Good news. The Tax Reform (TCJA) did not harm the backdoor Roth strategy. Do not miss tax free growth – over 40 year period 94% of your account balance is due to growth and only 6% is due to contributions.
First,
as you likely know, the Roth IRA is a terrific way to grow your wealth with a minimum tax downside because you pay the taxes up front and then, with the proper holding period, pay no taxes after that.
Second,
if you earn too much, you’re completely barred from contributing to a Roth IRA unless you can use the backdoor Roth technique, which involves making a nondeductible contribution to a traditional IRA and then rolling that money into a Roth.
In conclusion,
the backdoor Roth strategy has been around for a good nine years, and it has experienced no trouble that we are aware of, so we think it’s a good strategy. We also like the recent notations in the legislative history and the comments from the IRS spokesperson that show approval of the strategy.
Keep in mind that with some planning, you can avoid any taxes on the rollover. For example, if you have an existing traditional IRA, you can move those monies to your qualified plan to avoid having the backdoor strategy trigger some taxes. And if you have no traditional IRA, the nondeductible contribution to the traditional IRA and the subsequent rollover to the Roth IRA triggers no taxes.
We specialize in helping clients clarify their taxes so they keep more of their money. Letting your Roth IRA account grow tax free is what we call tax planning.
If you or someone you know would like to learn about Roth IRA and backdoor Roth, please feel free to contact me by scheduling a call, or by emailing at [email protected].
Tatsiana B. Bender
Bender CPA, PLLC
Fort Worth, TX 76107
[email protected]
Phone: (817) 313-4352
Bender-CPA.com
