Mailbag Monday: Running the Numbers on Roth IRA Conversions
Can I convert my non-deductible IRA contributions — not the earnings — to a Roth IRA without having to pay any additional taxes since those contributions were made with after-tax money?
— Cindy
That would be nice, but unfortunately that’s not how this works. You can’t convert just the contributions and not the earnings. All IRA money is considered one cup of money: Contributions and earnings are not kept separate, so you can’t convert one without the other.
You can, however, convert only a portion of your account, but you’ll still be taxed on the percentage that is considered earnings. One smart way to handle this is to convert only an amount on which you can afford to pay taxes. You want to be able to foot the tax bill out of money you have set aside that isn’t in retirement accounts, not from the proceeds of the conversion (otherwise, you’ll not only be pulling money away from retirement, but if you’re under age 59 1/2, you may penalized 10% for taking an early distribution). If you work with a tax advisor, he or she may also be able to help you settle on an amount to convert that will still allow you to keep your income within your current tax bracket. An advisor may suggest converting in small amounts over a few years, for example.
The benefit of a Roth IRA conversion comes if you think your tax rate will be higher in retirement than it is now — either because you expect taxes overall to increase or you think your individual tax rate will go up. Money in a Roth IRA grows tax free. It also isn’t subject to required minimum distributions, which means you can leave your money in a Roth indefinitely and use it as a tool to pass that money on to your heirs.
If you want to do the math and figure out how much tax you’ll actually be paying, there are several calculators on the web, including versions from Vanguard, Bankrate.com and Charles Schwab.
