The government only allows you to contribute $6,000 directly to a Roth IRA in 2021 and 2022 or $7,000 if you're 50 or older, but there is no limit on how much you can convert from tax-deferred savings to your Roth IRA in a single year.
You generally cannot make more than one rollover from the same IRA within a 1-year period.
Taxpayers first make contributions to a traditional IRA account. That account is then immediately converted to a Roth IRA. This allows the individual to avoid paying any taxes on earnings. You can repeat the process every year your income doesn't allow you to contribute to a regular Roth IRA.
There are no income or contribution limits — that is, anyone can convert any amount of money from a traditional to a Roth IRA.
There are no waiting periods for additional conversions. You can convert any portion of a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA at any time. You are probably thinking of the once a year rollover rule.
Roth IRA conversion limits
The government only allows you to contribute $6,000 directly to a Roth IRA in 2021 and 2022 or $7,000 if you're 50 or older, but there is no limit on how much you can convert from tax-deferred savings to your Roth IRA in a single year.
Each conversion has its own five-year period. For instance, if you converted your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in 2018, the five-year period for those converted assets began Jan. 1, 2018. If you later convert other traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA in 2019, the five-year period for those assets begins Jan.
What Now? Of course, Build Back Better didn't pass in 2021. That means that it's perfectly legal to go ahead with backdoor Roth contributions for 2022, too.
If you start a Roth IRA with a conversion and earn a lot of investment gains and then decide to empty the account within five years of setting up your first Roth IRA, you will not owe ordinary income taxes on the converted money because you already paid those in the conversion.
For 2022 the limit increases to $144,000 for single filers and $214,000 for married individuals filing jointly. If your income is above the limit, a backdoor Roth might be a good solution for you.
There is the option of converting your traditional IRA into a Roth IRA—called a Roth IRA conversion. Since Roths don't have required minimum distributions, once the funds are in the Roth IRA, you will no longer be required to take RMDs.
Starting in 2022, the bill had proposed to end so-called non-deductible backdoor and mega backdoor Roth conversions. Regardless of income level, you'd no longer be able to convert after-tax contributions made to a 401(k) or a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.
The pro-rata rule dictates that when an IRA contains both nondeductible and deductible funds, each dollar withdrawn (or converted) from the IRA will contain a percentage of tax-free and taxable funds.
If you meet one or more of these criteria, consider a Roth conversion in 2020: Your IRA balance is over $500,000. You are over age 70½ (or turned 72 in 2020), and do not have to take your required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2020. You expect your 2020 taxable income to be lower than your 2019 taxable income.
Younger folks obviously don't have to worry about the five-year rule. But if you open your first Roth IRA at age 63, try to wait until you're 68 or older to withdraw any earnings. You don't have to contribute to the account in each of those five years to pass the five-year test.
The first five-year rule states that you must wait five years after your first contribution to a Roth IRA to withdraw your earnings tax free. The five-year period starts on the first day of the tax year for which you made a contribution to any Roth IRA, not necessarily the one you're withdrawing from.
Backdoor Roth IRAs are worth considering for your retirement savings, especially if you are a high income earner. A Backdoor Roth conversion can be something to consider if: You've already maxed out other retirement savings options. Are willing to leave the money in the Roth for at least five years (ideally longer!)
The BBB Act is passed in 2022, and Backdoor Roth conversions are allowed. This would be the best-case option if the legislation is enacted. The bill is passed and Backdoor Roths are not allowed, but it's based on the date the bill is enacted.
Most people will qualify for the maximum contribution of $6,000, or $7,000 for those age 50 and up. If your MAGI is in the Roth IRA phase-out range, you can make a partial contribution.
You can have multiple traditional and Roth IRAs, but your total cash contributions can't exceed the annual maximum, and your investment options may be limited by the IRS.
Thus, the answer to the question is: No, there is not a way you can do a backdoor Roth and IRA Rollover in the same tax year without mixing nondeductible and traditional.
Calculating a Roth basis is simple. Add up all of the contributions you have made to date and subtract any contributed funds you have withdrawn in the past.
One way to avoid the pro-rata rule
So if you move your IRA into your 401(k), then complete the “backdoor” transaction, the only IRA money you would have in this example would be the $5k after-tax IRA, so you won't pay any taxes on the conversion since 0% of your total IRA money is pre-tax.
New Limits for 'High-Income' Taxpayers
After December 31, 2031, the BBB bill would eliminate Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) conversions entirely for high-income taxpayers.
I note that one of the top reasons that our clients set up Solo 401k plans with us is the ability to make Mega Backdoor Roth Solo 401k contributions (for 2021 up $58k or even $64.5k if you are 50 or older) and Fidelity is one of the top options for opening the accounts.