17.
Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)
Due date for contributions and withdrawals. Contributions
can be made to your IRA for a year at any time during the year or by
the due date for filing your return for
that year, not including extensions. Because
April 15, 2012, falls on a Sunday and Emancipation Day, a legal holiday
in the
District of Columbia, falls on Monday, April 16,
2012, the due date for making contributions for 2011 to your IRA is
April
17, 2012. See
When Can Contributions Be Made?
There is a 6% excise tax on
excess contributions not withdrawn by the due date (including
extensions) for your
return. You will not have to pay the 6% tax if
any 2011 excess contributions are withdrawn by the due date of your
return
(including extensions). See
Excess Contributions
under What Acts Result in Penalties or Additional Taxes?
Modified AGI limit for traditional IRA contributions increased. For 2011, if you were covered by a retirement plan at work, your deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA is reduced
(phased out) if your modified AGI is:
-
More than $90,000 but less than $110,000 for a married couple filing a joint return or a qualifying widow(er),
-
More than $56,000 but less than $66,000 for a single individual or head of household, or
-
Less than $10,000 for a married individual filing a separate return.
If you either lived with your
spouse or file a joint return, and your spouse was covered by a
retirement plan
at work, but you were not, your deduction is
phased out if your modified AGI is more than $169,000 but less than
$179,000.
If your modified AGI is $179,000 or more, you
cannot take a deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA. See
How Much Can You Deduct
, later.
Modified AGI limit for Roth IRA contributions increased. For 2011, your Roth IRA contribution limit is reduced (phased out) in the following situations.
-
Your filing status is married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) and your modified AGI is at least $169,000. You cannot
make a Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $179,000 or more.
-
Your filing status is single, head of
household, or married filing separately and you did not live with your
spouse at any
time in 2011 and your modified AGI is
at least $107,000. You cannot make a Roth IRA contribution if your
modified AGI is $122,000
or more.
-
Your filing status is married filing
separately, you lived with your spouse at any time during the year, and
your modified
AGI is more than -0-. You cannot make a
Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $10,000 or more.
See
Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA
, later.
Modified AGI limit for traditional IRA contributions increased. For 2012, if you are covered by a retirement plan at work, your deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA is reduced
(phased out) if your modified AGI is:
-
More than $92,000 but less than $112,000 for a married couple filing a joint return or a qualifying widow(er),
-
More than $58,000 but less than $68,000 for a single individual or head of household, or
-
Less than $10,000 for a married individual filing a separate return.
If you either live with your
spouse or file a joint return, and your spouse is covered by a
retirement plan
at work, but you are not, your deduction is
phased out if your modified AGI is more than $173,000 but less than
$183,000.
If your modified AGI is $183,000 or more, you
cannot take a deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA.
Modified AGI limit for Roth IRA contributions increased. For 2012, your Roth IRA contribution limit is reduced (phased out) in the following situations.
-
Your filing status is married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) and your modified AGI is at least $173,000. You cannot
make a Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $183,000 or more.
-
Your filing status is single, head of
household, or married filing separately and you did not live with your
spouse at any
time in 2012 and your modified AGI is
at least $110,000. You cannot make a Roth IRA contribution if your
modified AGI is $125,000
or more.
-
Your filing status is married filing
separately, you lived with your spouse at any time during the year, and
your modified
AGI is more than -0-. You cannot make a
Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $10,000 or more.
Rollovers or conversions to a Roth IRA in 2010. If
you rolled over or converted an amount to your Roth IRA in 2010 that
you did not elect to include in income for 2010, you
are required to include your 2010 rollover or
conversion in income for 2011 and 2012. See Publication 590 for
information
on how much to include in your income for 2011.
Contributions to both traditional and Roth IRAs. For information on your combined contribution limit if you contribute to both traditional and Roth IRAs, see
Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs
under How Much Can Be Contributed? in Roth IRAs, later.
Statement of required minimum distribution. If
a minimum distribution is required from your IRA, the trustee,
custodian, or issuer that held the IRA at the end of the
preceding year must either report the amount of
the required minimum distribution to you, or offer to calculate it for
you.
The report or offer must include the date by
which the amount must be distributed. The report is due January 31 of
the year
in which the minimum distribution is required.
It can be provided with the year-end fair market value statement that
you normally
get each year. No report is required for IRAs of
owners who have died.
IRA interest. Although
interest earned from your IRA is generally not taxed in the year
earned, it is not tax-exempt interest. Tax on your
traditional IRA is generally deferred until you
take a distribution. Do not report this interest on your tax return as
tax-exempt
interest.
Form 8606.
To designate contributions as nondeductible, you must file Form 8606, Nondeductible IRAs.
Disaster-related tax relief. Special rules apply to the use of retirement funds (including IRAs) by qualified individuals who suffered an economic loss
as a result of:
-
The storms that began on May 4, 2007, in the Kansas disaster area, or
-
The severe storms in the Midwestern disaster areas in 2008.
For more information on these special rules see Tax Relief for Kansas Disaster Area and Tax Relief for Midwestern Disaster Areas in chapter 4 of Publication 590.
The term “
50 or older” is used several times in this chapter. It refers to an IRA owner who is age 50 or older by the end of the tax year.
An individual retirement arrangement (IRA) is a personal savings plan that gives you tax advantages for setting aside money
for your retirement.
This chapter discusses the following topics.
-
The rules for a traditional IRA (any IRA that is not a Roth or SIMPLE IRA).
-
The Roth IRA, which features nondeductible contributions and tax-free distributions.
Simplified Employee Pensions (SEPs) and Savings
Incentive Match Plans for Employees (SIMPLEs) are not discussed in this
chapter.
For more information on these plans and
employees' SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs that are part of these plans, see
Publications
560 and 590.
For information about contributions, deductions, withdrawals, transfers, rollovers, and other transactions, see Publication
590.
Useful Items - You may want to see:
In this chapter the original IRA (sometimes called an ordinary or regular IRA) is referred to as a “traditional IRA.” A traditional IRA is any IRA that is not a Roth IRA or a SIMPLE IRA.Two advantages of a traditional IRA are:
-
You may be able to deduct some or all of your contributions to it, depending on your circumstances, and
-
Generally, amounts in your IRA, including earnings and gains, are not taxed until they are distributed.
Who Can Open a Traditional IRA?
You can open and make contributions to a traditional IRA if:
-
You (or, if you file a joint return, your spouse) received taxable compensation during the year, and
-
You were not age 70½ by the end of the year.
What is compensation?
Generally, compensation is
what you earn from working. Compensation includes wages, salaries, tips,
professional fees,
bonuses, and other amounts you receive for
providing personal services. The IRS treats as compensation any amount
properly
shown in box 1 (Wages, tips, other
compensation) of Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, provided that amount
is reduced by any
amount properly shown in box 11 (Nonqualified
plans).
Scholarship and fellowship
payments are compensation for this purpose only if shown in box 1 of
Form W-2.
Compensation also includes
commissions and taxable alimony and separate maintenance payments.
Self-employment income.
If you are self-employed (a
sole proprietor or a partner), compensation is the net earnings from
your trade or business
(provided your personal services are a
material income-producing factor) reduced by the total of:
-
The deduction for contributions made on your behalf to retirement plans, and
-
The deductible part of your self-employment tax.
Compensation includes
earnings from self-employment even if they are not subject to
self-employment tax because of
your religious beliefs.
Nontaxable combat pay.
For IRA purposes, if you
were a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, your compensation includes any
nontaxable combat
pay you receive.
What is not compensation?
Compensation does not include any of the following items.
-
Earnings and profits from property, such as rental income, interest income, and dividend income.
-
Pension or annuity income.
-
Deferred compensation received (compensation payments postponed from a past year).
-
Income from a partnership for which you do not provide services that are a material income-producing factor.
-
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments reported on Schedule SE (Form 1040), line 1(b).
-
Any amounts (other than combat pay) you exclude from income, such as foreign earned income and housing costs.
When and How Can a Traditional IRA Be Opened?
You can open a traditional IRA at any time. However, the time for making contributions for any year is limited. See
When Can Contributions Be Made
, later.
You
can open different kinds of IRAs with a variety of organizations. You
can open an IRA at a bank or other financial institution
or with a mutual fund or life insurance
company. You can also open an IRA through your stockbroker. Any IRA must
meet Internal
Revenue Code requirements.
Kinds of traditional IRAs.
Your traditional IRA can be
an individual retirement account or annuity. It can be part of either a
simplified employee
pension (SEP) or an employer or employee
association trust account.
How Much Can Be Contributed?
There are limits and other rules that affect the amount that can be contributed to a traditional IRA. These limits and other
rules are explained below.
Community property laws.
Except as discussed later under
Spousal IRA limit
, each spouse figures his or her limit separately, using his or her own compensation. This is the rule even in states with
community property laws.
Brokers' commissions.
Brokers' commissions paid
in connection with your traditional IRA are subject to the contribution
limit.
Trustees' fees.
Trustees' administrative fees are not subject to the contribution limit.
Qualified reservist repayments.
If you are (or were) a
member of a reserve component and you were ordered or called to active
duty after September
11, 2001, you may be able to contribute
(repay) to an IRA amounts equal to any qualified reservist distributions
you received.
You can make these repayment contributions
even if they would cause your total contributions to the IRA to be more
than the
general limit on contributions. To be
eligible to make these repayment contributions, you must have received a
qualified reservist
distribution from an IRA or from a section
401(k) or 403(b) plan or similar arrangement.
For more information, see
Qualified reservist repayments under
How Much Can Be Contributed? in chapter 1 of Publication 590.
Contributions on your behalf to a traditional IRA reduce your limit for contributions to a Roth IRA. (See
Roth IRAs, later.)
General limit.
For 2011, the most that can
be contributed to your traditional IRA generally is the smaller of the
following amounts.
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older).
-
Your taxable compensation (defined earlier) for the year.
This is the most that can be contributed regardless of whether the contributions are to one or more traditional IRAs or whether
all or part of the contributions are nondeductible. (See
Nondeductible Contributions
, later.) Qualified reservist repayments do not affect this limit.
Example 1.
Betty, who is 34 years old and single, earned $24,000 in 2011. Her IRA contributions for 2011 are limited to $5,000.
Example 2.
John, an unmarried college student working part time, earned $3,500 in 2011. His IRA contributions for 2011 are limited to
$3,500, the amount of his compensation.
Spousal IRA limit.
For 2011, if you file a
joint return and your taxable compensation is less than that of your
spouse, the most that
can be contributed for the year to your IRA
is the smaller of the following amounts.
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older).
-
The total compensation includible in the gross income of both you and your spouse for the year, reduced by the following two
amounts.
-
Your spouse's IRA contribution for the year to a traditional IRA.
-
Any contribution for the year to a Roth IRA on behalf of your spouse.
This means that the total combined
contributions that can be made for the year to your IRA and your
spouse's IRA can be as
much as $10,000 ($11,000 if only one of you
is 50 or older, or $12,000 if both of you are 50 or older).
When Can Contributions Be Made?
As
soon as you open your traditional IRA, contributions can be made to it
through your chosen sponsor (trustee or other administrator).
Contributions must be in the form of money
(cash, check, or money order). Property cannot be contributed.
Contributions must be made by due date.
Contributions can be made
to your traditional IRA for a year at any time during the year or by the
due date for filing
your return for that year, not including
extensions.
Age 70½ rule.
Contributions cannot be
made to your traditional IRA for the year in which you reach age 70½ or
for any later year.
You attain age 70½ on the
date that is 6 calendar months after the 70th anniversary of your birth.
If you were born
on or before June 30, 1941, you cannot
contribute for 2011 or any later year.
Designating year for which contribution is made.
If an amount is contributed
to your traditional IRA between January 1 and April 17, you should tell
the sponsor which
year (the current year or the previous year)
the contribution is for. If you do not tell the sponsor which year it is
for,
the sponsor can assume, and report to the
IRS, that the contribution is for the current year (the year the sponsor
received
it).
Filing before a contribution is made.
You can file your return
claiming a traditional IRA contribution before the contribution is
actually made. Generally,
the contribution must be made by the due date
of your return, not including extensions.
Contributions not required.
You do not have to
contribute to your traditional IRA for every tax year, even if you can.
Generally, you can deduct the lesser of:
-
The contributions to your traditional IRA for the year, or
-
The general limit (or the spousal IRA limit, if it applies).
However, if you or your spouse was covered by an employer retirement plan, you may not be able to deduct this amount. See
Limit If Covered by Employer Plan
, later.
You may be able to claim a credit for contributions to your traditional IRA. For more information, see
chapter 36.
Trustees' fees.
Trustees' administrative
fees that are billed separately and paid in connection with your
traditional IRA are not
deductible as IRA contributions. However,
they may be deductible as a miscellaneous itemized deduction on Schedule
A (Form
1040). See
chapter 28.
Brokers' commissions.
Brokers' commissions are
part of your IRA contribution and, as such, are deductible subject to
the limits.
Full deduction.
If neither you nor your
spouse was covered for any part of the year by an employer retirement
plan, you can take a
deduction for total contributions to one or
more traditional IRAs of up to the lesser of:
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if you are age 50 or older in 2011).
-
100% of your compensation.
This limit is reduced by any contributions made to a 501(c)(18) plan on your behalf.
Spousal IRA.
In the case of a married
couple with unequal compensation who file a joint return, the deduction
for contributions
to the traditional IRA of the spouse with
less compensation is limited to the lesser of the following amounts.
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if the spouse with the lower compensation is age 50 or older in 2011).
-
The total compensation includible in the gross income of both spouses for the year reduced by the following three amounts.
-
The IRA deduction for the year of the spouse with the greater compensation.
-
Any designated nondeductible contribution for the year made on behalf of the spouse with the greater compensation.
-
Any contributions for the year to a Roth IRA on behalf of the spouse with the greater compensation.
This limit is reduced by any contributions to a 501(c)(18) plan on behalf of the spouse with the lesser compensation.
Note.
If
you were divorced or legally separated (and did not remarry) before the
end of the year, you cannot deduct any contributions
to your spouse's IRA. After a divorce
or legal separation, you can deduct only contributions to your own IRA.
Your deductions
are subject to the rules for single
individuals.
Covered by an employer retirement plan.
If you or your spouse was
covered by an employer retirement plan at any time during the year for
which contributions
were made, your deduction may be further
limited. This is discussed later under
Limit If Covered by Employer Plan
. Limits on the amount you can deduct do not affect the amount that can be contributed. See
Nondeductible Contributions
, later.
Are You Covered by an Employer Plan?
The Form W-2 you receive from your employer has a box used to indicate whether you were covered for the year. The “Retirement plan” box should be checked if you were covered.
Reservists and volunteer firefighters should also see
Situations in Which You Are Not Covered by an Employer Plan
, later.
If you are not certain whether you were covered by your employer's retirement plan, you should ask your employer.
Federal judges.
For purposes of the IRA
deduction, federal judges are covered by an employer retirement plan.
For Which Year(s) Are You Covered by an Employer Plan?
Special rules apply to determine the tax years for which you are covered by an employer plan. These rules differ depending
on whether the plan is a defined contribution plan or a defined benefit plan.
Tax year.
Your tax year is the
annual accounting period you use to keep records and report income and
expenses on your income
tax return. For almost all people, the tax
year is the calendar year.
Defined contribution plan.
Generally, you are
covered by a defined contribution plan for a tax year if amounts are
contributed or allocated to
your account for the plan year that ends
with or within that tax year.
A defined contribution
plan is a plan that provides for a separate account for each person
covered by the plan. Types
of defined contribution plans include
profit-sharing plans, stock bonus plans, and money purchase pension
plans.
Defined benefit plan.
If you are eligible to
participate in your employer's defined benefit plan for the plan year
that ends within your
tax year, you are covered by the plan.
This rule applies even if you:
-
Declined to participate in the plan,
-
Did not make a required contribution, or
-
Did not perform the minimum service required to accrue a benefit for the year.
A defined benefit plan
is any plan that is not a defined contribution plan. Defined benefit
plans include pension
plans and annuity plans.
No vested interest.
If you accrue a benefit
for a plan year, you are covered by that plan even if you have no vested
interest in (legal
right to) the accrual.
Situations in Which You Are Not Covered by an Employer Plan
Unless you are covered under another employer plan, you are not covered by an employer plan if you are in one of the situations
described below.
Social security or railroad retirement.
Coverage under social
security or railroad retirement is not coverage under an employer
retirement plan.
Benefits from a previous employer's plan.
If you receive
retirement benefits from a previous employer's plan, you are not covered
by that plan.
Reservists.
If the only reason you
participate in a plan is because you are a member of a reserve unit of
the armed forces, you
may not be covered by the plan. You are
not covered by the plan if both of the following conditions are met.
-
The plan you participate in is established for its employees by:
-
The United States,
-
A state or political subdivision of a state, or
-
An instrumentality of either (a) or (b) above.
-
You did not serve more than 90 days on active duty during the year (not counting duty for training).
Volunteer firefighters.
If the only reason you
participate in a plan is because you are a volunteer firefighter, you
may not be covered by
the plan. You are not covered by the plan
if both of the following conditions are met.
-
The plan you participate in is established for its employees by:
-
The United States,
-
A state or political subdivision of a state, or
-
An instrumentality of either (a) or (b) above.
-
Your accrued retirement benefits at the beginning of the year will not provide more than $1,800 per year at retirement.
Limit If Covered by Employer Plan
If
either you or your spouse was covered by an employer retirement plan,
you may be entitled to only a partial (reduced) deduction
or no deduction at all, depending on your
income and your filing status.
Your deduction begins to decrease (phase out) when your income rises above a certain amount and is eliminated altogether when
it reaches a higher amount. These amounts vary depending on your filing status.
To determine if your deduction is subject to phaseout, you must determine your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) and your
filing status. See
Filing status
and
Modified adjusted gross income (AGI)
, later. Then use Table 17-1 or 17-2 to determine if the phaseout applies.
Social security recipients.
Instead of using
Table 17-1 or
Table 17-2, use the worksheets in Appendix B of Publication 590 if, for the year, all of the following apply.
-
You received social security benefits.
-
You received taxable compensation.
-
Contributions were made to your traditional IRA.
-
You or your spouse was covered by an employer retirement plan.
Use those worksheets to figure your IRA deduction, your nondeductible contribution, and the taxable portion, if any, of your
social security benefits.
Deduction phaseout.
If you were covered by
an employer retirement plan and you did not receive any social security
retirement benefits,
your IRA deduction may be reduced or
eliminated depending on your filing status and modified AGI as shown in
Table 17-1.
Table 17-1.Effect of Modified AGI1 on Deduction if You Are Covered by Retirement Plan at Work
If you are covered by a retirement plan at work, use this table to determine if your modified AGI affects the amount of your
deduction.
|
IF your filing status is... |
|
AND your modified AGI is... |
|
THEN you can take... |
single or head of household |
|
$56,000 or less |
|
a full deduction. |
|
more than $56,000 but less than $66,000
|
|
a partial deduction. |
|
$66,000 or more |
|
no deduction. |
married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) |
|
$90,000 or less |
|
a full deduction. |
|
more than $90,000 but less than $110,000
|
|
a partial deduction. |
|
$110,000 or more |
|
no deduction. |
married filing separately2
|
|
less than $10,000 |
|
a partial deduction. |
|
$10,000 or more |
|
no deduction. |
1Modified AGI (adjusted gross income). See
Modified adjusted gross income (AGI)
.
|
2If you did not live with your spouse at any time during the year, your filing status is considered Single for this purpose
(therefore, your IRA deduction is determined under the “Single” column).
|
If your spouse is covered.
If you are not covered
by an employer retirement plan, but your spouse is, and you did not
receive any social security
benefits, your IRA deduction may be
reduced or eliminated entirely depending on your filing status and
modified AGI as shown
in
Table 17-2.
Table 17-2.Effect of Modified AGI1 on Deduction if You Are NOT Covered by Retirement Plan at Work
If you are not covered by a retirement plan at work, use this table to determine if your modified AGI affects the amount of your deduction.
|
IF your filing status is... |
|
AND your modified AGI is... |
|
THEN you can take... |
single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) |
|
any amount |
|
a full deduction. |
married filing jointly or separately with a spouse who is not covered by a plan at work
|
|
any amount |
|
a full deduction. |
married filing jointly with a spouse who is covered by a plan at work
|
|
$169,000 or less |
|
a full deduction. |
|
more than $169,000 but less than $179,000
|
|
a partial deduction. |
|
$179,000 or more |
|
no deduction. |
married filing separately with a spouse who is covered by a plan at work2 |
|
less than $10,000 |
|
a partial deduction. |
|
$10,000 or more |
|
no deduction. |
1Modified AGI (adjusted gross income). See
Modified adjusted gross income (AGI)
.
|
2You are entitled to the full deduction if you did not live with your spouse at any time during the year.
|
Filing status.
Your filing status
depends primarily on your marital status. For this purpose, you need to
know if your filing status
is single or head of household, married
filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), or married filing separately. If
you need
more information on filing status, see
chapter 2.
Lived apart from spouse.
If you did not live with
your spouse at any time during the year and you file a separate return,
your filing status,
for this purpose, is single.
Modified adjusted gross income (AGI).
How you figure your
modified AGI depends on whether you are filing Form 1040 or Form 1040A.
If you made contributions
to your IRA for 2011 and received a
distribution from your IRA in 2011, see Publication 590.
Do
not assume that your modified AGI is the same as your compensation.
Your modified AGI may include income in addition to
your compensation (discussed earlier),
such as interest, dividends, and income from IRA distributions.
Form 1040.
If you file Form 1040, refigure the amount on the page 1 “
adjusted gross income” line without taking into account any of the following amounts.
-
IRA deduction.
-
Student loan interest deduction.
-
Tuition and fees deduction.
-
Domestic production activities deduction.
-
Foreign earned income exclusion.
-
Foreign housing exclusion or deduction.
-
Exclusion of qualified savings bond interest shown on Form 8815, Exclusion of Interest From Series EE and I U.S. Savings Bonds
Issued After 1989.
-
Exclusion of employer-provided adoption benefits shown on Form 8839, Qualified Adoption Expenses.
This is your modified AGI.
Form 1040A.
If you file Form 1040A, refigure the amount on the page 1 “
adjusted gross income” line without taking into account any of the following amounts.
-
IRA deduction.
-
Student loan interest deduction.
-
Tuition and fees deduction.
-
Exclusion of qualified savings bond interest shown on Form 8815.
This is your modified AGI.
Both contributions for 2011 and distributions in 2011.
If all three of the
following apply, any IRA distributions you received in 2011 may be
partly tax free and partly
taxable.
-
You received distributions in 2011 from one or more traditional IRAs.
-
You made contributions to a traditional IRA for 2011.
-
Some of those contributions may be nondeductible contributions.
If this is your situation, you must
figure the taxable part of the traditional IRA distribution before you
can figure your
modified AGI. To do this, you can use
Worksheet 1-5, Figuring the Taxable Part of Your IRA Distribution, in
Publication 590.
If at least one of the above does not apply, figure your modified AGI using
Worksheet 17-1, later.
How to figure your reduced IRA deduction.
You can figure your
reduced IRA deduction for either Form 1040 or Form 1040A by using the
worksheets in chapter 1
of Publication 590. Also, the instructions
for Form 1040 and Form 1040A include similar worksheets that you may be
able to
use instead.
Reporting Deductible Contributions
If you file Form 1040, enter your IRA deduction on line 32 of that form. If you file Form 1040A, enter your IRA deduction
on line 17. You cannot deduct IRA contributions on Form 1040EZ.
Worksheet 17-1.Figuring Your Modified AGI
Use this worksheet to figure your modified adjusted gross income for traditional IRA purposes.
|
1. |
Enter your adjusted gross income (AGI) from Form 1040, line 38, or Form 1040A, line 22, figured without taking into account
the amount from Form 1040, line 32, or Form 1040A, line 17
|
1. |
|
2. |
Enter any student loan interest deduction from Form 1040, line 33, or Form 1040A, line 18 |
2. |
|
3. |
Enter any tuition and fees deduction from Form 1040, line 34, or Form 1040A, line 19 |
3. |
|
4. |
Enter any domestic production activities deduction from Form 1040, line 35 |
4. |
|
5. |
Enter any foreign earned income and/or housing exclusion from Form 2555, line 45, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18 |
5. |
|
6. |
Enter any foreign housing deduction from Form 2555, line 50 |
6. |
|
7. |
Enter any excludable savings bond interest from Form 8815, line 14 |
7. |
|
8. |
Enter any excluded employer-provided adoption benefits from Form 8839, line 24 |
8. |
|
9. |
Add lines 1 through 8. This is your Modified AGI for traditional IRA purposes
|
9. |
|
Nondeductible Contributions
Although
your deduction for IRA contributions may be reduced or eliminated,
contributions can be made to your IRA up to the
general limit or, if it applies, the spousal
IRA limit. The difference between your total permitted contributions and
your
IRA deduction, if any, is your nondeductible
contribution.
Example.
Mike is 28 years old and single. In 2011,
he was covered by a retirement plan at work. His salary was $57,312. His
modified
AGI was $68,000. Mike made a $5,000 IRA
contribution for 2011. Because he was covered by a retirement plan and
his modified
AGI was over $66,000, he cannot deduct his
$5,000 IRA contribution. He must designate this contribution as a
nondeductible
contribution by reporting it on Form 8606,
as explained next.
Form 8606.
To designate contributions as nondeductible, you must file Form 8606.
You do not have to
designate a contribution as nondeductible until you file your tax
return. When you file, you can
even designate otherwise deductible
contributions as nondeductible.
You must file Form 8606 to
report nondeductible contributions even if you do not have to file a tax
return for the
year.
A
Form 8606 is not used for the year that you make a rollover from a
qualified retirement plan to a traditional IRA and the
rollover includes nontaxable amounts. In
those situations, a Form 8606 is completed for the year you take a
distribution from
that IRA. See
Form 8606 under Distributions Fully or Partly Taxable, later.
Failure to report nondeductible contributions.
If you do not report
nondeductible contributions, all of the contributions to your
traditional IRA will be treated
as deductible contributions when withdrawn.
All distributions from your IRA will be taxed unless you can show, with
satisfactory
evidence, that nondeductible contributions
were made.
Penalty for overstatement.
If you overstate the amount
of nondeductible contributions on your Form 8606 for any tax year, you
must pay a penalty
of $100 for each overstatement, unless it was
due to reasonable cause.
Penalty for failure to file Form 8606.
You will have to pay a $50
penalty if you do not file a required Form 8606, unless you can prove
that the failure
was due to reasonable cause.
Tax on earnings on nondeductible contributions.
As long as contributions
are within the contribution limits, none of the earnings or gains on
contributions (deductible
or nondeductible) will be taxed until they
are distributed. See
When Can You Withdraw or Use IRA Assets
, later.
Cost basis.
You will have a cost basis
in your traditional IRA if you made any nondeductible contributions.
Your cost basis is
the sum of the nondeductible contributions to
your IRA minus any withdrawals or distributions of nondeductible
contributions.
If
you inherit a traditional IRA, you are called a beneficiary. A
beneficiary can be any person or entity the owner chooses
to receive the benefits of the IRA after he
or she dies. Beneficiaries of a traditional IRA must include in their
gross income
any taxable distributions they receive.
Inherited from spouse.
If you inherit a
traditional IRA from your spouse, you generally have the following three
choices. You can:
-
Treat it as your own IRA by designating yourself as the account owner.
-
Treat it as your own by rolling it over into your IRA, or to the extent it is taxable, into a:
-
Qualified employer plan,
-
Qualified employee annuity plan (section 403(a) plan),
-
Tax-sheltered annuity plan (section 403(b) plan), or
-
Deferred compensation plan of a state or local government (section 457 plan).
-
Treat yourself as the beneficiary rather than treating the IRA as your own.
Treating it as your own.
You will be considered to have chosen to treat the IRA as your own if:
-
Contributions (including rollover contributions) are made to the inherited IRA, or
-
You do not take the required minimum distribution for a year as a beneficiary of the IRA.
You will only be considered to have chosen to treat the IRA as your own if:
-
You are the sole beneficiary of the IRA, and
-
You have an unlimited right to withdraw amounts from it.
However, if you receive a
distribution from your deceased spouse's IRA, you can roll that
distribution over into your
own IRA within the 60-day time limit, as long
as the distribution is not a required distribution, even if you are not
the
sole beneficiary of your deceased spouse's
IRA.
Inherited from someone other than spouse.
If you inherit a
traditional IRA from anyone other than your deceased spouse, you cannot
treat the inherited IRA as
your own. This means that you cannot make any
contributions to the IRA. It also means you cannot roll over any
amounts into
or out of the inherited IRA. However, you can
make a trustee-to-trustee transfer as long as the IRA into which
amounts are
being moved is set up and maintained in the
name of the deceased IRA owner for the benefit of you as beneficiary.
For more information, see the discussion of inherited IRAs under Rollover From One IRA Into Another, later.
Can You Move Retirement Plan Assets?
You can transfer, tax free, assets (money or property) from other retirement plans (including traditional IRAs) to a traditional
IRA. You can make the following kinds of transfers.
Transfers to Roth IRAs.
Under certain conditions,
you can move assets from a traditional IRA or from a designated Roth
account to a Roth IRA.
You can also move assets from a qualified
retirement plan to a Roth IRA. See
Can You Move Amounts Into a Roth IRA?
under
Roth IRAs, later.
Trustee-to-Trustee Transfer
A
transfer of funds in your traditional IRA from one trustee directly to
another, either at your request or at the trustee's
request, is not a rollover. Because there
is no distribution to you, the transfer is tax free. Because it is not a
rollover,
it is not affected by the 1-year waiting
period required between rollovers, discussed later under
Rollover From One IRA Into Another
. For information about direct transfers to IRAs from retirement plans other than IRAs, see Publication 590.
Generally,
a rollover is a tax-free distribution to you of cash or other assets
from one retirement plan that you contribute
(roll over) to another retirement plan.
The contribution to the second retirement plan is called a “rollover contribution.”
Note.
An amount rolled over tax free from one retirement plan to another is generally includible in income when it is distributed
from the second plan.
Kinds of rollovers to a traditional IRA.
You can roll over amounts from the following plans into a traditional IRA:
-
A traditional IRA,
-
An employer's qualified retirement plan for its employees,
-
A deferred compensation plan of a state or local government (section 457 plan), or
-
A tax-sheltered annuity plan (section 403(b) plan).
Kinds of rollovers from a traditional IRA.
You may be able to roll
over, tax free, a distribution from your traditional IRA into a
qualified plan. These plans
include the federal Thrift Savings Fund
(for federal employees), deferred compensation plans of state or local
governments
(section 457 plans), and tax-sheltered
annuity plans (section 403(b) plans). The part of the distribution that
you can roll
over is the part that would otherwise be
taxable (includible in your income). Qualified plans may, but are not
required to,
accept such rollovers.
Time limit for making a rollover contribution.
You generally must make
the rollover contribution by the 60th day after the day you receive the
distribution from
your traditional IRA or your employer's
plan.
The
IRS may waive the 60-day requirement where the failure to do so would
be against equity or good conscience, such as in
the event of a casualty, disaster, or
other event beyond your reasonable control. For more information, see
Publication 590.
Extension of rollover period.
If an amount distributed
to you from a traditional IRA or a qualified employer retirement plan
is a frozen deposit
at any time during the 60-day period
allowed for a rollover, special rules extend the rollover period. For
more information,
see Publication 590.
More information.
For more information on rollovers, see Publication 590.
Rollover From One IRA Into Another
You
can withdraw, tax free, all or part of the assets from one traditional
IRA if you reinvest them within 60 days in the
same or another traditional IRA. Because
this is a rollover, you cannot deduct the amount that you reinvest in an
IRA.
Waiting period between rollovers.
Generally, if you make a
tax-free rollover of any part of a distribution from a traditional IRA,
you cannot, within
a 1-year period, make a tax-free rollover
of any later distribution from that same IRA. You also cannot make a
tax-free rollover
of any amount distributed, within the same
1-year period, from the IRA into which you made the tax-free rollover.
The 1-year period begins
on the date you receive the IRA distribution, not on the date you roll
it over into an IRA.
Example.
You have two traditional IRAs, IRA-1
and IRA-2. You make a tax-free rollover of a distribution from IRA-1
into a new traditional
IRA (IRA-3). You cannot, within 1
year of the distribution from IRA-1, make a tax-free rollover of any
distribution from either
IRA-1 or IRA-3 into another
traditional IRA.
However, the rollover from IRA-1
into IRA-3 does not prevent you from making a tax-free rollover from
IRA-2 into any other
traditional IRA. This is because you
have not, within the last year, rolled over, tax free, any distribution
from IRA-2 or
made a tax-free rollover into IRA-2.
Exception.
For an exception for
distributions from failed financial institutions, see Publication 590.
Partial rollovers.
If you withdraw assets
from a traditional IRA, you can roll over part of the withdrawal tax
free and keep the rest
of it. The amount you keep will generally
be taxable (except for the part that is a return of nondeductible
contributions).
The amount you keep may be subject to the
10% additional tax on early distributions, discussed later under
What Acts Result in Penalties or Additional Taxes
.
Required distributions.
Amounts that must be
distributed during a particular year under the required distribution
rules (discussed later)
are not eligible for rollover treatment.
Inherited IRAs.
If you inherit a
traditional IRA from your spouse, you generally can roll it over, or you
can choose to make the inherited
IRA your own. See
Treating it as your own
, earlier.
Not inherited from spouse.
If you inherit a
traditional IRA from someone other than your spouse, you cannot roll it
over or allow it to receive
a rollover contribution. You must withdraw
the IRA assets within a certain period. For more information, see
Publication 590.
Reporting rollovers from IRAs.
Report any rollover from
one traditional IRA to the same or another traditional IRA on lines 15a
and 15b, Form 1040,
or lines 11a and 11b, Form 1040A.
Enter the total amount
of the distribution on Form 1040, line 15a, or Form 1040A, line 11a. If
the total amount on
Form 1040, line 15a, or Form 1040A, line
11a, was rolled over, enter zero on Form 1040, line 15b, or Form 1040A,
line 11b.
If the total distribution was not rolled
over, enter the taxable portion of the part that was not rolled over on
Form 1040,
line 15b, or Form 1040A, line 11b. Put “
Rollover” next to Form 1040, line 15b, or Form 1040A, line 11b. See the forms instructions.
If you rolled over the
distribution into a qualified plan (other than an IRA) or you make the
rollover in 2012, attach
a statement explaining what you did.
Rollover From Employer's Plan Into an IRA
You
can roll over into a traditional IRA all or part of an eligible
rollover distribution you receive from your (or your deceased
spouse's):
-
Employer's qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan;
-
Annuity plan;
-
Tax-sheltered annuity plan (section 403(b) plan); or
-
Governmental deferred compensation plan (section 457 plan).
A qualified plan is one that meets the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.
Eligible rollover distribution.
Generally, an eligible
rollover distribution is any distribution of all or part of the balance
to your credit in a
qualified retirement plan except the
following.
-
A required minimum distribution (explained later under
When Must You Withdraw IRA Assets? (Required Minimum Distributions)
.
-
A hardship distribution.
-
Any of a series of substantially equal periodic distributions paid at least once a year over:
-
Your lifetime or life expectancy,
-
The lifetimes or life expectancies of you and your beneficiary, or
-
A period of 10 years or more.
-
Corrective distributions of excess contributions or excess deferrals, and any income allocable to the excess, or of excess
annual additions and any allocable gains.
-
A loan treated as a
distribution because it does not satisfy certain requirements either
when made or later (such as upon
default), unless the
participant's accrued benefits are reduced (offset) to repay the loan.
-
Dividends on employer securities.
-
The cost of life insurance coverage.
Any
nontaxable amounts that you roll over into your traditional IRA become
part of your basis (cost) in your IRAs. To recover
your basis when you take distributions
from your IRA, you must complete Form 8606 for the year of the
distribution. See
Form 8606 under Distributions Fully or Partly Taxable, later.
Rollover by nonspouse beneficiary.
A direct transfer from a
deceased employee's qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus
plan; annuity plan;
tax-sheltered annuity (section 403(b))
plan; or governmental deferred compensation (section 457) plan to an IRA
set up to
receive the distribution on your behalf
can be treated as an eligible rollover distribution if you are the
designated beneficiary
of the plan and not the employee's spouse.
The IRA is treated as an inherited IRA. For more information about
inherited IRAs,
see
Inherited IRAs
, earlier.
Reporting rollovers from employer plans.
Enter the total
distribution (before income tax or other deductions were withheld) on
Form 1040, line 16a, or Form
1040A, line 12a. This amount should be
shown in box 1 of Form 1099-R. From this amount, subtract any
contributions (usually
shown in box 5 of Form 1099-R) that were
taxable to you when made. From that result, subtract the amount that was
rolled over
either directly or within 60 days of
receiving the distribution. Enter the remaining amount, even if zero, on
Form 1040, line
16b, or Form 1040A, line 12b. Also, enter
"Rollover" next to Form 1040, line 16b, or Form 1040A, line 12b.
Transfers Incident to Divorce
If
an interest in a traditional IRA is transferred from your spouse or
former spouse to you by a divorce or separate maintenance
decree or a written document related to
such a decree, the interest in the IRA, starting from the date of the
transfer, is
treated as your IRA. The transfer is tax
free. For detailed information, see Publication 590.
Converting From Any Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
Allowable conversions.
You can withdraw all or
part of the assets from a traditional IRA and reinvest them (within 60
days) in a Roth IRA.
The amount that you withdraw and timely
contribute (convert) to the Roth IRA is called a conversion
contribution. If properly
(and timely) rolled over, the 10%
additional tax on early distributions will not apply.
Required distributions.
You cannot convert
amounts that must be distributed from your traditional IRA for a
particular year (including the
calendar year in which you reach age 70½)
under the required distribution rules (discussed later).
Income.
You must include in your
gross income distributions from a traditional IRA that you would have
had to include in income
if you had not converted them into a Roth
IRA. These amounts are normally included in income on your return for
the year that
you converted them from a traditional IRA
to a Roth IRA.
However, for 2010
conversions, any amounts you must include in income are included in
income in equal amounts in 2011
and 2012 unless you elected to include the
entire amount in income in 2010. See
Special rules for 2010 conversions from traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs in Publication 590 for more information.
You do not include in
gross income any part of a distribution from a traditional IRA that is a
return of your basis,
as discussed later.
You must file Form 8606
to report 2011 conversions from traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRAs to a
Roth IRA in 2011 (unless
you recharacterized the entire amount) and
to figure the amount to include in income.
If you must include any
amount in your gross income, you may have to increase your withholding
or make estimated tax
payments. See
chapter 4.
You may be able to treat a contribution made to one type of IRA as having been made to a different type of IRA. This is called
recharacterizing the contribution. More detailed information is in Publication 590.
How to recharacterize a contribution.
To recharacterize a
contribution, you generally must have the contribution transferred from
the first IRA (the one
to which it was made) to the second IRA in
a trustee-to-trustee transfer. If the transfer is made by the due date
(including
extensions) for your tax return for the
year during which the contribution was made, you can elect to treat the
contribution
as having been originally made to the
second IRA instead of to the first IRA. If you recharacterize your
contribution, you
must do all three of the following.
-
Include in the transfer any net income allocable to the contribution. If there was a loss, the net income you must transfer
may be a negative amount.
-
Report the recharacterization on your tax return for the year during which the contribution was made.
-
Treat the contribution as having been made to the second IRA on the date that it was actually made to the first IRA.
No deduction allowed.
You cannot deduct the
contribution to the first IRA. Any net income you transfer with the
recharacterized contribution
is treated as earned in the second IRA.
Required notifications.
To recharacterize a
contribution, you must notify both the trustee of the first IRA (the one
to which the contribution
was actually made) and the trustee of the
second IRA (the one to which the contribution is being moved) that you
have elected
to treat the contribution as having been
made to the second IRA rather than the first. You must make the
notifications by
the date of the transfer. Only one
notification is required if both IRAs are maintained by the same
trustee. The notification(s)
must include all of the following
information.
-
The type and amount of the contribution to the first IRA that is to be recharacterized.
-
The date on which the contribution was made to the first IRA and the year for which it was made.
-
A direction to the trustee of
the first IRA to transfer in a trustee-to-trustee transfer the amount of
the contribution and
any net income (or loss)
allocable to the contribution to the trustee of the second IRA.
-
The name of the trustee of the first IRA and the name of the trustee of the second IRA.
-
Any additional information needed to make the transfer.
Reporting a recharacterization.
If you elect to
recharacterize a contribution to one IRA as a contribution to another
IRA, you must report the recharacterization
on your tax return as directed by Form
8606 and its instructions. You must treat the contribution as having
been made to the
second IRA.
When Can You Withdraw or Use IRA Assets?
There
are rules limiting use of your IRA assets and distributions from it.
Violation of the rules generally results in additional
taxes in the year of violation. See
What Acts Result in Penalties or Additional Taxes
, later.
Contributions returned before the due date of return.
If you made IRA
contributions in 2011, you can withdraw them tax free by the due date of
your return. If you have
an extension of time to file your return, you
can withdraw them tax free by the extended due date. You can do this
if, for
each contribution you withdraw, both of the
following conditions apply.
-
You did not take a deduction for the contribution.
-
You withdraw any interest or
other income earned on the contribution. You can take into account any
loss on the contribution
while it was in the IRA when
calculating the amount that must be withdrawn. If there was a loss, the
net income earned on
the contribution may be a
negative amount.
Note.
To calculate the amount you must withdraw, see Publication 590.
Earnings includible in income.
You must include in income
any earnings on the contributions you withdraw. Include the earnings in
income for the
year in which you made the contributions, not
in the year in which you withdraw them.
Generally,
except for any part of a withdrawal that is a return of nondeductible
contributions (basis), any withdrawal of
your contributions after the due date (or
extended due date) of your return will be treated as a taxable
distribution. Excess
contributions can also be recovered tax free
as discussed under
What Acts Result in Penalties or Additional Taxes, later.
Early distributions tax.
The 10% additional tax on
distributions made before you reach age 59½ does not apply to these
tax-free withdrawals
of your contributions. However, the
distribution of interest or other income must be reported on Form 5329
and, unless the
distribution qualifies as an exception to the
age 59½ rule, it will be subject to this tax.
When Must You Withdraw IRA Assets? (Required Minimum Distributions)
You
cannot keep funds in a traditional IRA indefinitely. Eventually they
must be distributed. If there are no distributions,
or if the distributions are not large enough,
you may have to pay a 50% excise tax on the amount not distributed as
required.
See
Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions)
, later. The requirements for distributing IRA funds differ depending on whether you are the IRA owner or the beneficiary
of a decedent's IRA.
Required minimum distribution.
The amount that must be
distributed each year is referred to as the required minimum
distribution.
Required distributions not eligible for rollover.
Amounts that must be
distributed (required minimum distributions) during a particular year
are not eligible for rollover
treatment.
IRA owners.
If you are the owner of a
traditional IRA, you must generally start receiving distributions from
your IRA by April
1 of the year following the year in which you
reach age 70½. April 1 of the year following the year in which you
reach age
70½ is referred to as the required beginning
date.
Distributions by the required beginning date.
You must receive at least a
minimum amount for each year starting with the year you reach age 70½
(your 70½ year).
If you do not (or did not) receive that
minimum amount in your 70½ year, then you must receive distributions for
your 70½
year by April 1 of the next year.
If an IRA owner dies after
reaching age 70½, but before April 1 of the next year, no minimum
distribution is required
because death occurred before the required
beginning date.
Even if you begin receiving distributions before you attain age 70½, you must begin calculating and receiving required minimum
distributions by your required beginning date.
Distributions after the required beginning date.
The required minimum
distribution for any year after the year you turn 70½ must be made by
December 31 of that later
year.
Beneficiaries.
If you are the beneficiary
of a decedent's traditional IRA, the requirements for distributions from
that IRA generally
depend on whether the IRA owner died before
or after the required beginning date for distributions.
More information.
For more information,
including how to figure your minimum required distribution each year and
how to figure your
required distribution if you are a
beneficiary of a decedent's IRA, see Publication 590.
Are Distributions Taxable?
In general, distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable in the year you receive them.
Exceptions.
Exceptions to distributions
from traditional IRAs being taxable in the year you receive them are:
-
Rollovers,
-
Qualified charitable distributions, discussed later,
-
Tax-free withdrawals of contributions, discussed earlier, and
-
The return of nondeductible contributions, discussed later under
Distributions Fully or Partly Taxable
.
Although
a conversion of a traditional IRA is considered a rollover for Roth IRA
purposes, it is not an exception to the rule
that distributions from a traditional IRA are
taxable in the year you receive them. Conversion distributions are
includible
in your gross income subject to this rule and
the special rules for conversions explained in Publication 590.
Qualified charitable distributions (QCD).
A QCD is generally a
nontaxable distribution made directly by the trustee of your IRA to an
organization eligible
to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Special rules apply if you made a qualified charitable distribution in
January 2011
that you elected to treat as made in 2010.
See
Qualified Charitable Distributions in Publication 590 for more information.
Ordinary income.
Distributions from
traditional IRAs that you include in income are taxed as ordinary
income.
No special treatment.
In figuring your tax, you
cannot use the 10-year tax option or capital gain treatment that applies
to lump-sum distributions
from qualified retirement plans.
Distributions Fully or Partly Taxable
Distributions from your traditional IRA may be fully or partly taxable, depending on whether your IRA includes any nondeductible
contributions.
Fully taxable.
If only deductible
contributions were made to your traditional IRA (or IRAs, if you have
more than one), you have
no basis in your IRA. Because you have no
basis in your IRA, any distributions are fully taxable when received.
See
Reporting taxable distributions on your return
, later.
Partly taxable.
If
you made nondeductible contributions or rolled over any after-tax
amounts to any of your traditional IRAs, you have a cost
basis (investment in the contract) equal
to the amount of those contributions. These nondeductible contributions
are not taxed
when they are distributed to you. They are
a return of your investment in your IRA.
Only the part of the
distribution that represents nondeductible contributions and rolled over
after-tax amounts (your
cost basis) is tax free. If nondeductible
contributions have been made or after-tax amounts have been rolled over
to your
IRA, distributions consist partly of
nondeductible contributions (basis) and partly of deductible
contributions, earnings,
and gains (if there are any). Until all of
your basis has been distributed, each distribution is partly nontaxable
and partly
taxable.
Form 8606.
You must complete Form
8606 and attach it to your return if you receive a distribution from a
traditional IRA and
have ever made nondeductible contributions
or rolled over after-tax amounts to any of your traditional IRAs. Using
the form,
you will figure the nontaxable
distributions for 2011 and your total IRA basis for 2011 and earlier
years.
Note.
If you are required to file Form 8606, but you are not required to file an income tax return, you still must file Form 8606.
Send it to the IRS at the time and place you would otherwise file an income tax return.
Distributions reported on Form 1099-R.
If you receive a
distribution from your traditional IRA, you will receive Form 1099-R,
Distributions From Pensions,
Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing
Plans, IRAs, Insurance Contracts, etc., or a similar statement. IRA
distributions
are shown in boxes 1 and 2a of Form
1099-R. A number or letter code in box 7 tells you what type of
distribution you received
from your IRA.
Withholding.
Federal income tax is
withheld from distributions from traditional IRAs unless you choose not
to have tax withheld.
See
chapter 4.
IRA distributions delivered outside the United States.
In general, if you are a
U.S. citizen or resident alien and your home address is outside the
United States or its
possessions, you cannot choose exemption
from withholding on distributions from your traditional IRA.
Reporting taxable distributions on your return.
Report
fully taxable distributions, including early distributions on Form
1040, line 15b, or Form 1040A, line 11b (no entry
is required on Form 1040, line 15a, or
Form 1040A, line 11a). If only part of the distribution is taxable,
enter the total
amount on Form 1040, line 15a, or Form
1040A, line 11a, and the taxable part on Form 1040, line 15b, or Form
1040A, line 11b.
You cannot report distributions on Form
1040EZ.
What Acts Result in Penalties or Additional Taxes?
The tax advantages of using traditional IRAs for retirement savings can be offset by additional taxes and penalties if you
do not follow the rules.
There are additions to the regular tax for using your IRA funds in prohibited transactions. There are also additional taxes
for the following activities.
-
Investing in collectibles.
-
Making excess contributions.
-
Taking early distributions.
-
Allowing excess amounts to accumulate (failing to take required distributions).
There are penalties for overstating the amount of nondeductible contributions and for failure to file a Form 8606, if required.
Generally, a prohibited transaction is any improper use of your traditional IRA by you, your beneficiary, or any disqualified
person.
Disqualified persons include your fiduciary and members of your family (spouse, ancestor, lineal descendent, and any spouse
of a lineal descendent).
The following are examples of prohibited transactions with a traditional IRA.
-
Borrowing money from it.
-
Selling property to it.
-
Receiving unreasonable compensation for managing it.
-
Using it as security for a loan.
-
Buying property for personal use (present or future) with IRA funds.
Effect on an IRA account.
Generally, if you or
your beneficiary engages in a prohibited transaction in connection with
your traditional IRA
account at any time during the year, the
account stops being an IRA as of the first day of that year.
Effect on you or your beneficiary.
If your account stops
being an IRA because you or your beneficiary engaged in a prohibited
transaction, the account
is treated as distributing all its assets
to you at their fair market values on the first day of the year. If the
total of
those values is more than your basis in
the IRA, you will have a taxable gain that is includible in your income.
For information
on figuring your gain and reporting it in
income, see
Are Distributions Taxable
, earlier. The distribution may be subject to additional taxes or penalties.
Taxes on prohibited transactions.
If someone other than
the owner or beneficiary of a traditional IRA engages in a prohibited
transaction, that person
may be liable for certain taxes. In
general, there is a 15% tax on the amount of the prohibited transaction
and a 100% additional
tax if the transaction is not corrected.
More information.
For more information on prohibited transactions, see Publication 590.
Investment in Collectibles
If your traditional IRA invests in collectibles, the amount invested is considered distributed to you in the year invested.
You may have to pay the 10% additional tax on early distributions, discussed later.
Collectibles.
These include:
Exception.
Your
IRA can invest in one, one-half, one-quarter, or one-tenth ounce U.S.
gold coins, or one-ounce silver coins minted by
the Treasury Department. It can also
invest in certain platinum coins and certain gold, silver, palladium,
and platinum bullion.
Generally, an excess contribution is the amount contributed to your traditional IRA(s) for the year that is more than the
smaller of:
-
The maximum deductible amount for the year. For 2011, this is $5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older), or
-
Your taxable compensation for the year.
Tax on excess contributions.
In general, if the
excess contributions for a year are not withdrawn by the date your
return for the year is due (including
extensions), you are subject to a 6% tax.
You must pay the 6% tax each year on excess amounts that remain in your
traditional
IRA at the end of your tax year. The tax
cannot be more than 6% of the combined value of all your IRAs as of the
end of your
tax year.
Excess contributions withdrawn by due date of return.
You will not have to pay
the 6% tax if you withdraw an excess contribution made during a tax
year and you also withdraw
interest or other income earned on the
excess contribution. You must complete your withdrawal by the date your
tax return
for that year is due, including
extensions.
How to treat withdrawn contributions.
Do not include in your
gross income an excess contribution that you withdraw from your
traditional IRA before your
tax return is due if both the following
conditions are met.
You can take into account any loss
on the contribution while it was in the IRA when calculating the amount
that must be withdrawn.
If there was a loss, the net income you
must withdraw may be a negative amount.
How to treat withdrawn interest or other income.
You must include in your
gross income the interest or other income that was earned on the excess
contribution. Report
it on your return for the year in which
the excess contribution was made. Your withdrawal of interest or other
income may
be subject to an additional 10% tax on
early distributions, discussed later.
Excess contributions withdrawn after due date of return.
In general, you must
include all distributions (withdrawals) from your traditional IRA in
your gross income. However,
if the following conditions are met, you
can withdraw excess contributions from your IRA and not include the
amount withdrawn
in your gross income.
-
Total contributions (other than rollover contributions) for 2011 to your IRA were not more than $5,000 ($6,000 if you are
50 or older).
-
You did not take a deduction for the excess contribution being withdrawn.
The withdrawal can take place at any time, even after the due date, including extensions, for filing your tax return for the
year.
Excess contribution deducted in an earlier year.
If you deducted an
excess contribution in an earlier year for which the total contributions
were not more than the
maximum deductible amount for that year
($2,000 for 2001 and earlier years, $3,000 for 2002 through 2004 ($3,500
if you were
age 50 or older), $4,000 for 2005 ($4,500
if you were age 50 or older), $4,000 for 2006 or 2007 ($5,000 if you
were age 50
or older), $5,000 for 2008 through 2010
($6,000 if you were age 50 or older)), you can still remove the excess
from your traditional
IRA and not include it in your gross
income. To do this, file Form 1040X for that year and do not deduct the
excess contribution
on the amended return. Generally, you can
file an amended return within 3 years after you filed your return, or 2
years from
the time the tax was paid, whichever is
later.
Excess due to incorrect rollover information.
If an excess
contribution in your traditional IRA is the result of a rollover and the
excess occurred because the
information the plan was required to give
you was incorrect, you can withdraw the excess contribution. The limits
mentioned
above are increased by the amount of the
excess that is due to the incorrect information. You will have to amend
your return
for the year in which the excess occurred
to correct the reporting of the rollover amounts in that year. Do not
include in
your gross income the part of the excess
contribution caused by the incorrect information.
You must include early distributions of taxable amounts from your traditional IRA in your gross income. Early distributions
are also subject to an additional 10% tax. See the discussion of Form 5329 under
Reporting Additional Taxes
, later, to figure and report the tax.
Early distributions defined.
Early distributions
generally are amounts distributed from your traditional IRA account or
annuity before you are
age 59½.
Age 59½ rule.
Generally, if you are
under age 59½, you must pay a 10% additional tax on the distribution of
any assets (money or
other property) from your traditional IRA.
Distributions before you are age 59½ are called early distributions.
The 10% additional tax
applies to the part of the distribution that you have to include in
gross income. It is in
addition to any regular income tax on that
amount.
Exceptions.
There are several
exceptions to the age 59½ rule. Even if you receive a distribution
before you are age 59½, you may
not have to pay the 10% additional tax if
you are in one of the following situations.
-
You have unreimbursed medical expenses that are more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.
-
The distributions are not more than the cost of your medical insurance.
-
You are disabled.
-
You are the beneficiary of a deceased IRA owner.
-
You are receiving distributions in the form of an annuity.
-
The distributions are not more than your qualified higher education expenses.
-
You use the distributions to buy, build, or rebuild a first home.
-
The distribution is due to an IRS levy of the qualified plan.
-
The distribution is a qualified reservist distribution.
Most of these exceptions are explained in Publication 590.
Note.
Distributions
that are timely and properly rolled over, as discussed earlier, are not
subject to either regular income tax
or the 10% additional tax. Certain
withdrawals of excess contributions after the due date of your return
are also tax free
and therefore not subject to the 10%
additional tax. (See
Excess contributions withdrawn after due date of return
, earlier.) This also applies to transfers incident to divorce, as discussed earlier.
Receivership distributions.
Early distributions
(with or without your consent) from savings institutions placed in
receivership are subject to
this tax unless one of the exceptions
listed earlier applies. This is true even if the distribution is from a
receiver that
is a state agency.
Additional 10% tax.
The additional tax on
early distributions is 10% of the amount of the early distribution that
you must include in
your gross income. This tax is in addition
to any regular income tax resulting from including the distribution in
income.
Nondeductible contributions.
The tax on early
distributions does not apply to the part of a distribution that
represents a return of your nondeductible
contributions (basis).
More information.
For more information on early distributions, see Publication 590.
Excess Accumulations (Insufficient Distributions)
You
cannot keep amounts in your traditional IRA indefinitely. Generally,
you must begin receiving distributions by April 1
of the year following the year in which
you reach age 70½. The required minimum distribution for any year after
the year in
which you reach age 70½ must be made by
December 31 of that later year.
Tax on excess.
If distributions are
less than the required minimum distribution for the year, you may have
to pay a 50% excise tax
for that year on the amount not
distributed as required.
Request to waive the tax.
If the excess
accumulation is due to reasonable error, and you have taken, or are
taking, steps to remedy the insufficient
distribution, you can request that the tax
be waived. If you believe you qualify for this relief, attach a
statement of explanation
and complete Form 5329 as instructed under
Waiver of tax in the Instructions for Form 5329.
Exemption from tax.
If you are unable to
take required distributions because you have a traditional IRA invested
in a contract issued
by an insurance company that is in state
insurer delinquency proceedings, the 50% excise tax does not apply if
the conditions
and requirements of Revenue Procedure
92-10 are satisfied.
More information.
For more information on excess accumulations, see Publication 590.
Reporting Additional Taxes
Generally, you must use Form 5329 to report the tax on excess contributions, early distributions, and excess accumulations.
If you must file Form 5329, you cannot use Form 1040A or Form 1040EZ.
Filing a tax return.
If you must file an
individual income tax return, complete Form 5329 and attach it to your
Form 1040. Enter the total
additional taxes due on Form 1040, line
58.
Not filing a tax return.
If
you do not have to file a tax return but do have to pay one of the
additional taxes mentioned earlier, file the completed
Form 5329 with the IRS at the time and
place you would have filed your Form 1040. Be sure to include your
address on page
1 and your signature and date on page 2.
Enclose, but do not attach, a check or money order payable to the United
States Treasury
for the tax you owe, as shown on Form
5329. Enter your social security number and “
2011 Form 5329” on your check or money order.
Form 5329 not required.
You do not have to use Form 5329 if either of the following situations exists.
-
Distribution code 1 (early
distribution) is correctly shown in box 7 of Form 1099-R. If you do not
owe any other additional
tax on a distribution,
multiply the taxable part of the early distribution by 10% and enter the
result on Form 1040, line
58. Put “No”
to the left of the line to indicate that you do not have to file Form
5329. However, if you owe this tax and also owe any
other additional tax on a
distribution, do not enter this 10% additional tax directly on your Form
1040. You must file Form
5329 to report your additional
taxes.
-
If you rolled over part or all of a distribution from a qualified retirement plan, the part rolled over is not subject to
the tax on early distributions.
Regardless of your age, you may be able to establish and make nondeductible contributions to a retirement plan called a Roth
IRA.
Contributions not reported.
You do not report Roth IRA contributions on your return.
A
Roth IRA is an individual retirement plan that, except as explained in
this chapter, is subject to the rules that apply
to a traditional IRA (defined earlier). It
can be either an account or an annuity. Individual retirement accounts
and annuities
are described in Publication 590.
To be a Roth IRA, the account or annuity must be designated as a Roth IRA when it is opened. A deemed IRA can be a Roth IRA,
but neither a SEP IRA nor a SIMPLE IRA can be designated as a Roth IRA.
Unlike
a traditional IRA, you cannot deduct contributions to a Roth IRA. But,
if you satisfy the requirements, qualified distributions
(discussed later) are tax free. Contributions
can be made to your Roth IRA after you reach age 70½ and you can leave
amounts
in your Roth IRA as long as you live.
When Can a Roth IRA Be Opened?
You can open a Roth IRA at any time. However, the time for making contributions for any year is limited. See
When Can You Make Contributions
, later, under Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA?
Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA?
Generally, you can contribute to a Roth IRA if you have taxable compensation (defined later) and your modified AGI (defined
later) is less than:
-
$179,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er),
-
$122,000 for single, head of household, or married filing separately and you did not live with your spouse at any time during
the year, or
-
$10,000 for married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during the year.
You may be eligible to claim a credit for contributions to your Roth IRA. For more information, see
chapter 36.
Is there an age limit for contributions?
Contributions can be made to your Roth IRA regardless of your age.
Can you contribute to a Roth IRA for your spouse?
You can contribute to a
Roth IRA for your spouse provided the contributions satisfy the spousal
IRA limit (discussed
in
How Much Can Be Contributed?
under
Traditional IRAs), you file jointly, and your modified AGI is less than $179,000.
Compensation.
Compensation includes
wages, salaries, tips, professional fees, bonuses, and other amounts
received for providing
personal services. It also includes
commissions, self-employment income, nontaxable combat pay, military
differential pay,
and taxable alimony and separate maintenance
payments.
Modified AGI.
Your modified AGI for Roth
IRA purposes is your adjusted gross income (AGI) as shown on your return
modified as follows.
-
Subtract the following.
-
Roth IRA conversions included on Form 1040, line 15b, or Form 1040A, line 11b.
-
Roth IRA rollovers from qualified retirement plans included on Form 1040, line 16b, or Form 1040A, line 12b.
-
Add the following deductions and exclusions:
-
Traditional IRA deduction,
-
Student loan interest deduction,
-
Tuition and fees deduction,
-
Domestic production activities deduction,
-
Foreign earned income exclusion,
-
Foreign housing exclusion or deduction,
-
Exclusion of qualified savings bond interest shown on Form 8815, and
-
Exclusion of employer-provided adoption benefits shown on Form 8839.
You can use Worksheet 17-2 to figure your modified AGI.
Worksheet 17-2.Modified Adjusted Gross Income for Roth IRA Purposes
Use this worksheet to figure your modified adjusted gross income for Roth IRA purposes.
|
1. |
|
Enter your adjusted gross income from Form 1040, line 38, or Form 1040A, line 22 |
1. |
|
2. |
|
Enter any income resulting from the conversion of an IRA (other than a Roth IRA) to a Roth IRA and a rollover from a qualified retirement plan to a Roth IRA
|
2. |
|
3. |
|
Subtract line 2 from line 1 |
3. |
|
4. |
|
Enter any traditional IRA deduction from Form 1040, line 32, or Form 1040A, line 17 |
4. |
|
5. |
|
Enter any student loan interest deduction from Form 1040, line 33, or Form 1040A, line 18 |
5. |
|
6. |
|
Enter any tuition and fees deduction from Form 1040, line 34, or Form 1040A, line 19 |
6. |
|
7. |
|
Enter any domestic production activities deduction from Form 1040, line 35 |
7. |
|
8. |
|
Enter any foreign earned income and/or housing exclusion from Form 2555, line 45, or Form 2555-EZ, line 18 |
8. |
|
9. |
|
Enter any foreign housing deduction from Form 2555, line 50 |
9. |
|
10. |
|
Enter any excludable savings bond interest from Form 8815, line 14 |
10. |
|
11. |
|
Enter any excluded employer-provided adoption benefits from Form 8839, line 24 |
11. |
|
12. |
|
Add the amounts on lines 3 through 11 |
12. |
|
13. |
|
Enter: •$179,000 if married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er) •$10,000 if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during the year •$122,000 for all others
|
13. |
|
If yes, If no, |
Is the amount on line 12 more than the amount on line 13? then see the Note below. then the amount on line 12 is your modified AGI for Roth IRA purposes.
|
|
|
|
Note.
If the amount on line 12 is more than the amount on line 13 and you
have other income or loss items, such as social security
income or passive activity
losses, that are subject to AGI-based phaseouts, you can refigure your
AGI solely for the purpose
of figuring your modified AGI
for Roth IRA purposes. (If you receive social security benefits, use Worksheet 1 in Appendix B of Publication 590 to refigure your AGI.) Then go to list item (2) under Modified AGI or line 3 above in this Worksheet 17-2 to refigure your modified AGI. If you do not have other income or loss items subject to AGI-based phaseouts, your modified
AGI for Roth IRA purposes is the amount on line 12.
|
How Much Can Be Contributed?
The
contribution limit for Roth IRAs generally depends on whether
contributions are made only to Roth IRAs or to both traditional
IRAs and Roth IRAs.
Roth IRAs only.
If contributions are
made only to Roth IRAs, your contribution limit generally is the lesser
of the following amounts.
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older in 2011).
-
Your taxable compensation.
However, if your modified AGI is above a certain amount, your contribution limit may be reduced, as explained later under
Contribution limit reduced
.
Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs.
If contributions are
made to both Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs established for your
benefit, your contribution limit
for Roth IRAs generally is the same as
your limit would be if contributions were made only to Roth IRAs, but
then reduced
by all contributions for the year to all
IRAs other than Roth IRAs. Employer contributions under a SEP or SIMPLE
IRA plan
do not affect this limit.
This means that your
contribution limit is generally the lesser of the following amounts.
-
$5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older in 2011) minus all contributions (other than employer contributions under a SEP or SIMPLE
IRA plan) for the year to all IRAs other than Roth IRAs.
-
Your taxable compensation minus all contributions (other than employer contributions under a SEP or SIMPLE IRA plan) for the
year to all IRAs other than Roth IRAs.
However, if your modified AGI is above a certain amount, your contribution limit may be reduced, as explained next under
Contribution limit reduced.
Contribution limit reduced.
If your modified AGI is
above a certain amount, your contribution limit is gradually reduced.
Use Table 17-3 to determine
if this reduction applies to you.
Table 17-3.Effect of Modified AGI on Roth IRA Contribution
This table shows whether your contribution to a Roth IRA is affected by the amount of your modified adjusted gross income
(modified AGI).
|
IF you have taxable compensation and your filing status is... |
|
AND your modified AGI is...
|
|
THEN... |
married filing jointly, or qualifying widow(er) |
|
less than $169,000 |
|
you can contribute up to $5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older in 2011). |
|
at least $169,000 but less than $179,000
|
|
the amount you can contribute is reduced as explained under Contribution limit reduced in chapter 2 of Publication 590.
|
|
$179,000 or more |
|
you cannot contribute to a Roth IRA. |
married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during the year
|
|
zero (-0-) |
|
you can contribute up to $5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older in 2011). |
|
more than zero (-0-) but less than $10,000
|
|
the amount you can contribute is reduced as explained under Contribution limit reduced in chapter 2 of Publication 590.
|
|
$10,000 or more |
|
you cannot contribute to a Roth IRA. |
single, head of household, or married filing separately and you did not live with your spouse at any time during the year
|
|
less than $107,000 |
|
you can contribute up to $5,000 ($6,000 if you are 50 or older in 2011). |
|
at least $107,000 but less than $122,000
|
|
the amount you can contribute is reduced as explained under Contribution limit reduced in chapter 2 of Publication 590.
|
|
$122,000 or more |
|
you cannot contribute to a Roth IRA. |
Figuring the reduction.
If the amount you can
contribute to your Roth IRA is reduced, see Publication 590 for how to
figure the reduction.
When Can You Make Contributions?
You can make contributions to a Roth IRA for a year at any time during the year or by the due date of your return for that
year (not including extensions).
You can make contributions for 2011 by the due date (not including extensions) for filing your 2011 tax return.
What if You Contribute Too Much?
A 6% excise tax applies to any excess contribution to a Roth IRA.
Excess contributions.
These are the
contributions to your Roth IRAs for a year that equal the total of:
-
Amounts contributed for the
tax year to your Roth IRAs (other than amounts properly and timely
rolled over from a Roth IRA
or properly converted from a
traditional IRA or rolled over from a qualified retirement plan, as
described later) that are
more than your contribution
limit for the year, plus
-
Any excess contributions for the preceding year, reduced by the total of:
-
Any distributions out of your Roth IRAs for the year, plus
-
Your contribution limit for the year minus your contributions to all your IRAs for the year.
Withdrawal of excess contributions.
For purposes of
determining excess contributions, any contribution that is withdrawn on
or before the due date (including
extensions) for filing your tax return for
the year is treated as an amount not contributed. This treatment
applies only if
any earnings on the contributions are also
withdrawn. The earnings are considered to have been earned and received
in the
year the excess contribution was made.
Applying excess contributions.
If contributions to your
Roth IRA for a year were more than the limit, you can apply the excess
contribution in one
year to a later year if the contributions
for that later year are less than the maximum allowed for that year.
Can You Move Amounts Into a Roth IRA?
You may be able to convert amounts from
either a traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA into a Roth IRA. You may be
able to roll
amounts over from a qualified retirement plan
to a Roth IRA. You may be able to recharacterize contributions made to
one IRA
as having been made directly to a different
IRA. You can roll amounts over from a designated Roth account or from
one Roth
IRA to another Roth IRA.
You can convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. The conversion is treated as a rollover, regardless of the conversion method
used. Most of the rules for rollovers, described earlier under
Rollover From One IRA Into Another
under Traditional IRAs, apply to these rollovers. However, the 1-year waiting period does not apply.
Conversion methods.
You can convert amounts from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in any of the following ways.
-
Rollover. You can receive a distribution from a traditional IRA and roll it over (contribute it) to a Roth IRA within 60 days after
the distribution.
-
Trustee-to-trustee transfer. You can direct the trustee of the traditional IRA to transfer an amount from the traditional IRA to the trustee of the Roth
IRA.
-
Same trustee transfer. If the trustee of the traditional IRA also maintains the Roth IRA, you can direct the trustee to transfer an amount from
the traditional IRA to the Roth IRA.
Same trustee.
Conversions made with
the same trustee can be made by redesignating the traditional IRA as a
Roth IRA, rather than
opening a new account or issuing a new
contract.
Special rules for 2010 conversions to Roth IRAs.
For any conversions from
a traditional, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA to a Roth IRA in 2010, any amounts
required to be included
in income are generally included in income
in equal amounts in 2011 and 2012 unless you elected to include the
entire amount
in income in 2010. You may be required to
include an amount other than half of a 2010 conversion from a
traditional, SEP,
or SIMPLE IRA to a Roth IRA in income in
2011 if you also took a Roth IRA distribution in 2010 or 2011. See
Publication 590
for more information on the amount to
include in income in 2011 from a 2010 conversion to a Roth IRA.
Rollover from a qualified retirement plan into a Roth IRA.
You can roll over into a
Roth IRA all or part of an eligible rollover distribution you receive
from your (or your
deceased spouse's):
-
Employer's qualified pension, profit-sharing, or stock bonus plan;
-
Annuity plan;
-
Tax-sheltered annuity plan (section 403(b) plan); or
-
Governmental deferred compensation plan (section 457 plan).
Any amount rolled over is subject to
the same rules for converting a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. Also,
the rollover contribution
must meet the rollover requirements that
apply to the specific type of retirement plan.
Income.
You must include in your
gross income distributions from a qualified retirement plan that you
would have had to include
in income if you had not rolled them over
into a Roth IRA. You do not include in gross income any part of a
distribution from
a qualified retirement plan that is a
return of contributions (after-tax contributions) to the plan that were
taxable to you
when paid.
These amounts are
normally included in income on your return for the year you rolled them
over from the employer plan
to a Roth IRA. For 2010 rollovers special
rules apply. See
Special rules for 2010 rollovers from employer plans to Roth IRAs next.
Special rules for 2010 rollovers from qualified retirement plans to Roth IRAs.
For any rollovers from
qualified retirement plans to a Roth IRA in 2010, any amounts that are
required to be included
in income are generally included in income
in equal amounts in 2011 and 2012 unless you elected to include the
entire amount
in income in 2010. You may be required to
include an amount other than half of a 2010 rollover from a qualified
employer plan
to a Roth IRA in income in 2011 if you
also took a Roth IRA distribution in 2010 or 2011. See Publication 590
for more information
on the amount to include in income in 2011
from a 2010 rollover.
If you must include any amount in your gross income, you may have to increase your withholding or make estimated tax payments.
See Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.
For more information, see
Rollover From Employer's Plan Into a Roth IRA in chapter 2 of Publication 590.
Converting from a SIMPLE IRA.
Generally, you can
convert an amount in your SIMPLE IRA to a Roth IRA under the same rules
explained earlier under
Converting From Any Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA
under
Traditional IRAs.
However, you cannot
convert any amount distributed from the SIMPLE IRA during the 2-year
period beginning on the
date you first participated in any SIMPLE
IRA plan maintained by your employer.
More information.
For more detailed information on conversions, see Publication 590.
You can withdraw, tax free, all or part of the assets from one Roth IRA if you contribute them within 60 days to another Roth
IRA. Most of the rules for rollovers, explained earlier under
Rollover From One IRA Into Another
under Traditional IRAs, apply to these rollovers.
Rollover from designated Roth account.
A rollover from a
designated Roth account can only be made to another designated Roth
account or to a Roth IRA. For
more information about designated Roth
accounts, see
chapter 10.
Are Distributions Taxable?
You
generally do not include in your gross income qualified distributions
or distributions that are a return of your regular
contributions from your Roth IRA(s). You also
do not include distributions from your Roth IRA that you roll over tax
free
into another Roth IRA. You may have to
include part of other distributions in your income. See
Ordering rules for distributions
, later.
What are qualified distributions?
A qualified distribution is
any payment or distribution from your Roth IRA that meets the following
requirements.
-
It is made after the 5-year period beginning with the first taxable year for which a contribution was made to a Roth IRA set
up for your benefit, and
-
The payment or distribution is:
-
Made on or after the date you reach age 59½,
-
Made because you are disabled,
-
Made to a beneficiary or to your estate after your death, or
-
To pay up to $10,000
(lifetime limit) of certain qualified first-time homebuyer amounts. See
Publication 590 for more information.
Additional tax on distributions of conversion and certain rollover contributions within 5-year period.
If, within the 5-year
period starting with the first day of your tax year in which you convert
an amount from a traditional
IRA or rollover an amount from a qualified
retirement plan to a Roth IRA, you take a distribution from a Roth IRA,
you may
have to pay the 10% additional tax on early
distributions. You generally must pay the 10% additional tax on any
amount attributable
to the part of the amount converted or rolled
over (the conversion or rollover contribution) that you had to include
in income.
A separate 5-year period applies to each
conversion and rollover. See
Ordering rules for distributions
, later, to determine the amount, if any, of the distribution that is attributable to the part of the conversion or rollover
contribution that you had to include in income.
Additional tax on other early distributions.
Unless an exception
applies, you must pay the 10% additional tax on the taxable part of any
distributions that are
not qualified distributions. See Publication
590 for more information.
Ordering rules for distributions.
If you receive a
distribution from your Roth IRA that is not a qualified distribution,
part of it may be taxable.
There is a set order in which contributions
(including conversion contributions and rollover contributions from
qualified
retirement plans) and earnings are considered
to be distributed from your Roth IRA. Regular contributions are
distributed
first. See Publication 590 for more
information.
Must you withdraw or use Roth IRA assets?
You are not required to
take distributions from your Roth IRA at any age. The minimum
distribution rules that apply
to traditional IRAs do not apply to Roth IRAs
while the owner is alive. However, after the death of a Roth IRA owner,
certain
of the minimum distribution rules that apply
to traditional IRAs also apply to Roth IRAs.
More information.
For more detailed information on Roth IRAs, see Publication 590.