Consider a Backdoor Roth if You Earn Too Much to Contribute to a Roth IRA
A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account that allows you to set aside after-tax income up to a specified amount each year. Both earnings on the account and withdrawals after age 59 1/2 are tax free if it has been at least five years since you first opened and contributed to your Roth IRA, regardless of your age when you opened it.
Many investors would like to make Roth IRA contributions, but their income exceeds the applicable income limits. If you earn too much money (see chart below), you cannot open Roth IRAs under current IRS rules.
This puts one of the best features of a Roth IRA out of reach: the ability to maximize tax-free growth even after age 73 because Roth IRAs do not require minimum distributions (RMDs). So, if you don’t need income from your Roth IRA, your balance grows tax-free until it passes to your heirs.
Enter the Backdoor Roth, an option for those who earn more income than the current limits to establish a Roth IRA. With a Backdoor Roth, you first contribute to a Traditional IRA and then convert it to a Roth IRA.
First Let’s Take a Look at the Roth IRA Limits for 2025
| Category | 2025 Limit |
| Roth IRA Contribution Limit | $7,000 |
| Roth IRA Contribution Limit if 50 or over | $8,000 |
| Traditional IRA Contribution Limit | $7,000 |
| Traditional IRA Contribution Limit if 50 or over | $8,000 |
| Roth IRA Income Limits (for single filers) | Phase-out starts at $150,000; ineligible at $165,000 |
| Roth IRA Income Limits (for married filers) | Phase-out starts at $236,000; ineligible at $246,000 |
What Then is a “Backdoor Roth”?
A Backdoor Roth converts Traditional IRA assets to a Roth IRA. Currently, you can convert money you have put into a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, no matter how much income you earn. You can also roll as much money as you want from a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, exceeding the contribution limits on IRAs. Therefore, you can contribute through the backdoor by making a nondeductible traditional IRA contribution and then converting to a Roth IRA. This allows you to avoid both Roth IRA income limits and Roth IRA contribution limits.
Example: Ned would like to make a Roth IRA contribution, but he is above his applicable income limit, so he is utilizing the Backdoor Roth IRA strategy. If Ned contributes $6,000 to his traditional IRA, he will have no deduction, and his contribution will go in as after-tax funds. A month later, when his IRA account has risen to $6,200, Ned converts his traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Since $6,000 of the $6,200 converted consists of after-tax dollars, only the $200 of gain will be taxable upon conversion. Thus, Ned will have paid tax on a total of $6,200, the entire balance of his Roth IRA at that point.
Tax Considerations
From a tax standpoint, this strategy works best if you don’t have other traditional, deductible IRA assets, because if you do, part of the conversion would be subject to income tax.
Example: Jan has $114,000 in her traditional IRA, all of which is pre-tax. If Jan makes a $6,000 nondeductible (after-tax) contribution to a traditional IRA, the total IRA balance will be $120,000, $6,000 of which will be after-tax. Thus,
only 5% ($6,000 / $120,000 = 5%) of her Roth IRA conversion will be tax-free. If Jan converts $6,000 from her traditional IRA to a Roth IRA after making her nondeductible contribution, just $300 would be tax-free ($6,000 x 5%), while the remaining
$5,700 ($6,000 – $300 = $5,700) would be taxable upon conversion.
Working With Janney
Depending on your financial needs and personal preferences, you may opt to engage in a brokerage relationship, an advisory relationship or a combination of both. Each time you open an account, we will make recommendations on which type of relationship is in your best interest based on the information you provide when you complete or update your client profile.
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If you engage in an advisory relationship, you will pay an asset-based fee, which encompasses, among other things, a defined investment strategy, ongoing monitoring, and performance reporting. Your Financial Advisor will serve in a fiduciary capacity for your advisory relationships.
For more information about Janney, please see Janney’s Relationship Summary (Form CRS) on www.janney.com/crs which details all material facts about the scope and terms of our relationship with you and any potential conflicts of interest.
By establishing a relationship with a Janney Financial Advisor, we can build a tailored financial plan and make recommendations about solutions that are aligned with your best interest and unique needs, goals, and preferences.
Contact us today to discuss how we can put a plan in place designed to help you reach your financial goals.
The examples provided are all hypothetical and do not take into account any specific situations. The hypothetical examples are provided to help illustrate the concepts discussed throughout and do not consider the effect of fees, expenses, or other costs that will effect investing outcomes. Any actual performance results will differ from the hypothetical situations illustrated here. Please consult a professional to help you evaluate your situation before implementing any of the strategies discussed here.
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, its affiliates, and its employees are not in the business of providing tax, regulatory, accounting, or legal advice. These materials and any tax-related statements are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.
