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Do Roth IRA Math Before Converting

The Roth IRA conversion has been one of the most popular retirement planning techniques in recent years and there's nothing to indicate that this trend will change. The main attraction is that the money you take from a Roth after the conversion is generally free from income tax and you don't have to dilute your nest egg with required minimum distributions (RMDs) as you do with traditional IRAs. For many retirement-savers, it's a good deal.

But the benefits of Roth IRAs come at a price: When you convert funds in a traditional IRA to a Roth, you must pay tax on the conversion amount, just like you would with a regular distribution from an IRA. The trick is to minimize the tax liability when you pull off this maneuver.

Normally, withdrawals from a traditional IRA are fully taxable at ordinary income tax rates, currently reaching as high as 39.6%. In addition, these distributions increase your exposure to the 3.8% surtax on net investment income, as well as other potential adverse tax consequences such as the personal exemption phaseout (PEP). Furthermore, you must begin taking RMDs from your traditional IRA accounts after you reach age 70½—no exceptions.

Once you convert to a Roth, "qualified" distributions after five years are completely exempt from income tax. Qualified distributions, for this purpose, include withdrawals you take after age 59½, that are made because of death or disability, or are used for a first-time home purchase (up to a lifetime limit of $10,000). And you don't have to take RMDs during your lifetime no matter how long you live.

You may be able to contribute directly to a Roth IRA, but that option is phased out for upper-income taxpayers. A conversion may be your only viable route.

If you're thinking about a Roth conversion this year, you might consider limiting the amount you convert to the maximum you can add to your income without moving into a higher tax bracket. For example, if you expect to be in the 25% bracket and have another $50,000 to spare before crossing into the 28% bracket, you could take this opportunity to convert $50,000 from your traditional IRA to a Roth. Not only is that amount below the thresholds for the 3.8% surtax and PEP, the tax rate is limited to 25%. You then could repeat this strategy over multiple years to keep your tax liability at a reasonable level.

Finally, you're holding another tax card up your sleeve: If it suits your needs, you might decide to "recharacterize" part of the converted amount back into a traditional IRA. This could be a good idea if the value of the account declines significantly after the conversion. You have until the tax return due date for the year of the conversion plus extensions to recharacterize, giving you plenty of time to make an informed decision.