondeductible IRA back to my Roth.
The way I understand this is – my Roth recharacterization had to be reported in my 2012 tax return while my nondeductible IRA to Roth conversion has to be reported in my 2013 tax return. Is this correct?
I filled out part I of 8606 form in my tax return for 2012, with a small mistake: I entered $4000, instead of $4500, thus omitting the interest on the $4000 in my Roth. So, first thing, I have to amend my 8606 for 2012.
Then I have to report my nondeductible IRA to my Roth IRA conversion for tax year 2013. Do I fill out both Part I and Part II of 8606? I’d appreciate any instructions on how to fill out 8606.
What a mess! I think your understanding is right of what you have to do. The Finance Buff had a nice article on this subject recently that may help:
http://thefinancebuff.com/backdoor-roth-tax-return-made-easy.html
As far as your 8606, did you make a 2013 contribution to a non-deductible IRA? I think that’s what determines whether you need to do part 1 or not (read the 3 conditions on the form under which you must file it and see if any apply to you.) You’ll definitely have to do part 2.
For the “catch-up” additional contribution, do you know if you have to be 50 in the tax year, or in the calendar year?
My wife turns 50 this year – so which scenario is correct for a non-deductible IRA, assuming we will make the contribution by April 15, 2014:
A) $5500 for TY 2013 + $6500 for TY 2014 = $12,000 max
B) $6500 for both years = $13,000 max (since she will be 50 in the year the contributions are made)?
I just recently learned of the back door option as well but thought it was off the table this year since we had roll-over and SEP IRA balances on 12/31/2013 … Have learned from your awesome blog this is not necessarily an obstacle (as long as we roll over those trad IRA’s by end of this calendar year)!! Would require a 1040X since we’ve already filed, and the 8606, but could be worth it….especially since I could add $13,000 of my own
Why would the tax year be different from the calendar year? A is correct.
Does it matter if you make contributions in pieces or all at once? What I mean is that can I fund a nonded IRA with 3000, convert it tomorrow, and then do the same thing with 2500 later in the year?
Also just wanted to confirm that 401k does not affect ability to do backdoor roth. My wife and I both have Roth IRAs and she has a 401k. We will be above the income limit this year to fund Roth IRAs any further so we can just use the backdoor now? Thanks!
No, it doesn’t matter if you do it in pieces or all at once, but I’d still try to do it all at once for simplicity’s sake.
The 401(k) does not affect the ability to do a backdoor Roth IRA.
I’m 28 years old, single. I have 5500 in a Roth IRA already for this year (no other IRA, I think I have some strange savings plan at my hospital, not a 401k). Am I still able to put money into a traditional IRA and convert to RothIRA? Or rather, should do this, or should I be doing something else with the money?
No, the $5500 annual contribution limit applies to the sum total of all traditional and Roth IRAs.
I have about $5000 in rollover IRA from residency contributions to a 403b. My current position has a 403b. Can I transfer the rollover IRA to my 403b and in the same year do a backdoor roth with a different IRA account to avoid taxes on the $5000?
Yes.
I’m about to start my first year of residency and plan on opening up a Vanguard Roth IRA. My question is should I use my resident salary toward it or sale some walmart stock I have? I currently have around 15-20k in stocks and I’m trying to figure out what I should do with them. Should I hold them or sale them and invest it in a Vanguard fund in addition to the Roth?
Thanks
I would sell the stock and diversify, especially now while you’re in a low tax bracket. You can probably do it tax-free. Save as much as you reasonably can. If you can’t max out Roth IRAs without using the taxable investment money, then use that (or technically, if the IRS asks, live on the taxable investments and contribute earnings to the Roth IRA.)
Is there any way to separate pre-tax & after-tax money that is mixed together in the same traditional IRA? I would like to move the pre-tax portion to a 401(k), then convert the after-tax money to Roth, and then do the backdoor Roth yearly going forward.
However, I am hopelessly confused about how to sort out how much money to port to the 401(k) and how much to leave and convert.
Existing traditional IRA had pre-tax funds. One year I contributed to a Roth before discovering I was above the income limit. I then re-characterized and (stupid me) put the money (and earnings) into the same pre-tax traditional IRA, thereby mixing pre-tax & after-tax money. So $5K of post-tax money and $300 or so of associated earnings on that money went in. Does this mean I should keep only the $5K? Keep the 5K plus the $300? Or keep that plus earnings accrued since then?
Thanks again for the helpful article!
The IRA provider should be keeping track of how much is pre-tax and how much is non-deductible. Most 401(k)s won’t accept non-deductible money in transfer. So if you transfer all you can, all the nondeductible money will be left in the IRA, which can then be automatically converted. This is a great way to “isolate the basis” to allow for a conversion and then future backdoor Roth IRAs. The earnings, since they are pre-tax, should also be able to go into the 401(k).
Hello (or should I say, “Help”). I read every single post above yet my PhD is of little or no use (it’s obviously NOT in finance nor tax code, LOL) – despite all I’ve tried to understand from the conversations above, I still remain quite confused! So apologies in advance if you’ve already answered my question by proxy above and I’ve just been too dense to grasp it.
Here is my situation:
– I’m 63 years old and work as a self-employed consultant, so I can put up to 25% of my income into a SEP).
– I’ve had both an E-Trade SEP-IRA and a Roth for more than five years.
– In 2010 I took advantage of the one-time Obama admin deal and did a partial conversion of ~95% of my SEP value into my Roth – in securities (not cash) and paid the tax due over two years (tax years 2011 and 2012). My reason for the conversion was that any dividends earned and appreciation of my long-term securities would NOT be taxed at capital gains rates, but eventually as regular income and I wanted to avoid that. I did not convert 100% of the SEP, because I was told that Etrade would close any empty accounts and I wanted to keep it open for any future conversions (e.g., 2014). I do not really know whether the value was “deductible” or “non-deductible” or a mix, and frankly still don’t fully understand the difference. At the time there seemed to be some indication that I should NOT have left any value in the SEP, but perhaps was supposed to have cleaned it out, have it closed, and later start a new one (which I did NOT do, obviously, and have worried about potential audit consequences ever since). The remainder in the SEP then was about $1200, now with appreciation and contribs, it’s worth ~$10K, while the Roth is now worth ~$200K.
– Because I am self-employed, I am allowed to fund my SEP up to 25% of my AGI. This year I expect my AGI to be ~$100,000 so I’d like to deposit up to ~$25K into my SEP before December 2014 *for* TY 2014 and then convert the same amount into my Roth.
– My questions are – is it kosher for me to just plunk in $25K into my SEP and immediately convert (back-door) it into my Roth (and just pay the tax in April)? Do I need to call the SEP contribution “deductible” or “non-deductible” (is there a choice?) and do I do this at the time of the conversion in the conversion paperwork, or only on IRS forms after the fact? How does one “prove” the contrib was “deductible” or “non-deductible” – do they just take your word for it? Do I need to complete a 8606-S? Is there any danger of getting taxed twice? How does the 12/31/13 value of my SEP figure in all of this?
Thanks very much in advance!
Scott
1) Yes. You can put $25K into a SEP-IRA and then convert it to a Roth, as long as you convert that $10k along with it. That’ll cost you about $2500 in taxes. The deduction for the SEP contribution and the cost of the conversion of the SEP contribution will be a wash. What you save with the contribution will be lost as a deduction. Be sure you look very carefully at the SEP contribution rules. It usually works out to be less than 25%, in my experience 18-19%, of your gross that you can contribute. If you want tax-deferred savings in the future, consider a Solo 401(k) to allow you to do backdoor Roth IRAs each year. You can do one of those for yourself and your spouse for 2014 as well if you like. Just make sure you do all the contributing and converting by December 31, 2014 to keep it all straightforward, although you can do 2014 SEP and backdoor Roth IRA contributions for 2014 until April 2015. Just try to do both the contribution and the conversion in the same year.
2) You don’t call the SEP contribution anything. You just claim it on your taxes.
3) SEP contributions are always deductible. Traditional IRAs can be non-deductible.
4) Yes, you’ll need an 8606 on your 2014 taxes. If you fill out the tax forms wrong, and the IRS doesn’t catch it, you could get taxed twice.
5) The basis on the SEP will also be entered on 8606.
Hope that helps. If you don’t want to do backdoor Roth IRAs (and you probably don’t have to with your income), you don’t have to convert that $10K you have in the SEP now. You could just leave it tax-deferred. Heck, you could make your entire SEP tax-deferred. This post was written with a reader with a much higher income than yours in mind. You’re really talking about Roth conversions rather than backdoor Roth IRA scheme that higher earners have to use. You can just contribute to a Roth IRA for yourself and your spouse.
Thanks very much, that certainly clears up some fog and misconceptions I had. I did not know that SEP contribs were always deductible – interesting!
So you are saying that I definitely CANNOT convert a portion of my SEP value into the Roth? It has to be all or nothing? (so I wonder why I “got away” with it three years ago)…
BTW, my gross will be ~$180K, only about $135K of which will be employment income. I estimated my MAGI at ~$100K after deep deductions & business write-offs, etc.
However, not sure I was completely clear – my main goal here is NOT to defer current taxes per se, but to maximize my leveraging power of my Roth to (one hopes) take advantage of the tax-free future stock appreciation(s) and dividend earnings inside the Roth. If I just fund my SEP with 25% and buy stocks inside it, not only will the returns NOT be tax-free, they will be taxed as regular income, i.e., I won’t even get the benefit of capital gains (15%) tax rate I enjoy in my regular brokerage account – it would be closer to 30% !! A definite must-avoid! I am unmarried, so as I understand it I can only contribute $6500 to my Roth directly – what I was hoping I could do a conversion of the 25% by itself…well, perhaps I could just convert the whole thing (i.e., add in the SEP’s current $10K) and be done with it.
Thanks,
Scott
No, you can convert a portion if you like. This whole article is about a backdoor Roth IRA. You’re just talking about converting a SEP IRA. Far simpler. You don’t have to deal with the pro-rata rule because you don’t have any non-deductible contributions in any IRAs anywhere and you’re not going to make any, right?
The real question you should be asking yourself is whether you should be making tax-deferred contributions or Roth contributions at this point in your life. The answer is probably tax-deferred! But if you want more Roth, converting your SEP money (and making direct Roth IRA contributions- but watch that phaseout as you’re close) is a great way to do it. If you’re above the phaseout range, then you’re in the same boat as all the docs- Backdoor Roth only.
I think you’re forgetting the value of an upfront tax deduction if you think paying at a capital gains rate is somehow better than using a tax-deferred account. Sure, you pay at your marginal rate when you pull the money out, but you didn’t pay anything at all when you put the money in!
Thank you so very much for your unselfish and yeoman public service here.
I am really impressed with your knowledge and have to say it gives me renewed faith in my fellow citizenry. You really not only understand these issues fully, you are expertly able to cut right to the answers.
best,
Scott
That’s very kind of you to say.
Sorry, I did not understand the meaning of “phase-out range”. Are you talking about my age (63), or income coming close to an upper limit – or s/t else? Whatever it is, what should I be doing/not doing about it?
Also, – forgot to ask earlier – can I keep contributing to my Roth right up until I start taking distributions? Or is there a waiting/fallow period?
BTW, on the pay-tax-now-and-stick-the-$$-in-the-Roth vs. IRA pay marginal tax rates later – I am essentially making a bet that I can do better in my inside-Roth investments than saving a couple of thousand in tax today. Yes, it’s true that I could be investing that couple of Ks immediately, but it, too will be subject to taxation.
thx
As long as you have earned income, you can contribute to a Roth. The phase-out range is an income limitation to making direct Roth IRA contributions. For singles like you, it’s between a MAGI of $114K and $129K in 2014. If you’re above $114K (and remember a MAGI is slightly different than an AGI) then you can only make Roth IRA contributions via the backdoor, which complicates your SEP question (you basically need to get rid of the SEP.) If you can stay below that, you have more options with the SEP.
I don’t think you’re understanding the Roth vs tax-deferred issue. It can take a while to wrap your head around it, but basically if you can withdraw the money later at a lower effective tax rate (using it to fill up the 0%, 10%, and 15% brackets) and can get a tax deduction at 28% now, then you’re getting some benefit from the tax-deferred account that you wouldn’t get from the Roth account. If you expect to be pulling that money out at 28% in retirement because you have tons of other retirement income like a rental property, SS, and big IRA withdrawals, well, then might as well do as much Roth as you can for now.
Just reread Harry Sit’s backdoor missive – OK I get it now – I understand “phase-out” – means that I most likely won’t need to do all of that if my MAGI comes underneath $114K – which it probably will.
I intent on rolling out my 401k contributions from my previous employer, which is currently sitting in my traditional IRA account that I intend on using as a route for back door Roth, into an individual 401 k, by December 31, 2014. Now, I intend on moving funds out of that individual 401 k into the Roth in phases. Will this mess up the back door Roth IRA mechanism? Do I have to open another Roth individual 401 k account (since individual 401k can be either the traditional one or Roth one) for this purpose?
Thanks.
I doubt it, but check with the Roth 401(k) provider.
I haven’t filed my taxes for 2013 as yet because I think I messed up when I did my
Form 8606 for 2012, I used Turbo Tax. Lines 1,2 and 14 has $5000, all the other lines are blank. I’m not sure what I should do at this point. Do I need to file an amended 8606? Please help.
It’s not that big of a deal to do a 1040X with another 8606. Don’t stress too much about it. It sounds like you filled it out wrong unless you did contributions and conversions in different years.
Thank you for responding, here is what happened:
On 3/15/13 I opened a Vanguard account and deposited $10,500 into a traditional IRA, $5000 for 2012 and $5500 for 2013. On 3/18/13 I did a conversion to a Roth IRA for both years. I did not get a 1099 for tax year 2012, however for 2013 the 1099-R that I received had the following information
Box 1 $10,500
Box 2a $10,500
Box 2b X
Box 4 $0
Box 7 02
IRA/SEP/simple X
All other fields were left blank, so based off this information do you think I need to redo my 8606 for 2012, or did I get it right the first time?
Caveat: I am not licensed to give tax advice in your state or mine. This is a very specific tax question with a very specific answer. I’m not sure I have all the information I need to give you a correct answer. You mentioned your previous 8606 but didn’t say if that was for 2012 or for 2013. Nor have you mentioned if either of the two contributions were deductible. In general, if you make a contribution for 2012 in 2013, that contribution should show up on your 2012 taxes. If you do a conversion in 2013, that goes on your 2013 taxes.
It was a non deductible IRA and the 8606 was for 2012. Thank you so much for all your help! I think I’m going to consult a CPA for a second look to put my mind at ease. From now on I’ll do my contribution and conversion in the same year to make things easier.
So your 8606 for 2012 should only reflect the contribution and that it was non-deductible.
So that means that on your 2012 8606
Line 1=$5500
Line 2= $0
Line 3= $5500
Line 14= $5500
Everything else should be blank. This means you didn’t get a deduction for the contribution, but also that you have already paid taxes on it. Your 2013 8606 will be a little more complex.
P.S. I’ve heard of a few CPAs missing this so be sure to double check his work!
Jim,
Thanks for your website, book, and podcast. I truly appreciate all the knowledge you have taken the time to share. I have run into a hiccup while doing my 8606 for 2016. I didnt realize this until now while I am filing my 2017 return. I found out my 2016 return had the exact same numbers you mentioned in the post #75 above:
2016 Form 8606:
Line 1=$5500
Line 2= $0
Line 3= $5500
Line 14= $5500
Everything else is blank.
I am probably confused but on your tutorial above it says things very different than what is in post #75 above (which is exactly what I did on my 8606 in 2016). I followed TFB website on how to complete the 8606 on turbotax and the numbers above are what I got.
Based on my 8606 from 2016, my current year (2017) looks like this now:
Line 1=$5500
Line 2= $5500
Line 3= $11000
Line 14= $11000
Everything else is blank.
These numbers will continue to go up over time. Is this correct or do I have to amend my 2016 return and from here on out manually fix my 2017 turbotax return as the instructions from TFB website is not filling out the form correctly?
Thanks a million!
The most common place to make a mistake is line 2. Why is your line 2 $5,500? Did you not do a conversion? I can’t help with the 8606 because I don’t know what you did. First describe what you did. When you did each contribution, when you did each conversion.
Sorry for not giving all the info! For my 2016 IRA contribution I did the contribution and conversion in 2016. For my 2017 contribution I did both the contribution and conversion in 2017. I followed TFB turbotax guide and the above 8606 results came out.
I think my 2017 8606 line 2 has 5500 because my 2016 8606 incorrectly has 5500 in line 14? I think that my 2016 8606 was completed incorrectly.
If it was done incorrectly am I correct in that I have to complete a 1040X and a 8606 for 2016 to fix the issue?
Also I am not entirely convinced the TFB guide of getting the 8606 completed correctly on turbotax works. I tried it again for 2017 and got the same result!
Jim
Ok sorry I just realized this all was my error and TFB is not incorrect. I apparently got confused and contributed my 5500 for 2016 in 2016. Invested in a total market index and then converted to a roth in 2017. There were some gains while invested in the traditional roth. And this is why everything has been thrown off!
Glad you got it sorted out.