Because of this, we have a higher income that can prevent you from being eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA. A good solution for high-income taxpayers unable to qualify for a Roth IRA is the availability of a backdoor Roth IRA.
Income Restrictions for a Roth IRA
Contributions to Roth IRAs won't be accepted from individuals filing as singles in 2022 if their adjusted gross income (MAGI) is more than $144,000. They won't be accepted from married couples filing jointly if their MAGI is more than $214,000. On the other hand, there are no maximum income requirements to qualify for traditional IRAs. Suppose a taxpayer (or their spouse) already participates in a workplace retirement plan and earns more than a specific threshold amount. In that case, the person's contributions to a regular IRA are not tax-deductible.
How a Roth IRA Can Be Opened Through a Back Door
Creating a backdoor Roth IRA entails changing assets held in a regular IRA into assets held in a Roth IRA. It's a procedure that involves several steps.
- The first thing you should do is put money into a standard individual retirement account.
- The next thing you need to do is convert your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. (Those qualified to make a Roth conversion are not restricted by any income thresholds.)
You have the option of converting your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA by utilizing an existing Roth account, or you may start a whole new Roth IRA if you do not already have one. Transferring from one trustee to another is the most straightforward method of carrying out a conversion. Your contributions to your Roth IRA are sent directly from the financial institution that manages your conventional IRA to the institution that manages your Roth IRA. (It might be the same financial institution, in which case the transaction would be referred to as a transfer with the same trustee.) When you submit your taxes for the year, you must disclose the conversion on Form 8606 provided by the IRS.
Converting to Roth IRAS Is One Catch
Although converting to a Roth IRA might help reduce the taxes you owe throughout retirement, it is impossible to avoid paying taxes in any situation. Any monies in your traditional IRA that have not yet been taxed will be subject to taxation when the conversion is finalized, just as they would be if you were withdrawing them. Contributions made before taxes and investment profits could both be liable to taxation.
In the year you make the conversion, your tax liability may increase considerably as a result of the conversion, particularly if a considerable amount is involved. Because of this, you may find it beneficial to stagger the procedure over several years. The conversion process should not provide too many challenges for you if all of your conventional IRAs are nondeductible IRAs. Because you did not qualify for a tax deduction on your contributions when you made them, those earnings will be the only profits from your IRAs that will be subject to taxation.
The calculations get more difficult, however, if you have a combination of deductible and nondeductible IRAs in your possession. It is impossible to convert the amount that is not tax-deductible into a Roth IRA in a straightforward manner. You must instead treat all of your retirement accounts (IRAs) as a single collective IRA and convert a proportionate fraction of the cash in the account that was earned before and after taxes.
Therefore, if the money in your IRAs is made up of 60 percent pretax and 40 percent after-tax funds, a conversion of $100,000 would be taxed at a rate of 60 percent. However, the IRS provides provide a remedy for this problem. If your employer permits, you may be able to roll the amount of your traditional IRA contributions that were deducted before taxes into your 401(k) account. This would leave just the portion that was not deducted for you to convert. This is referred to as a rollover in the opposite direction.
When Might It Be A Good Idea to Use A Backdoor Roth IRA?
If you cannot make contributions to a Roth IRA because of your salary, you may want to consider opening a backdoor Roth IRA instead. Nevertheless, it is essential to think about the timetable for your retirement. The farther away you are from retirement, the more sense it can make to convert your investment. This is because the growth in your Roth account, which is exempt from taxation, will have a longer time to make up for the initial tax hit you would suffer due to the conversion.
Another thing to think about is whether or not you anticipate being in a rich tax bracket that is noticeably higher in the future than the one you are in now. This may happen in the future if, for example, tax rates as a whole go up considerably in the years to come.
