Do you have a 401(k)? Ever wondered if you could roll over that account into a Roth IRA? You might be surprised to hear that it’s possible. You can make a direct or 60-day rollover from a 401(k) plan (or other qualified plan, 403(b) plan, or governmental 457(b) plan) to a Roth IRA, as long as you meet certain requirements.*
First, you must be entitled to withdraw money from your plan. If you no longer work for the employer who sponsored that 401(k), then you would be eligible to do this rollover, and in some cases you may be able to withdraw your contributions or your employer’s contributions while you’re still working (for example, once you’ve reached age 59½).
Second, your distribution must be an “eligible rollover distribution.” Distributions that cannot be rolled over include hardship withdrawals, certain periodic payments, and required minimum distributions (RMDs).
Third, you must include the taxable portion of the distribution in your gross income in the year you make the rollover (“conversion”). But that’s the price you have to pay to potentially receive tax-free qualified distributions from your Roth IRA in the future.
Fourth, if your distribution includes both after-tax and pre-tax dollars, you can generally direct that only the after-tax dollars be rolled over to the Roth IRA (resulting in a tax-free conversion), while making a tax-deferred rollover of the pre-tax dollars to a traditional IRA.
When evaluating whether to initiate a rollover from an employer plan to an IRA, be sure to: (1) ask about possible surrender charges that your employer plan or IRA may impose, (2) compare investment fees and expenses charged by your IRA with those charged by your employer plan (if any), and (3) understand any accumulated rights or guarantees that you may be giving up by transferring funds out of your employer plan. Also consider all of your distribution options, including leaving the money in your employer’s plan, transferring the funds to a new employer’s plan, or taking a cash withdrawal.
Contact an Azzad representative at 888.86.AZZAD or email info@azzad.net to talk about whether this is right for you.
*If you make a 60-day rollover, your plan will withhold 20% of the taxable portion of your distribution for federal income tax purposes.
