If your federal income tax bracket is 32% or higher, doing a Backdoor Roth IRA is a terrible, terrible idea. It is highly unlikely you will be making more money, and thereby being in a higher tax bracket in retirement! It's nice to have tax-free money you can withdraw from in retirement.
The main advantage of a backdoor Roth IRA—as with Roth IRAs in general—is that you pay taxes up front on your converted pretax funds and everything after that is tax free.
If you don't have any money sitting in traditional IRA accounts, a backdoor Roth is a smart way to build up retirement savings that will be tax-free in retirement. And it can still make sense if you already have a chunk of savings in traditional IRAs.
Is a backdoor Roth IRA worth it? It really depends on your individual circumstances. Most people won't make more in retirement than while working, though, so their tax rate in retirement likely will be lower than while working. As a result, doing a Roth IRA conversion is probably not worth it for most people.
As of March 2022, the Backdoor Roth IRA is still alive. Therefore, any taxpayer making more than $214,000 in income and is married and filing jointly can make an after-tax Traditional IRA contribution and then potentially do a tax-free Roth IRA conversion.
On April 5, you could convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. However, the conversion can't be reported on your 2021 taxes. Because IRA conversions are only reported during the calendar year, you should report it in 2022.
Despite the nickname, the “Rich Person's Roth” isn't a retirement account at all. Instead, it's a cash value life insurance policy that offers tax-free earnings on investments as well as tax-free withdrawals.
Backdoor and mega backdoor Roth
In a backdoor Roth, investors make a non-deductible contribution to a traditional IRA and then quickly convert to a Roth IRA. Once the money is in a Roth IRA, it's tax-free when taken out (if you meet the holding period and age requirements).
Did you know there's a way to get up to $56,000 into your Roth IRA every year even though the contribution limit is $6,000 per year? Dubbed the “Mega Backdoor Roth,” this strategy allows taxpayers to increase their annual contributions into their Roth IRAs by as much as $56,000 (for 2019).
The backdoor Roth IRA strategy is still currently viable, but that may change at any time in 2022. Under the provisions of the Build Back Better bill, which passed the House of Representatives in 2021, high-income taxpayers would be prevented from making Roth conversions.
But even when you're close to retirement or already in retirement, opening this special retirement savings vehicle can still make sense under some circumstances. There is no age limit to open a Roth IRA, but there are income and contribution limits that investors should be aware of before funding one.
While the legislation has not become law, the Build Back Better Act was set to eliminate the backdoor Roth IRA strategy as of Jan. 1, 2022.
You got money into a Roth IRA through the backdoor when you aren't eligible for contributing to it directly. That's why it's called a Backdoor Roth. You will pay tax on a small amount in earnings if you waited between contributions and conversion.
Backdoor Roth IRA Contribution Limits
The IRS limits for contributions for traditional IRAs exist when contributing to a backdoor Roth IRA because investors are opening a traditional IRA to begin with. 2022 Roth IRA contributions limits: $6,000 for everyone under 50.
Specifically, ProPublica found that Buffett has $20.2 million in his Roth IRA at the end of 2018, while his top lieutenant at Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett's holding company, has even more in a Roth -- $264.4 million.
Key Points. A Roth IRA can be a great partner on your financial journey if you're seeking to build a million-dollar portfolio. For 2022, you can contribute up to $6,000 to a Roth IRA if you're under 50. If you make the most of your annual contributions, you can turn $6,000 into $1 million before you retire.
A mega backdoor Roth lets you work around limits set by the IRS if you're a high earner. The process works similar to when you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. However, with a mega backdoor Roth IRA you can significantly lower or even eliminate the tax liability on the conversion, according to Motley Fool.
Disadvantages of a Roth IRA Conversion
Of course, when you do a Roth IRA conversion, you risk paying that big tax bill now when you might be in a lower tax bracket later. While you can make some educated guesses, there's no way to know for sure what tax rates (and your income) will be in the future.
To create a backdoor Roth, deposit the maximum amount permitted in a traditional IRA. Since these monies are taxed (you are prohibited from contributing to a traditional IRA tax free), the backdoor Roth is completed by immediately converting the traditional IRA into a tax-free Roth IRA (hence, the backdoor!)
Roth IRA Early Withdrawal Penalty & Converted Amounts
If you withdraw contributions before the five-year period is over, you might have to pay a 10% Roth IRA early withdrawal penalty. This is a penalty on the entire distribution. You usually pay the 10% penalty on the amount you converted.
A backdoor Roth IRA, which came into effect in 2010, permits account holders to work around income tax limits by converting what was originally a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. For people with a modified adjusted gross income above certain levels, there are limits on direct Roth IRA contributions.
There is no prescribed age to open a Roth IRA. You can open it whenever you want. Since there is no Roth IRA age limit, you can consider opening an IRA after age 60 too. If you are wondering how long you can contribute to a Roth IRA, the answer is as long as you want.
Maxing out your Roth IRA can help you make the most of this retirement savings vehicle, but it might not make sense if you have competing financial priorities. Some experts advise saving up an emergency fund, paying off high-interest debt, and max out an employer's 401(k) match before maxing out your Roth IRA.