Article Highlights Traditional IRA Roth IRA Selecting the IRA Type for You Penalties Conversions Spousal IRAs Retirement Distributions The tax code offers two types of IRAs; one is referred to as the traditional individual retirement account (IRA), so named because it was the first type of IRA available, having been created by Congress back in the 1970s. The second type is the Roth IRA, established in 1997 and named after William Roth, who was a senator from Delaware. Traditional IRA – The tax benefit of a traditional IRA is that it provides a tax deduction for the amount of the contribution up to the maximum allowed for the year. Higher income taxpayers that also participate in their employers’ retirement plans, such as a traditional pension plan or a 401(k) plan, can make contributions, but the deductibility of their contributions phase out as their adjusted gross income (AGI) increases. IRA Contribution Limits Year Under Age 50 Age 50 and Over 2013 through 2018 $5,500 $6,500 2019 through 2020 $6,000 $7,000 The annual contribution limits are inflation adjusted periodically and include an additional catch-up amount for taxpayers age 50 and over. To make a contribution, an individual must have earned income (income from working, such as wages or some form of self-employment income). There are special provisions in the tax law that allow taxable alimony, non-taxable military combat pay, and certain taxable fellowships and stipends to be treated as earned income for purposes of the earned income limit. The maximum contribution is the lesser of the earned income or the IRA contribution limit amount for the year. Example: Phil, who is age 65, only worked part time during 2020 and his wages were $5,000. His contribution limit is the lesser of his earned income, $5,000, or the IRA contribution limit, $7,000. Thus, Phil can contribute any amount up $5,000 for 2020. The traditional IRA deduction begins to phase-out when an individual who makes a traditional IRA contribution is also an active participant in a qualified retirement plan and their AGI has reached certain inflation-adjusted thresholds. The deduction is fully phased out for unmarried filers when their AGI reaches an amount $10,000 over the threshold. For married taxpayers and certain surviving spouses, full phase-out is achieved when their AGI is $20,000 over the threshold. Those using the married separate filing status who are active participants in their employer’s qualified plan generally are not allowed a deduction once their AGI reaches $10,000. Phase-out Threshold for Active Participants in Qualified Pension Plans Filing Status 2018 2019 2020 Single & Head of Household $63,000 $64,000 $65,000 Joint & Surviving Spouse $101,000 $103,000 $104,000 Married Filing Separately Zero Zero Zero Generally, when funds are withdrawn from an IRA, the distribution is fully taxable, including the amount contributed and the earnings. An exception applies when a taxpayer elects not to take a deduction or when the deduction has been phased out. Contributions that were not deductible are recovered tax-free proportionally to each distribution. For example, if 8% of the overall contributions to a traditional IRA were nondeductible, 8% of each distribution will be tax-free and 92% will be taxable. Traditional IRAs are recommended for those that may need a tax deduction in order to afford to make a contribution or those who are contributing later in life and cannot substantially benefit from a Roth IRA’s tax-free accumulation and whose income during retirement will be in a tax bracket substantially lower than it was when they were making the contributions. Roth IRA – The tax benefit of a Roth IRA is quite different than that of a traditional IRA. With a Roth IRA, a taxpayer gets no tax deduction when contributions are made. However, the taxpayer gets tax-free accumulation, and at retirement, all distributions are tax-free, including the account’s earnings (if a five-year required holding period is met). The annual contribution limits for a Roth IRA are the same as for a traditional IRA, including the need for earned income. However, for higher-income taxpayers, the amount they can contribute to a Roth IRA is reduced as their AGI increases above an inflation-adjusted threshold established for their filing status. Roth IRA Contribution Limit Phase-out Range Year Married Filing Joint Married Filing Separately All Others 2018 189,000 – 199,000 0 – 9,999 120,000 – 135,000 2019 193,000 – 203,000 0 – 9,999 122,000 - 137,000 2020 196,000 – 206,000 0 – 9,999 124,000 – 139,000