Roth IRA is an individual retirement account (IRA) named after William Roth, a former Senator from Delaware. It permits eligible tax-free withdrawals if the required conditions are met.
New rules
In 2020, single tax filers had to have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $139,000 (or less). Joint MAGI (for a married couple) had to be $206,000 (or less) to contribute to a Roth IRA.
In 2021, the income limit has risen to $140,000 for single filers and $208,000 for joint MAGI for a married couple. For the people above and below the age of 50 are the same as traditional IRAs 2020 and 2021 — $6000 for people below 50 years; $7000 for people above 50 years.
The maximum amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA depends on your earnings. As a single filer in 2021, you must contribute the total amount if your MAGI is less than $125,000. And if your MAGI is more than $125,000 and less than $140,000, you can contribute a reduced amount to a Roth.
If your contribution is a decreased amount, your contribution will be after taxes. You get to receive distributions from Roth IRA tax-free in retirement. If you follow the Roth IRA withdrawal rules, you won’t have to pay taxes on any investment growth.
Helping you reduce taxes
You will also acquire helpful diversification of tax during retirement. Roth IRA distributions don’t consider your income; thus, obtaining money in addition to the traditional IRA or your 401(k) might help you stay in the lower tax bracket. This would reduce the taxes levied on Social Security benefits and Medicare premiums that usually increase at higher income levels in retirement.
The fine print mentioned on Roth IRA contribution limits would prevent you from contributing beyond your taxable compensation for the year. If you earned $2000 and your Roth IRA contribution limit is also $2,000 for that year, you wouldn’t have earned any income. In that case, you cannot contribute. However, there is an exception for spousal IRA. That permits one of the non-working spouses to contribute to an IRA in accordance with the taxable compensation of the working spouse.
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Some mistakes to avoid
Contributions more than the annual Roth IRA limits can prompt a penalty from the Internal Revenue Service. This could quickly sweep away any investment income. You don’t have to worry if you had made this mistake. You’re allowed to draw back and make necessary changes by withdrawing excess contributions within six months and giving up earnings you gained on them. And then, you should file an amended tax return. Though you would have to pay taxes on the earnings, you would escape a penalty.
You can also reduce the succeeding year’s contribution using the excess amount; however, you would have to pay a 6% penalty for each year it stays in the account.
Backdoor Roth IRA
If your income is too high, you can sort out the Roth IRA income limit by setting up a Backdoor Roth IRA that converts the traditional IRA account to a Roth IRA.
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Reach out for more help
You must keep an eye on your Roth IRA contributions especially if you use more than one account. If you have more questions and need personalized assistance for dealing with excess funds, you could try finding a tax advisor. Check out Beem to get a quick and accurate estimate of your federal and state taxes and get the maximum refund.
